Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

Boston Welcomes back Soft Tissue Ninja Andreo Spina

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Tue, Apr 21, 2015 @ 07:04 AM

Andreo Spina

 

"If a practitioner cannot define what they are feeling for in any realistic, scientific manner, then what is the outcome measures guiding their treatment?  By this I don’t mean the outcome measure used to define success in the eyes of patients such as pain or range of motion.  I mean what is the tactile finding that, on a moment-by-moment basis, guidance the practitioners treatment?  How does one know when soft tissue ‘release’ procedures are appropriate vs. passive modalities?  How does one know the needed amplitude and direction of force to apply?  How does one know when the treatment is over?  These and many other questions require that the practitioner is able to palpably distinguish between normal and abnormal anatomic structure, and further that they have a working definition/understanding of what they are looking for."

- Andreo Spina

 

 

Interview by Patrick Ward, http://optimumsportsperformance.com

 

1) Thanks for taking the time out of your busy clinical and teaching schedule to do this interview, Dr. Spina. Can you please give the readers a short overview of your background??

Sure thing…

I studied Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  I later graduated with summa cum laude and clinic honors from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic and subsequently completed the two-year post-graduate fellowship in sports sciences. During my time studying Chiropractic, I became the first pre-graduate student to tutor in the cadaver laboratory in the department of Human Anatomy, a position that continued throughout my post-graduate fellowship program.

Stemming from my passion of studying and teaching anatomy, in 2006 I created Functional Anatomic Palpation Systems (F.A.P.)™ which is a systematic approach to soft tissue assessment and palpation.  Following the success of F.A.P. seminars, I later created a follow up system of soft tissue release and rehabilitation called Functional Range Release (F.R.)® technique which is now being utilized by manual practitioners around the world including the medical staffs of various professional sports organizations.  I then combined the scientific knowledge gained during my studies with my 29 years of martial arts training in various disciplines to create the third installment of my curriculum, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)™, which is a system of mobility conditioning and joint strengthening.

Aside from my work teaching seminars, I also own a sports centre in Toronto, Ontario where I practice and train clients.  I am a published researcher, and I have authored chapters in various sports medicine textbooks.

2) You approach to soft tissue therapy is extremely comprehensive and, after having attending one of your courses before, it is obvious that you have spent a lot of time reading research in order to develop your thought processes and theories about what may be taking place when we apply contact to another person’s body. The fascial system is a big part of your approach and the concept of the fascial system and how the body is connected has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Can you please explain your approach and this concept you refer to as “Bioflow Anatomy”?

To say that the Functional Range Release system has a sole focus on fascia is not entirely accurate actually, although it might have been in the not so distant past.  Further examination of literature has led/forced me to be more inclusive of other tissues, which together constitute the most abundant type of tissue in the human body, namely Connective Tissue (CT).  Examples of other tissues inclusive in CT other than fascia include bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, lymphatic tissues…and even 80% of nerve structure.  When contemplating the effects of manual therapy ‘inputs,’ or even training inputs for that matter, we must be inclusive of all of these tissue types as each of them will equally adapt to applied inputs.  To say that with a particular soft tissue technique application I am affecting one tissue vs. another is as inaccurate as claiming that any particular exercise targets a single tissue, which is in fact impossible.  This line of thought stems from literature examining the effects of load inputs on cellular/subcellular processes…a topic that we dive into deeply in the FR Release curriculum.

 

Continue to read the rest of this article by clicking HERE  

 

Thanks to Patrick Ward for this interview!

 

Register for Andreo Spina's FAP/FR SPINE course in Boston, May 22-24, 2015 HERE.  

 

spina

 

 

Topics: Andreo Spina

BSMPG Hosts Andreo Spina and FAP/FR Course - May 2015

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Jan 29, 2015 @ 10:01 AM

Andreo Spina

 

"If a practitioner cannot define what they are feeling for in any realistic, scientific manner, then what is the outcome measures guiding their treatment?  By this I don’t mean the outcome measure used to define success in the eyes of patients such as pain or range of motion.  I mean what is the tactile finding that, on a moment-by-moment basis, guidance the practitioners treatment?  How does one know when soft tissue ‘release’ procedures are appropriate vs. passive modalities?  How does one know the needed amplitude and direction of force to apply?  How does one know when the treatment is over?  These and many other questions require that the practitioner is able to palpably distinguish between normal and abnormal anatomic structure, and further that they have a working definition/understanding of what they are looking for."

- Andreo Spina

 

 

Interview by Patrick Ward, http://optimumsportsperformance.com

 

1) Thanks for taking the time out of your busy clinical and teaching schedule to do this interview, Dr. Spina. Can you please give the readers a short overview of your background??

