What is Motion Specific Release - MSR
Motion Specific Release (MSR) is a hands-on evidence-based technique that recognizes the strength of merging diverse perspectives and methodologies to achieve optimum results. We now use MSR procedures everyday in our daily clinical practice to achieve incredible results. Motion Specific Release has evolved from a constant desire to improve our clinical outcomes and to help our patients get back to the fully functional life they want to lead.
MSR is used to successfully treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions-from head to toe. MSR is not your typical passive technique where the practitioner provides therapy, while the patient sits back and does nothing. MSR requires active participation of the patient in both therapy and during execution of prescribed exercises.
The Evolution of MSR
It has been over 25 years since I first started practicing as a musculoskeletal practitioner (MSK Practitioner). My entire career has been a constant process of education and evolution. After eight years of post-secondary education, I thought I knew quite a bit about the human body and how to help people, but in reality my knowledge base was very limit‐ ed, and my education was just beginning.
Throughout my career I have been extremely fortunate to work with, and teach, alongside some great practitioners from a wide variety of health care disciplines in the MSK world. I have worked with amazing chiropractors, physiotherapists, medical practitioners, osteopaths, acupuncturists, myofascial release practitioners, registered massage therapist, kinesiologists, coaches, Olympic level and professional athletes, and some incredible personal trainers. Working with, and teaching, with these individuals has taught me many great lessons. These life lessons have helped me to develop the Motion Specific Re‐ lease (MSR) procedures, and the courses that we are now offering to other medical professionals. I think it's important to give you a few of my perspectives about these lessons so you can understand the basis of this incredible technique.
Guided to New Perspectives
My career has taught me that we all need to be grateful for those who preceded us. Every MSK technique that is now available today is built off of the work of others.
In other words “we are all standing on the shoulders of giants” a phrase that is attributed to Bernard of Chartres who used to compare us to dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants. He pointed out that we see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature.
MSR procedures would never have been developed without the great teachers I have had, the research that has been done, or the numerous clinical experiences of those who preceded me. Therefore, I Thank my colleagues and teachers for the knowledge and truths of these various perspectives.
After working with so many different types of professionals, I quickly learned that the best solutions usually come by merging a diversity of perspectives. No singular therapeutic modality, profession, or philosophy has all the answers. (I have also learned that anyone who thinks they have the ultimate solution for a given problem is usually deceiving them‐ selves at the expense of the patient.) There is always a better way to provide care. We may not immediately see the solution, but by going through a logical process of investigation and treatment, it is often possible to achieve a complete resolution of most conditions. Integration of multiple methods and perspectives is one of the fundamental precepts of Motion Specific Release (MSR).
Just because somebody says "there is no solution" to a particular problem does not mean that a solution does not exist. Solutions to problems often require a process of exploration. This does not require us to give up standard orthopedic and neurological tests, or the incredible advances that modern medicine has provided. It does mean that when we do not achieve the results we are looking for, we should start considering alternative methods.
For example, the work I have done in Fascial Manipulation (Stecco’s Fascial courses in Italy and Anatomy Trains) has taught me how incredibly important kinetic chain relation‐ ships are. At Kinetic Health, we have often achieved a complete resolution of difficult conditions by treating areas of the body that are not normally considered. Another example is how Traditional Chinese Medicine has taught me to step outside the normal paradigms of Western Medicine to look for viable solutions along the body's energetic pathways.
Motion Specific Release - Getting Creative
You often have to be creative to achieve great results . In other words, you have to "think outside the box". Sometimes we literally have to create a new procedure or exercise based on an individual's specific needs. This creative process is one of the real powers of Motion Specific Release (MSR). By being able to adapt both the procedures we have created (or other techniques) we are able to meet the specific needs of each individual.
Avoiding the Cookbook Approach
Unfortunately, most treatment methodologies are like cookbooks. Some people love the recipes, while others hate them. The same holds true for treatment methods. What works well for one person may not do so well for the next.
Every person is an individual and must be treated as such. A dozen patients may be diagnosed with the same condition, yet the underlying cause of the problem may be completely different for each person. Even the anatomical structures involved can vary greatly. These many variations are the primary reasons why so many people who suffer from chronic musculoskeletal conditions never achieve a full resolution with generic treatments.
Motion Specific Release is a technique that embraces creativity. Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, patterns, relationships; it allows you to create meaningful new ideas, methods, interpretations, and techniques.
