An American architect Louis Sullivan, told us “Form follows Function”. In 1896, he wrote an article The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered. Here Sullivan actually said ‘form ever follows function’, but the simpler (and less emphatic) phrase is the one usually remembered. For Sullivan this was distilled wisdom, an aesthetic credo, the single “rule that shall permit of no exception”. The full quote is thus:
It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, Of all things physical and metaphysical, Of all things human and all things super-human, Of all true manifestations of the head, Of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.
I love this law. I think about it often when I treat patients. Why do I look at architecture as a massage therapist? Let me explain.
We can see easily how “Form follows Function” with regards to our bodies. Exercise is a prime example. Let look at a bicep curl with weight. As the bicep is subjected to increased resistance, the weight, the muscle fibers respond by getting bigger. The bigger the weight, the bigger the bicep will get. Thus the form of the bicep changes as a result of the function it is being asked to perform. Therefore, in architecture determining the shape of the building, or the form, results from the function of its interior. This is the same with our body as we can see. So indeed, form follows function.
However I also believe that function follows form, particularly when I’m looking at the body. Consider the 2 images below.
Look around you. How many people do you see who have a posture such as the person on the right? And consider their symptoms. Do they have digestive problems, poor bowel movement, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations. If our posture is collapsed, consider the organs within. Do you really expect a diaphragm, lungs, or our liver to function properly if their space is being crushed? In this case the function of tissue is influenced by the form, our posture. Indeed the reverse is true, Function follows Form.
Neuromuscular Therapy looks at both. By assessing your posture, your gait and the muscle tone surrounding we can determine the best approach to resolving your pain and discomfort. As with architecture we are built in a structural form, containing levers and pulleys. And within our body we have rooms in which our organs are housed. By taking rules from the architectural world and applying it to our body, we can help restore your proper structure. And once again you will be standing tall!
So remember,
Form follows function and function follows form.
As always if you have any questions, comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
In Health,
Peter Roach, RMT, CNMT, Laser Therapist
{ 0 comments }
I read this wonderful article and wanted to share it with you. It is writen by Clifton K. Meador, MD. in the Autumn 2011 Journal of 
Peter Roach, RMT, CNMT, Laser Therapist
With a little bit of blue tape over the kneecap symptoms can cleared up in a few days to a week. Of coarse with children it is so much quicker. They seem to heal faster. But the effects are almost immediate. In the case of patellofemoral syndrome the tape can act as a lifter, if you will, drawing the patella away from the femur thus decreasing irritation. Then the body can heal. Irritation – no healing. No irritation – healing begins.
Definition:
Every patient has their own destination. For most its being pain free. For others it may be to run faster, jump higher, or to complete the Grand Fondo. Others still it may be to carry on into being able to do everything we have and are doing now till the day we die. But EVERY patient I see has a point, a destination of where they are going or want to go.
For some the journey is smooth and easily laid out. For others it can be a long process. One of my patients came to see me a year ago. I could barely touch her, her body in so much pain that it seemed that mere breath would send her home in pain. But the path was clear. Her posture, her gut and digestive functioning had to be addressed. With the help of other practitioners, this woman is doing more now than dreamed possible. I remember her asking me when she would be reaching this point, way back at the beginning. Massage Therapists hate this question. I hate putting time lines on anything as so much can happen between treatments. We are dynamic individuals so each one is different. But after some persistence I said she would be good by July of this year. I was wrong. She was good by August! And what she can achieve now is truly amazing. But of coarse a new destination is set. She wants to be able to achieve this and that, do more, and so we continue to work. The journey continues.
