The Elbow, Wrist and Hand, DVD

New Manual Articular Approach (MAA) is a manual therapy modality that applies a comprehensive approach to the treatment of joints. It integrates all aspects of the joint including the nerve, artery, bone, capsule, and ligaments, as well as visceral and emotional connections. MAA delves into the joints like never before. It examines the nerves of each joint, along with the arteries, meniscus, ligaments, capsule attachments and folds. It incorporates soft tissue mobilization of the associated bones, while looking at direct and indirect relationships between the bones of the body. The relationship between the viscera and the joints is not widely understood. MAA shows how interconnected they are and that without addressing this visceral connection many joint issues may not fully resolve. The application of the gentle MAA techniques improves the body’s ability to heal and restore itself to optimal health. This DVD about the dysfunctional tension around the joints is also about the pressure inside the joint capsule. Barral is aiming for a process of restoring the negative pressure inside the capsule, to distribute the synovial fluid evenly and thereby “save” the cartilage. This is based on the observation that the pressure difference between the inside of the joint capsule and its surrounding tissues is maintained or in case of dysfunction – disturbed by strain, present in all sorts of tissues. Strain can be found not only within muscles and their fascia, but strain is also present in membranes, ligaments, the capsule itself, and even in certain layers of fat tissues. In this DVD Barral shows, how to make the choice for efficient treatment for elbow and wrist problems, by distinguishing between the large variety of anatomical units and tissues involved. (60 minutes) For treating epicondylitis at the elbow, the DVD shows a clear distinction between the “tennis elbow“ and the “golf elbow.” Both dysfunctions require a distinct treatment strategy, because both can be related to different nerves, involved in the irritation of the elbow. For carpal tunnel syndrome, the DVD gives clear instruction, how to choose and execute the most efficient manual interventions. Barral demonstrates an almost microscopic evaluation of the way that the median nerve moves between the shoulder area and the wrist. All the possible “narrows,“ all the places where the nerve may loose its freedom to slide, are included in the evaluation. With this knowledge, he discusses a clearly defined program, showing how to treat these components to carpal tunnel syndrome, including, the carpal ligaments, joint capsules, and the impingements of peripheral nerves. In addition, Barral discusses the influence of hormonal changes, like in pregnancy or menopause, which may be part of the cause for problems around carpal tunnel syndrome by causing change in the elasticity of the connective tissues. With this in mind, he arrives at a complete spectrum of New Manual Articular Techniques that add to traditional biomechanical manual intervention.