By Dott.Luca Franzon
Engineering teaches us that a building, to stay together and grow upwards, needs vertical structures, but at the same time, to keep it together and stabilize it, we need transverse structures. In the human body these structures are represented by diaphragms. You read that right. Not the diaphragm but the diaphragms. In the osteopathic field three diaphragms are in fact considered: the tentorium of the cerebellum (a flap of dura mater which separates the cerebellum from the occipital lobes of the brain), the thoracic diaphragm and the pelvic diaphragm (the so-called pelvic floor).
Andrew Taylor Still, father of osteopathy and great connoisseur of human anatomy, describing the thoracic diaphragm said: "Through me you live and through me you die. In the hands I have power of life and death, you learn to know me and be serene".
Surely the phrase of Still is of absolute effect and lets us presage and understand several concepts. The diaphragm is a fundamental part of our body and, if it is free from restriction, it allows the body itself to be healthy.
It is necessary to know that this muscle develops in an embryonic phase and that the diaphragmatic dome is formed by the migration of structures that start from the cervical tract (C3-C5). This close relationship between the cervical tract and the diaphragm suggests that cervical pain can be caused by the blocked diaphragm (and vice versa).
What does the diaphragm look like? It is a muscle-tendon dome that separates the chest from the abdomen. It has an irregular shape because it is wider in the lateral sense than in the anterior-posterior sense and is higher on the right side than on the left side, due to the presence of the liver. Can be divided into two parts: a central tendon (phrenic center) and a muscular peripheral. The muscle portions have various insertions: vertebral, costal and sternal.
The diaphragm assumes particular importance for the relationships it contracts with important structures of the neurovegetative system. In fact, together with the esophagus, the vague nerves also pass through here: the left vagus nerve is anterior to the esophagus and the right is posterior. These two nerve components are part of the regulation system of the whole vegetative life, therefore the irritation of one of the two can create reflex disorders. The pressure relationships between the thorax and the abdomen are therefore fundamental for a correct physiology. If these pressures are altered also the respiratory mechanism is altered: in subjects with abdominal flaccidity the respiratory mechanism comes to be "low", different from subjects with an abdominal hypertonia in which there is high, apical breathing.
Another great importance is from a postural point of view: in fact, quite often we observe a hyperextension of the high lumbar tract in subjects with a high type of breathing: in the presence of a diaphragm that tends to remain in a relatively high position (expiration) the continuous tractions towards the anteriority transmitted by the pillars on the lumbar attacks can consequently create accentuations of the lumbar curve in the upper portion.
Conversely people with low diaphragm (in inspiration), for example in subjects with a large abdominal ptosis, observe a loss of the physiological curves associated with an accentuation of the low lumbar lordosis.
The diaphragm is of great importance also on an emotional level, and it is true that there is a characteristic way of saying to define a great emotional stress: "I missed my breath", or "I received a punch in the stomach", then the emotional shocks, as well as the physical ones, inevitably condition this structure and can be stored by the tissues. Do not forget the importance of the diaphragm on digestion mechanics: it has a function that facilitates the peristalsis of the organs under diaphragmatic (in particular the stomach), thanks to its continuous pump movement.
At this point you may be wondering what it takes to train the diaphragm and how you train it.
The diaphragm is a muscle involved in almost all body functions; you can use it in the ground part of the collective fitness lessons; a high level personal trainer can intervene on this part with methods (described below) to give a plus in the training of his client. It is desirable that stressed and tense people unlock the diaphragm to decrease muscle tension.
Here are some exercises:
DIAPHRAGM AUTOMASSAGE:
from supine decubitus, exercise with your own hands a slight and progressive pressure just below the costal margin. In this self-massage of the diaphragm bring more attention to the right side due to the presence of the liver.
DETERMINATION OF DIAPHRAMMATIC PILLARS: from a supine position, place a tennis ball at the level of the lumbar vertebrae and, with movements high low inside the ball, look for self-massaging of the area.
DETENSION THROUGH EXPIRATIONS: from a supine position, place the lower limbs on a bench in order to zero the lumbar curve. From this position, inhale and exhale forcibly, thanks to the contraction of the abdominals.
DETENSION THROUGH THE PARADOX OF DIAPHRAGM: from a supine position, after an inhalation, try to exhale only at the thoracic level to inflate the belly or bring the diaphragm downwards (in an inspiratory position).
Training for the diaphragm should be done whenever you realize you are not breathing well, when you are stressed or when you want to get in touch with your body in a deeper way. The diaphragm corresponds to the 3rd chakra or "Solar Plexus Chakra". In this Chakra comes the push that leads the individual to assert himself in life and respect for the world around him, facing the continuous challenges of everyday existence. It is the seat of personal charisma, of the awareness of being a unique individual beyond the simple need to survive.
An imbalance of this center can make it easy to anger, predispose to ulcers of nervous origin, to the inability to be calm, while an imbalance in the opposite direction can cause shyness, low energy, need to resort to external substances to stimulate one's physique, tendency to submission and digestive disorders.