Sure thing…

I studied Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  I later graduated with summa cum laude and clinic honors from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic and subsequently completed the two-year post-graduate fellowship in sports sciences. During my time studying Chiropractic, I became the first pre-graduate student to tutor in the cadaver laboratory in the department of Human Anatomy, a position that continued throughout my post-graduate fellowship program.

Stemming from my passion of studying and teaching anatomy, in 2006 I created Functional Anatomic Palpation Systems (F.A.P.)™ which is a systematic approach to soft tissue assessment and palpation.  Following the success of F.A.P. seminars, I later created a follow up system of soft tissue release and rehabilitation called Functional Range Release (F.R.)® technique which is now being utilized by manual practitioners around the world including the medical staffs of various professional sports organizations.  I then combined the scientific knowledge gained during my studies with my 29 years of martial arts training in various disciplines to create the third installment of my curriculum, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)™, which is a system of mobility conditioning and joint strengthening.

Aside from my work teaching seminars, I also own a sports centre in Toronto, Ontario where I practice and train clients.  I am a published researcher, and I have authored chapters in various sports medicine textbooks.

2) You approach to soft tissue therapy is extremely comprehensive and, after having attending one of your courses before, it is obvious that you have spent a lot of time reading research in order to develop your thought processes and theories about what may be taking place when we apply contact to another person’s body. The fascial system is a big part of your approach and the concept of the fascial system and how the body is connected has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Can you please explain your approach and this concept you refer to as “Bioflow Anatomy”?

To say that the Functional Range Release system has a sole focus on fascia is not entirely accurate actually, although it might have been in the not so distant past.  Further examination of literature has led/forced me to be more inclusive of other tissues, which together constitute the most abundant type of tissue in the human body, namely Connective Tissue (CT).  Examples of other tissues inclusive in CT other than fascia include bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, lymphatic tissues…and even 80% of nerve structure.  When contemplating the effects of manual therapy ‘inputs,’ or even training inputs for that matter, we must be inclusive of all of these tissue types as each of them will equally adapt to applied inputs.  To say that with a particular soft tissue technique application I am affecting one tissue vs. another is as inaccurate as claiming that any particular exercise targets a single tissue, which is in fact impossible.  This line of thought stems from literature examining the effects of load inputs on cellular/subcellular processes…a topic that we dive into deeply in the FR Release curriculum.

 

Continue to read the rest of this article by clicking HERE  

Thanks to Patrick Ward for this interview!

 

Register for Andreo Spina's FAP/FR SPINE course in Boston, May 22-24, 2015 HERE.  

 

spina

 

 

 

 

Topics: BSMPG, Andreo Spina, Functional Range Release

Boston Hosts Largest Functional Range Release Course To Date

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, May 5, 2014 @ 07:05 AM

 

BSMPG hosted over 40 of the most progressive sports therapists here in Boston this May 2-4, 2014 for the largest FR course to date!  Our next FR course is sure to sell out again so sign up before the last seat goes!

 

"The Functional Range Release system is what all other manual therapy techniques will be measured against moving forward."  

- Matt Forgie, DC - New Brunswick, Canada

 

functional release


Save the date for FR - UPPER Module - May 22-24, 2015

 

Spina Spina

Spina  Spina  spina

 

Visit functionalanatomyseminars.com for complete course details

 

What is Functional Range Release?

Functional Range Release is an advanced system of soft-tissue treatment based in the principles of myofascial release, but with multiple improvements.  The treatment system, in combination with the Functional Anatomic Palpation Systems® methods of palpation, focuses on the assessment, localization, and systematic treatment of soft-tissue lesions (adhesions) and areas of fibrosis (scar tissue) which develop as a result of injury, repetitive strain, and cumulative trauma.

Utilizing the trademarked PAIL's Progressive Angular Isometric Loading®) and Tissue Tension Technique®, Functional Range Release® soft-tissue management system expands on the basic tenets of myofascial-release treatments by simultaneously assessing, expanding, and strengthening the patient’s functional range of motion.  Through our seminars, the practitioner learns to not only treat tissue, but is also provided a means to assess the tissue in order to make sound clinical decisions.  

 

Learn more about the Functional Range Release system by clicking HERE.

Topics: BSMPG, Andreo Spina, Functional Range Release

Why Do I Have This Pain?

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Feb 5, 2014 @ 08:02 AM

 

by Andreo Spina

 

Spine Course Boston

 

 

"Why do I have this pain?" -

It is commonplace in manual medical practice to be faced with the question “why do I have this pain.” The way in which this question is answered can represent a pivotal moment in the lives of the patient as the answer provided can shape their concept of musculoskeletal health for the duration of their lives.

