Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists, 2e [Paperback]

Thomas W. Myers LMT NCTMB ARP Certified Rolfer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 044310283X | ISBN-13: 978-0443102837 | Publication Date: December 3, 2008 | Edition: 2nd

Understanding the role of fascia in healthy movement and postural distortion is of vital importance to bodyworkers and movement therapists. Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists presents a unique 'whole systems' view of myofascial/locomotor anatomy in which the bodywide connections among the muscles within the fascial net are described in detail for the first time. Using the metaphor of railway or train lines, Myers explains how patterns of strain communicate through the myofascial 'webbing', contributing to postural compensation and movement stability. Written in a style that makes it easy to understand and apply, Anatomy Trains provides an accessible and comprehensive explanation of the anatomy and function of the myofascial system in the body. The DVD ROM in the back of the book contains video of techniques, Anatomy Trains-based dissections and computer animations of the myofascial meridian lines.

includes full-colour illustrations of 11 myofascial meridians and the rules for discovering other meridians
. uses numerous full colour charts and drawings to detail the muscular and fascial structures involved in the meridians
. presents information on assessment of structural and movement patterns and gives related application to manual therapy and movement education
. provides a selection of techniques from the library of structural integration
. includes an introduction to the fascial system as a whole, with points-of-view and the latest research findings on the fascial system's responses
. offers a fun approach to learning essential structural anatomy, comparing the connective tissue system to a railway network
. video material on the accompanying DVD ROM to visually present the anatomy as described in the book.

Full colour throughout
. New design and layout
. 140 New full colour figures including dissection photographs and client photos
. DVD ROM in back of book
. A new appendices on 'Structural integration' and 'Myofascial meridians and oriental medicine'
. New posters to be published simultaneously.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anatomy Trains champions a wider scope of the body and it's movement systems." -- Gray Cook MSPT, OSPT, CSCS, Developer of the Functional Movement Screen

"The Anatomy Trains metaphor is a revelation; a way of seeing the body's interconnectedness more clearly, offering new physiological and anatomical perspectives, and therefore different clinical choices. Quite simply the content of this book is revolutionary." -- Leon Chaitow ND DO, Honorary Fellow, University of Westminster, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies

"Clinicians, researchers and educators alike will find this an invaluable text, which leads to new insights on each reading." -- Thomas Findley MD PhD, Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; Editor-in Chief, International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education and Practice

 

"This book is an eclectic overview of many strands of information garnered from at least a dozen disparate sources. Its format is young, light, and easy on the eye, and is a book of the 21^st Century - it may well be a template for future texts."

The Osteopath, October/November 2009

Book Description

An accessible comprehensive approach to the anatomy and function of the fascial system in the body combined with a holistic --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Churchill Livingstone; 2nd edition (December 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044310283X
• ISBN-13: 978-0443102837
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Medical Books > Allied Health Professions > Physical Therapy
  • #18 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Anatomy
  • #43 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Alternative Medicine

More About the Author

Thomas W. Myers directs Kinesis, Inc, which offers continuing professional development courses worldwide. Tom has been a massage therapist and Structural Integration practitioner (rolfer) since the mid-70's. He has served on the Rolf Institute Board of Directors and the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. He studied directly with Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais and Buckminster Fuller. His book has recently been translated in German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Korean, with editions in Chinese, Japanese, Finnish, Italian, and Russian expected soon. He publishes regularly articles in Massage Magazine (USA publication for massage therapists) as well as in JBMT. Through his articles in these journals he is know becoming better known internationally. He is regarded very highly by his peers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

216 of 218 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A RNs review from a patient/practioner's prospective, March 27, 2003

By 

Jackie Whitebread (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists, 1e (Paperback)

Wow! I thought I'd ordered the wrong book for my needs, which are 1.more knowledge of the process of myofascial release and 2. more understanding of places/points of anatomy. It has been a long while since I've been in school and a long time since I worked at a top teaching hospital in the Bay area in California.

