The deep longitudinal subsystem is group of muscles that have the ability to act as a powerful tensional element that helps absorb and disperse reaction forces coming from the ground, in a multi-joint coordination of the ankle, knee and hip and lumbo-sacral motions. Dry Needling for the deep longitudinal subsystem is one of the most effective tools to keep it functioning well that I have seen.
This kinetic chain (which is a group of muscles that work together to stabilize us) starts with the deep stabilizing muscles of your back and moves down your hip, leg and ultimately your foot.
This Deep Longitudinal Subsystem Muscles include:
Multifidus
- Gluteus Medius
- Piriformis
- Bicep Fermoris
- Adducor Magnus
- Fibulairs Longus
How Does the Deep Longitudinal Subsystem Work?
These muscles act in a coordinated tension bridge like fashion to form a complex shock absorbing system. Any changes in your functional capacity, like a bit of shortening or tightness anywhere along this kinetic chain can and will comprise your ability to fight gravitational forces and to fight the forces placed on us during locomotion.
This leads extra work and the compensatory mechanisms placed upon muscles and ligaments that aren’t designed to take this amount of force will lead to excessive stress, wear and tear, degeneration and ultimately pain.
Why Haven’t You Heard of The Deep Longitudinal Subsystem?
Unfortunately most doctors don’t have the tools (both in assessment and also in treatment) to address these small but impactful compensatory patterns and the underlying tissues.
What Treatments Are Helpful for the Deep Longitudinal Subsystem If You Are Having Pain Along It?
It all begins with a thorough medical history and a physical exam that involves muscle length testing, provocative testing and palpation to reproduce a similar pain.
Without a good physical exam – any imaging is completely useless. I have talked about this many times. Looking at a picture doesn’t tell us the full story – people can have changes on imaging and have ZERO pain. We have to correlate your pain and your imaging to make sure the tissues generating your pain match up. In real life – they often don’t.
Once we figure out what’s not functioning well with your body then we need to use tools to restore function.
The good news is that a proper neuro-functional assessment and treatment with a skilled practitioner in dryneedling and neurofunctional acupuncture, we can help to resolve these problems in a relatively quick manner.
How Does Dry Needling & Neurofunctional Acupuncture Help the Deep Longitudinal Subsystem to Function Better?
Great question. The most effective tool to restore proper bio mechanical function to a muscle and the nerves that make that muscle work is to use a small acupuncture needle and perform dry needling and electro-acupuncture.
Dry needling works to eliminate trigger points. If there are trigger points present in any area of the deep longitudinal subsystem then you will have shortness and tightness in those muscles. This alone can cause a whole lot of pain and biomechanical changes.
Further more – when the nerves that supply these muscles have gotten inflamed or mad, they will begin to shut down and become slightly weak. We call this neurological or reciprocal inhibition. This leads to trigger points and biomechanical changes.
Luckily electro-acupuncture has been studied to quickly restore function to these inflamed and irritated nerves.
By combining Dry Needling & Electro-Acupuncture, Dr. Hanson has successfully treated Deep Longitudinal Subsystem Dysfunction in thousands of patients over the last 10 years.
