Mechanical Link
Mechanical Link is a form of manual therapy which works on the fascial system of the body. In order to explain how Mechanical Link works, first we must understand what fascia is and it's role in the body. Fascia is a connective tissue which has mechanoreceptors located in it. This connective tissue is a complex web which provides stability for the body and at the same time allows for mobility and flexibility. There are three layers of fascia; one is the superficial fascia under the skin, covering the whole body and encompassing the muscles and joints. The second layer surrounds and supports the deeper visceral organs (for example the liver, stomach, colon, etc.). The third layer is called the dura and encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and fluid around this central nervous system. In fact if you took everything out of the body; the organs, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and bones, you would be left with the fascia and you would still have your form. You could see where each muscle and bone was; where each organ was and even where each artery and vein was. Fascia encompasses everything in our bodies and compartmentalizes it. It is like a spider web but in 3 dimensions.
Now imagine what happens as we go through life. We have all sorts of minor and sometimes major traumas, from falls to accidents to twists and sprains. We also have all sorts of habitual patterns of movement or habitual ways to sit and stand. Each of these things distorts the fascia and causes some minor and some major restrictions. Again, imagine the spider web like material in the shape of a human with all the sections in it. With tight areas located through out, our bodies adapt but when our bodies can no longer adapt, something starts to hurt. Maybe your back starts to hurt; or your neck or you start getting headaches or even some strange pain that no one can figure out. It may not be due to anything that you just did, but may in fact be due to having one more restriction develop for which your body can no longer adapt. It's kind of like "the straw that broke the camel's back".
Which brings us back to Mechanical Link. Dr. Paul Chauffour a French osteopathic physician, developed Mechanical Link during 15 years of investigation. He was guided by a dedication to the principles of osteopathy - the theory of the primary lesion or restriction and a belief that the body has the most powerful healing abilities; and if we can clear the primary restrictions in the body, the body will then be able to self correct. With the Mechanical Link system each system of the body with each layer of the fascial connective web is systematically evaluated and a hierarchy of restrictions is determined. Treatments consist of painless, recoil techniques which send an impulse to the fascia and the mechanoreceptors and stimulate their self corrective forces. It's kind of like our spider web example. If the web is tangled in one corner you will be able to see lines of tension throughout the web; not only in the area of restriction. You can tug and tug on the wrong spot to balance the spider web but this may just distort it more or worse yet break parts of it. Instead you can go to the main restriction and simply "flick" the part that is hung up and the rest of the web will fall into place, leaving a symmetric web. This is how Mechanical Link works. The therapist locates the primary restriction or where the fascial web is hung up and then performs a very low force technique to free it. The fascial web now is able to fall into place in a more symmetric arrangement. In this way primary lesions are corrected and the body is able to self correct the less dominant problems. The body is able to adapt easier and function more efficiently and many times left painfree.