Chains, trains and contractile fields

The Use of Dry Needling and Myofascial Meridians in a Case of Plantar Fasciitis

“…Concepts of chains, 22 trains, 9 slings, 23 and contractile fields 24 have recently been developed in exercise and rehabilitative programs. According to Paoletti,22 this is critical to maintain motility or inherent micromovements of the system.…”

Toe-tal recall – What on Earth are our toes actually for?

“…As McKeon et al (2014) state, "Human runners are unique in needing to control balance during single leg support and for this reason (unlike quadrupeds) require a foot that is reasonably mobile, able to accommodate uneven substrates, and actively controlled." As illustrated in The Overpronated Foot e A New Paradigm (Wallden, 2010(Wallden, , 2014Figs. 5 and 6), not only does hominid bipedal gait require greater external rotator mass at the hip, but it also needs a mechanism at the foot end to provide adequate traction to counter this force e especially in the acceleration phase, or in turning (see accompanying practical paper).…”

“…After all, you only need to look at the trabecular pattern of the foot bones to note that they are structured to take load both from the heel forwards and from the midfoot backwards; the structure betrays the flexibility of the function. Similarly, van Wingerden et al's (1996) deep longitudinal system seems to only work with a heel strike, while an alternative sling system, akin to Myer's (2001) superficial back line, described in Chains, Trains & Contractile Fields (Wallden, 2010), may provide a viable forefoot-striking alternative.…”