Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists 2nd Edition

Book Preface

Since initial publication in 2001, the reach and application of the ideas in this book have far outstripped this author’s expectations. We have been invited to present these ideas and their application on every continent save Antarctica to a wide variety of professionals, including rehabilitation doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, athletic trainers, yoga teachers, martial artists, performance coaches, massage therapists, and somatic therapists of all stripes. A simple Google® search of Anatomy Trains now yields nearly 200000 hits, as therapists and educators find useful applications far beyond our original conception.
This 2nd edition includes many small updates and corrections that arose out of our continuing teaching and practice, as well as preliminary findings from the dissections we have initiated since the 1st edition with Todd Garcia and the Laboratories of Anatomical Enlightenment. We have been able to include some recent discoveries made in the fascial and myofascial world since initial publication (much of it summarized in the Fascial Research Conference of October 2007 – www.Tascia.2007. com), as well as to fill in areas where our initial ignorance of the wider world has been rectified.

This edition benefits from completely new artwork by Debbie Maizels and Philip Wilson, as well as color updating of the artwork provided by Graeme Cham bers. New client assessment photos have been produced by Michael Frenchman and Videograf. The new full color design allows color-coded access to the information, allowing for a quick gathering of the relevant concepts for a hurried reader, or a detailed analysis for the curious.

Like most textbooks these days, this edition makes increasing use of electronic media. The text is studded with website addresses for further study, and our own website, www.anatomy trains.com, is being constantly updated. There are also consistent references to the set of a dozen or more DVDs we have produced to support professional application of the Anatomy Trains concepts. The DVD accompanying this book provides other goodies not otherwise available in a book format, including clips from this DVD series, computer graphic representations of the Anatomy Trains, further dissection photographs and video clips, and some extra client photos for visual assessment practice.

Both the understanding of the role of fascia and the implications and applications of Anatomy Trains are developing rapidly. This new edition and its connections to the web ensure an up-to-date point-of-view on fascia, a largely missing element in movement study.
Thomas W. Myers
Maine 2008