Commonly, when faced with this scenario, manual therapists resort to the standard answer, which often involves producing a sequence of events that would, or so they believe, predispose one to the presenting injury. Common answers include muscle imbalances, anatomical variants (ex. short leg), cumulative trauma/repetitive strain, etc. The common theme amongst all of the suggested answers is that there is “something wrong” with the patient that requires “fixing.” Further to this, it is common for the therapist to continue care even in the absence of the original symptomology under the guise of “preventative maintenance.” 

This description is riddled with problems. What if the patient does not perform repetitive tasks that can explain the problem? What if the patient is a well-tuned athlete that doesn’t have “imbalances” (what ever that means)? What if they do not have any overt anatomical variants, etc. This “problem” is often overcome by the practitioner by claiming/inventing an overly complex reasoning that is unfounded by science. Your ‘x’ muscle is ‘inhibited’ which is leading to the ‘facilitation’ of ‘y,’ causing pain in ‘z.’ Whilst this ‘x+y=z’ explanation may indeed be causative (of course there is no real way to know in absence of evidence…especially as many of the utilized ‘buzz’ words have very, very poorly understood explanations at best), there is an easier, more accurate answer that can be used. Namely….because you are human.

Possibly unknown to some, the process of evolution is not believed to be directional towards an optimal state. It is not the best traits that survive; it is only those that conferred advantage against environmental pressures that are present. The bi-pedal posture for example is believed to have come about from an energy conservation standpoint. Humans were able to get more travel out of less energy demand. Never in this equation was factored what standing upright would do to ones musculoskeletal well being. Further to this, most recent innovations such as chairs, shoes, cars, laptops, desks, etc., were never factored into the physical evolutionary process. Thus while the species is still getting used to this new development (‘new’ from an evolutionary sense) of bipedal locomotion, the rapid implementation of these types of innovations means that the body really has no idea how to deal with them.

What does this mean in terms of our original question of “why do I have this pain?” It means that it is most accurately answered by re-phrasing the question and directing it back at the origin…. “what have you done to prevent this pain from occurring?” How have you physically prepared your injured tissues to withstand the stress of sitting in a chair, working on your computer for hours on end, driving a car, etc. 

I do not mean to pass blame onto to the patient seeking advice. If anything, I am questioning how we as manual practitioners, who are supposed to experts in musculoskeletal health, are not more active in informing our patients, and the population as a whole, as to the various predispositions that we have to painful conditions (low back pain, neck pain, headache, plantar fasciitis, patelofemoral pain syndrome, etc.). Further, why are we not in the habit of prescribing exercises to mitigate these problems (notice I didn’t say ‘prevent’ as this is often not possible) even in absence of symptomatology? 

IMO - conferring this understanding that “it is not our right to live pain free” would also do well to encourage life long physical activity as truthfully, our physical bodies still think they are in the forest hunting and gathering food. In this context, patients begin to understand that the body desires constant motion and physical activity, and although not possible, perhaps they will realize that they need to actively, and consistently work to decrease pain and maintain function.

- Dre

 

May 2-4th, Boston MA

FAP/FR SPINE

 

In addition to the 3-day hands on instruction, the seminar also includes a significant online lecture component covering a variety of topics...

ONLINE LECTURE TOPICS:
- Cellular Anatomy/Histological basis of the FR® system
- Molecular Biophysics
- Progressive tissue adaptation
SEMINAR CONTENT:
- Functional Anatomic Palpation Systems (FAP)™
- Tissue Tension Technique
- Progressive/Regressive Angular Isometric Loading
- Tissue Layering Technique
- Neurological Drive assessment
- Mobility Rehabilitation & Development    

Spaces are filling up fast.  Register now by following the link below and get certified in the most advanced musculoskeletal assessment, treatment, and rehabilitative system to date...

http://www.functionalanatomyseminars.com/register-for-seminars

--
Web http://www.FunctionalAnatomySeminars.com

Blog http://www.FunctionalAnatomyBLOG.com
Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/FunctionalAnatomySeminars

Topics: BSMPG, Andreo Spina, Functional Range Release

Functional Anatomy Seminars and BSMPG

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Dec 27, 2013 @ 08:12 AM

Functional Anatomy

 


Early bird rates end at the end of December 2013. Seats are already starting to fill. SPINE - Boston May 2-4, 2014

Register HERE: http://www.functionalanatomyseminars.com/registration

bsmpg

 

 

 


Topics: BSMPG, Andreo Spina, Functional Range Release