Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications

is essential reading for medical and allied health practitioners who want to bring scientific insights of the importance of fascia to human health into their clinical practices.

Fascia – the biodynamic tissue that connects every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve in the body – is fast becoming the latest trend in healthcare and allied health modalities. This book is edited by David Lesondak, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, author of the international bestseller Fascia: What it is and why it matters, and Angeli Maun Akey, MD, international physician educator and board certified in both internal and integrative medicine. It contains contributions from a team of top researchers and expert practitioners including physicians, clinicians, therapists, dissectors, and surgeons.

Fully illustrated in color, this book presents the latest scientific knowledge of fascia and explains insights into problems like chronic pain and myriad musculoskeletal symptoms that may not respond to conventional treatments. It gives practitioners the information they need to make better decisions to improve the health of patients often without pharmaceuticals or surgeries.

• Provides comprehensive overview of how fascia, as a tissue and a system, affects various body functions and systems, from musculoskeletal disorders to nervous system, circulatory, and auto-immune function.

• A section devoted to medical applications highlights a comprehensive and critical overview of various fascial therapies.

• Gives practitioners the knowledge they need to refer or add as an adjunct therapy to their department or rehabilitation team.

This is a cutting-edge, practical guide that will appeal to researchers, physicians, and clinicians alike.

David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT, FFT is an Allied Health Member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He is the author of the international bestseller, currently in nine languages, Fascia: What it is and Why it Matters (Handspring). He also contributed to the 2nd Edition of Metabolic Therapies in Orthopedics (CRC Press). 

He spent 10 years as ‘chief documentarian’ of the Fascia Research Group at Ulm University, Germany, where he produced over 80 educational videos covering the full spectrum of fascia research. He provided similar services to the Fascia Research Congress in 2012; and directed and co-produced Anatomy Trains Revealed, a three DVD, legacy media set, that takes Thomas Myers’ myofascial meridians concept from the page into real time exploration in the anatomy lab.

David’s passion for the science of fascia as well as his excellent communication skills always shine through whether he’s lecturing internationally, working through a translator, teaching a workshop, conducting a webinar or giving a podcast interview. Some of David’s more notable appearances include: the Fascia Research Congress, the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health, University of Florida, University of Maryland, University of Arizona, Ulm University’s Fascia Summer School program, the Philadelphia 76ers STTAR Summit, the British Fascia Symposium, the Australian Fascia Symposium, as well as privately sponsored, hands-on workshops in Netherlands, South Korea, and France.

Still, his greatest joy remains working one-on-one with patients at the UPMC Center for Integrative Medicine, where he is the resident Fascia Specialist, and Board Certified Structural Integrator. He focuses on helping individuals resolve chronic pain, improving physical performance (especially post injury), and dealing with and post-surgical issues of all sorts.

David is also avid songwriter who plays guitar and studies voice.

 

Dr. Angeli Maun Akey, MD, FACP, ABIHM, ABOIM, ABAARM is board-certified in internal medicine, integrative and holistic medicine, anti-aging regenerative medicine, and has completed additional training in functional medicine. In clinical practice for over 30 years, she is the founding medical director of North Florida Integrative Medicine, Ageless Medical Solutions, and the Palm Beach Institute of Preventive Medicine. Her interests in other healing traditions have led her to teach at the Florida School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Currently she specializes in early-stage detection, delay, and reversal of chronic diseases.

Dr. Akey’s undergraduate experience was at the University of Florida (UF), where she was accepted on six academic scholarships and a vocal performance music scholarship. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and is a member of the UF Hall of Fame. Also of note is that she was the youngest person ever admitted to the University of Florida’s College of Medicine in the Junior Honors Medical Program, where she was accepted to Alpha Omega Alpha and graduated with high honors. Dr. Akey did her internal medicine residency, served as a chief resident and taught as assistant clinical professor at Yale University.

She mentors medical students and pre-health care professionals and medical students in the FIRRIMup (Functional, Integrative, Regenerative, Restorative, Internal Medicine) model. An approach to navigating and solving complex medical problems, and promoting whole-person wellness, the FIRRIMup model is described in detail in Dr. Akey’s book Fine-Tune Your Hormone Symphony. She is also the co-founder of an on-line teaching website, www.FIRRIMupDoctors.com, which teaches this model. A much sought-after speaker at home and abroad, she has taught and presented on the FIRRIMup model in Brazil, the Carribean, Poland, Spain, Italy, France, and the USA. She lives with her family in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida, USA.