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The
History of CONNECTIVE TISSUE MANIPULATION
In the
late 1920's a Physiotherapist in Germany, called Elizabeth
Dicke, suffered from a widespread infection of the blood vessels
which affected the circulation to her right leg. She developed
gangrene and her doctors wanted to amputate. As she had also
developed angina, gastric, kidney and liver problems she was
too ill for surgery and was effectively left in a side ward
to die.
She had agonising backache and being a Physiotherapist
started to massage her back. She noticed an unusual, sharp
sensation with the massage and an occasional warm sensation
down her leg when there was a sharp feeling. She was so weak
that she asked a colleague to continue to produce these strange
sensations. Within four months her colleague had Elizabeth
out of Hospital and started back at work within a year. She
had normal circulation in her leg and her back pain, angina,
kidney and liver problems had all resolved. Elizabeth and
her colleagues then spent the next 10 years doing research
into the new technique that she had discovered, finding out
how it worked and what it was effective in treating. They
set up a teaching protocol for all physiotherapy students
in Germany.
The English name for the technique is Connective
Tissue Manipulation In the mid 1980's Jacqueline Flexney-Briscoe
studied with a German Physiotherapist who was teaching Connective
Tissue Manipulation in England. Jacqueline has since been
developing the clinical use of the technique and combining
it with Manual Lymph Drainage so that it can be used to treat
any condition where the circulation is below par.
Connective
Tissue Manipulation is a post-graduate Physiotherapy technique
in the UK and is not as widely used here as on the continent
where it is part of the undergraduate study course. Because
of its effect on the circulation and the reduction of tension
within the tissues it is effective in treating not only muscle
or joint problems area of swelling, pain or stiffness but
also in the treatment of organ related problems like indigestion
and constipation.
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