PREFACE

to “Fascial Manipulation® for Internal

dysfunctions” Practical Part

I came across Luigi Stecco’s ideas some years

ago and I instantly knew that they were a new

way to understand the human body and its

dysfunctions. It is common understanding that

severe lower back pain could be related to

constipation, or that physical activities could

normalize bowel movements, but so far these

affirmations were without explanation. In this

book Luigi Stecco will explain why the human

musculoskeletal system can impact the internal

organs, and how to act on visceral dysfunctions.

Conventional medicine is characterized by an

emphasis on hormonal, chemical and

neurological control of internal organs,

completely forgetting that they have their own

mobility and motility, and only by guaranteeing

an adequate living space they will be able to

function correctly. The internal fasciae functions

include supporting the organs, providing the

correct living space, isolating them from the

surrounding organs and at the same time

connecting them with others and ultimately the

delicate task of managing the connection to the

human musculoskeletal system. The internal

fasciae biomechanical model introduced by Luigi

Stecco, gives for the first time a unitary vision of

the internal fasciae and their role in physiology

and pathology of the internal organs. This vision

causes him to completely reconsider the role and

anatomy of the autonomic nervous system,

overcoming the dualism of ortho-sympathetic and

parasympathetic systems, while accentuating the

role of the enteric nervous system. The internal

fasciae anatomy, physiological and pathological

are integrated with that of the autonomic

nervous system, creating a concept that stand

out with simplicity, clarity and logic.

All of these will remain pure theory if it

wasn't that Luigi Stecco is a physiotherapist

with the primary goal to assist others in

achieving an optimal state of health and well-

being. Therefore along with the theory book,

he felt the need to publish this second book of

practice, to give a tool to handle internal

dysfunctions. I had the opportunity to verify

the Fascial Manipulation method efficiency

for the treatment of several dysfunctions first-

hand. Understanding this method gave me a

further tool to investigate the patient and

discover the relation between different

pathologies, overcoming the dualism between

human musculoskeletal system-internal

organs, and instead seen as cause-

consequence of each other’s alteration, and

helped me to set up a global treatment. This

treatment does not cure a single muscle or

organ, but the whole person. This book is

recommended to physiotherapists, osteopaths

and all the professionals who work with

hands, because give an exceptional tool to

cure many internal dysfunctions. But it is also

suggested to medical doctors, because

internal dysfunctions are finally getting the

attention they deserve. A field so far

disregarded or treated superficially by

conventional medicine, often dealing with it

by covering the symptoms with analgesics.

Marta Imamura, MD, PhD Collaborative

Professor, Department of Orthopaedics and

Traumatology, University of São Paulo.

FASCIAL

MANIPULATION® FOR INTERNAL DYSFUNCTIONS

We are happy to announce

English edition Level III

Fascial Manipulation® for Internal Dysfunctions

Contacts

info@fascialmanipulation.com

www.fascialmanipulation.com

(+39) 348 7265553

(+39) 349 2893516

PREFACE

to “Fascial Manipulation® for Internal

dysfunctions” Theoretical Part

In recent years, many scholars have shifted their attention from the organs to the fasciae that surround them, but this is the first book to provide a united vision of all the internal fasciae. Furthermore, it proposes a biomechanical model that defines the specific relationships between, organs, fasciae and the musculoskeletal system. This model is supported by beautiful images of dissection that help to visibly comprehend the internal fasciae and the relationships that they have with organs, viscera, and the musculoskeletal system. This book examines all facets of the fascia, evidencing how this is the only tissue of the human body that modifies its consistency when under stress (plasticity) and yet is capable of regaining its elasticity when subjected to manipulation (malleability). I particularly appreciate the concept of the tensile structures that explains perfectly how the different trunk cavities can interact with the internal organs. The fasciae of the trunk are arranged according to the principles of tensile structures, allowing for ample trunk movements without interfering with the function of the internal organs. This concept effectively shifts the therapist’s attention from the organ itself to its “container”, and treatment can then focus on recreating a suitable environment within which the organs can move according to their physiological rhythms.

In our books, we have always sustained the importance of the mobility and motility of the internal organs. Now, this book by Stecco maintains the main theme of the fasciae but extends it further to apparatuses and systems. Initially, the reader may be disconcerted by the numerous different manual approaches that are proposed. However, once these approaches have been learnt, the necessity to adopt different approaches in order to treat all the clinical variations that a single patient may present is clarified. Based on these considerations, one may deduce that this manual by Stecco represents a useful instrument for all therapists interested in treating internal dysfunctions without the use of medications (such as antacids, pain killers, antispasmodics etc.), which often mask the signs and symptoms expressed by the human body. Lastly, I would like to underline the clarity with which Stecco has described the autonomic system and its relationship with the internal fasciae. Seen in this light, the autonomic system no longer represents an incomprehensible chaos. Due to its interactions with the visceral fasciae, it acts as a peripheral brain that regulates the functions of the different organs perfectly. JP Barral, Diploma in Osteopathic Medicine

European School of Osteopathy of Medicine,

Paris Nord