I am often talking to my clients about the relationship between the poll and the lumbar area of the back. If a horse has tension in the poll area, it’s more than likely there will be tension in the lumbar spine. So what is the relationship? Well we all know that muscles have certain characteristics: an origin and an insertion point, they work in groups, concentric pairs, contracting and relaxing to produce movement. When muscles are tight or have trigger points (knots) this affects how they work and cause limitations and restrictions in movement. Releasing tension in the individual muscles concerned can greatly improve the way a horse moves.
What happens when this doesn’t resolve the lameness or stiffness? What else could be going on? A new piece of research has found that the muscles are encompassed in sheaths of fascia which can also become tight. The body has a 3-dimensional fascial net that interconnects the internal structures of the body. It wraps around the muscles, the bones, the internal organs, and connects everything with the skin. Through the fascia, the blood vessels and lymph vessels run; bringing nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and taking away the toxins.
So, let’s say the muscle is tight, it follows that the fascia that surrounds it is also tight, yes? Well, the trouble with the fascia is that it’s a web of connective tissue, so tension spreads along the web and the horse can be tight in the fascia far away from the injury site. That’s why if the horse is tight in the poll it can also cause tension in the lumbar area and vice versa.
So where do the trains come in? Well, I have been reading a book, for human therapists, called “Anatomy trains, Myofascial Meridians for manual and movement therapists” (Myers, 2009) Myers found that in the human field that there are two types of fascia; dense fascia and areolar fascia (a less dense fascia). Where it was thought that locomotion is created by the muscles working within their groups and that there was no real locomotive relationship between these groups; it is now believed that these groups are connected through the myofascial tracks of the dense fascia. This dense fascia envelops and connects the individual muscle groups and can transmit force from one group to another.
Elbrond and Schultz conducted a piece of research that found that similar tracks/lines exist in the horse (Elbrond & Schultz, 2015) . The chains are described as “creating a functional unity” and “due to the myofascial connection any biomechanical disorder can create problems within the chain and at some distance” (Denoix & Pailloux, 2009)
In the horse there are 7 of these lines
The superficial dorsal line
The superficial ventral line
The lateral Line
The spiral line
The functional lines
The front limb retraction line
The front limb protraction line
2. a, b, c
The superficial dorsal line (green)
The superficial ventral line (blue)
The lateral line (orange)
(Elbrond & Schultz, 2015)
The spiral line (green)
The functional lines (blue/light blue)
The front limb retraction line (pink)
The front limb protraction line (yellow)
So my discussion with clients about the relationship between the poll and lumbar area falls short as the superficial dorsal line of dense fascia connects the poll with the hind foot. This probably explains the reaction of some horses to raise and stretch their hind leg when I am working on the Poll, and also shake their heads as tension in the back releases along the superficial dorsal line. There are also numerous points where the lines cross over one another: the wither area, the tuber coxae (point of hip) and the sacrum. These areas are often the areas with most tension. Next time your horse is treated with Myofascial release, watch for reactions in other areas well away from where the therapist is working
If you have a horse with issues that other therapies have not fully resolved or if you just want to find out how Myofascial Release can help to free up your horse and improve its way of going please get in touch.
Resources:
Videos showing fascia
Strolling under the skin https://youtu.be/eW0lvOVKDxE
Fascia magnifies 25x https://youtu.be/uzy8-wQzQMY
Bibliography
Denoix, J. M., & Pailloux, J. P. (2009). Physical therapy and massage for the horse (4th ed.). London, UK: Manson Publishing.
Elbrond, V. S., & Schultz, R. M. (2015). MYOFASCIA – THE UNEXPLORED TISSUE: MYOFASCIAL KINETIC LINES IN HORSES, A MODEL FOR DESCRIBING LOCOMOTION USING COMPARATIVE DISSECTION STUDIES DERIVED FROM HUMAN LINES. University of Copenhagen; Denmark. , 1Department of Clinical Veterinary Animal Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Knowledge Enterprises Incorporated.
Myers, T. w. (2009). Anatomy Trains (Second ed.). Elsevier.
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