I read a few paragraphs, taking care not to damage the book, because I thought I'd probably return it. HOWEVER, after a few sentences I was immediately caught up in the beauty and clarity of this work. NEVER has physiology been made so interesting. Finally, I understand so many things that were just a jumble of memorized facts in preparation for exams. This book has rekindled my love of physiology and is even undoing my dislike of anatomy. Anatomy didn't make sense to me - it was boring - it was memorization. Now I am understanding why my body is so damaged from the stresses I subject it to, but better, I understand how I can undo some damage and prevent more.

I worked on a Sports Medicine unit where famous athletes came for surgery. So much surgery can be avoided with corrective measures for chronic stressors. The medical community needs to be aware of this important material.

So bravo for such a readable work. What depth of historial findings, beautiful graphics, excellent grammar and text. I feel as though I'm in school again, but this time it is for pleasure and for pain relief.

After a few pages I tried to find out more about the author and was surprised not to see a Ph.D. by his name, although I'm not sure a Ph.D. makes one any wiser.

I totally concur with the first review.

Don't buy this book if you are looking for a simple, trendy approach to bodywork. This is so much more.

247 of 266 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of true genius, and lots of sweat, October 5, 2001

By 

Julio Kuperman, MD (PHILADELPHIA, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists, 1e (Paperback)

I am a Board Certified MD Neurologist, with osteopathic training, a Yoga Practitioner of 25 years, and have been teaching Yoga in the Ashtanga and Iyengar styles for 10 of those years. I was familiar with Tom Myers' work for some time. Needless to say I was awaiting this book's release with an anticipation that was not disappointed.

Myers is that rare bird who can convey his insights in a way that is not only accessible but also enjoyable. As is often the case, the revelations in his book (and all of his previous articles) will, I predict, have a profound effect in the Medicine of the XXI century, and have come from "outside" the mainstream of the profession.

The style is agile and yet precise (I particularly enjoy his command of Latin) The book's design is ideal both for straight-through reading and for focusing on particular interests the reader (manual therapist, yoga instructor or practitioner, etc) may have. The illustrations are awesome (to use that tired adjective, for once, in its true etymological sense) although my edition lacked the one facing page 93 (Superficial Front Line) due no doubt to a printing snafu.

The basic idea, that tensegrity ()tension integrity) patterns and structures undergird function at a macroscopic level, while not new, is presented here with clarity, scientific and anatomical rigor, and esthetic sense. It is, above all a practical book, a veritable "Instruction Manual for the Human Body" whether our own or that of the fortunate human that is a reader's cliant.

The few errata (Myers should have specified that piezoelectricity is a property of some materials, having to do with their molecular conformation and disposition; specific glial cells are called "oligodendrocytes" not "oligodendrytes"; the mesoderm, rather that the endoderm, gives origin to endothelial cells in page 36) are minor, and do not detract at all from the overall quality of this work.

I imagine that Myers is already hard at work, perhaps taking this to the next level of visceral manipulation, all the way (who knows) to the manipulation of cytoskeletal and trans-cellular elements. There again, yogis and yoginis have been manipulating microtubules and integrins for millennia...

Make no mistake, there is nothing "New-Agey" or "woo-woo" about this book, though. It is as concrete, flesh, blood and sinew as they come. I could not recommend it more heartily.

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bodyworker's Bible, August 26, 2004

By 

Julius E. Daniels "kickatree" (Pensacola, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists, 1e (Paperback)

Having had significant recent exposure to Tom and his school, I would like to add my cudos. The writing is supurb and entertaining. Presentations are clear, concise, and his writing is as animated as any I have ever read.

I believe that this book was written for bodyworkers to explain the dynamics of the myofascial system and how it may be manipulated to help correct improper joint and connective tissue alignment. His metaphor "anatomy trains" is a beautiful description of the layers of contiguous or nearly contiguous myofascial layers that run along the human form.

His use of a variety of illustrations old and new is amazing. I realize that he has a vast personal library so it is easy to see where spent many hours gathering just the right images that conveyed exactly what he wanted to say.

This should be rightly called a "reference textbook" and sit close to your Netter or Clemente.