Proprioception and Hypertonicity

Written by John A. Wilson, Certified Advanced Rolfer®

Published October 11th, 2021

When we are exploring hyptertonicity, i.e tight muscles, we need to ask how they got that way in the first place. Why does the nervous system need to hold that area of the body tight and in a shortened position? We can dig into short tight muscles and manually lengthen them, but if the nervous system feels the need for that muscle to be hypertonic, it will simply shorten the muscle again the next day, maybe even the next hour. So in order to get results that are adoptable, one must try to gain some support in gravity above or below that area so the body does not feel it necessary to hold on to tension. This is why Rolfers work effectively in a series. But this is not all. Our ability to sense and to perceive where we are in space, our proprioception, also governs our muscle tension

There are certain areas of the body that have more proprioceptic ability than others. The feet and hands are designed to take in a lot more information than say the elbow. The nervous system pays particular attention to these areas, but the area that has the most concentration of sensitive receptors, and muscle spindles that govern muscle length, are the small muscles at the back bottom of the head, the suboccipitals. This area allows our head to be adjusted so we can find the horizon and, in general, sense where we are in space. If this area becomes locked up and somehow compromised, it will cause other parts of the body to tighten up and stay closer to the mid line, in order to protect the individual. The safest bet when proprioception is limited is to limit movement. Rolfers pay particular attention to the neck and to the occipital region. Also, if the first cervical vertebra, the atlas, is locked up the Occipital-Atlanto joint will cause all sorts of of areas in the body to tighten up, so hypertonicity can not be properly addressed without freeing up this area.

There are chiropractors that focus specifically on the Atlas region, and we can see how this can effect vast regions of the body. We function better when we can sense where we are in space better, otherwise the defense is to limit movement. Typically, people with frozen shoulder will gain full range of motion under anesthetic, and when it wears off their shoulder will be frozen again. The nervous system decides what is best, so we must work with the nervous system. Any manual muscle therapy without this in mind will be less effective, and this is what makes Rolfing different that other forms of manual therapy. As research continues, we will continue to develop our understanding of how things work.

About The Author

John Wilson is a Certified Advanced Rolfer® with more than 20 years of experience studying the relationships between fascia, posture, movement, and chronic pain. Through thousands of client sessions, he has developed a whole-body approach to Structural Integration that emphasizes identifying the underlying compensatory patterns that contribute to discomfort rather than focusing solely on the site of pain. His writing reflects both clinical experience and an ongoing commitment to anatomy, biomechanics, and movement education.

John A. Wilson Certified Advanced Rolfer®

Credentials

• Certified Advanced Rolfer®

• Structural Integration Practitioner

• Over 20 years of clinical practice

• Specializing in posture, chronic pain, fascia, and biomechanics

• Serving Denver and Tucson

Editorial Note: Articles on this website are written by John Wilson based on his clinical experience as a Certified Advanced Rolfer®, continuing professional education, and published research. They are intended for educational purposes and should not replace individualized medical advice.