What's a muscular chain, and why do I need to know about it?

(Warning: This is not really a Blog post, but more of a novella. However, I think it is so important and covers so many important concepts for everyone!)

Far too often muscles are treated in isolation. Of course, nothing in the body works in isolation. Muscular chains (or “myofascial chains”) are lines of connective tissue that run throughout the body. There is a posterior (back) line, anterior (front) line, spiral and lateral lines. These lines help the body to move as a unit.

It makes enormous sense to both stretch and strengthen our muscles as chains. Otherwise, we could well be missing one or more connective links. Red Cord is, for me, the tool supreme of appreciating this concept.

Françoise Mézières (French physiotherapist, 1909-1991) was one among the pioneers to talk about the concept of muscular chains and to use it as a treatment. Some experts believe that Mézières was a genius. She grasped the idea of chains just by observing patients.

She developed a postural treatment with no clue about the strong fascial influence on muscle and posture Fascia can be so important to posture. She had no idea about the theories of muscle synergies, or the effect of vision on posture (in Pilates, often we are told to follow our movements with our vision for better muscular activation). She did not possess any evidence of the relationship between posture and emotions However, chain-based treatments seem to have effects on emotions. (Blog post to come!).

Mézières defined a muscular chain as “a group of polyarticular muscles running in the same direction and imbricated, i.e., overlapping like tiles on a roof, without any interruption of the linkage”.

Some believe that no one else should dare create different models of chains, calling them “impostors”. Indeed, there are a lot of different theories on the types of muscle chains that exist. Mézières defined a muscular chain as “a group of polyarticular muscles running in the same direction and imbricated, i.e., overlapping like tiles on a roof, without any interruption of the linkage”. Thus, a very important question about the very basis of the method is: do only polyarticular muscles affect posture? Modern science answers this question as: No! A good example of this fact is the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). There are strong evidences that TMJ disorders alter posture.

Specially, the position of the cervical spine is easiest to alter because of its close relationship with the TMJ. When the atlanto-occipital joint moves toward flexion, an associated sliding backward movement occurs in the same joint. When the movement is characterized by extension, it is associated with a sliding forward movement. Forces generated by anterior translation of the atlas with the occipital (extension) lead to a retropulsion of the mandible. In the opposite case, cervical flexion provokes a translation and consequently a jaw antepulsion. Any of these ring a Pilates bell? Chin tucked in, spine in its original curvature, etc….

Among the reasons for maligned joints are muscle tightness and abnormal limb rotations. The numerous back muscles behave like a single muscle. These muscles always end up too short and too toned. The shortening of the entire posterior musculature is the inevitable effect of the body’s daily movements and the problem is not in the posterior muscles insufficiency. It is not a matter of strengthening the back muscles, which are already to shortened. These laws came from her clinical observation and are valuable.

The shortening of the entire posterior musculature is the inevitable effect of the body’s daily movements and the problem is not in the posterior muscles insufficiency. It is not a matter of strengthening the back muscles, which are already to shortened.

The problem is when these laws are treated as the only truth possible in any scenario. Goodness, isn’t that the case with so many medical issues! But back to the various back muscles, which have a basic extension movement, common to the majority of them. However, they have different inclination and rotation functions. Thus, they do not always act as a single muscle. Joseph Pilates got this, always advocating compensation exercises.

However, it is a tendency and not an infallible rule; the human body is full of possibilities and this statement can be quite reductionist.

Then there’s the whole anti-gravitational talk. The back muscles are tonic, i.e. they must fight against gravity to maintain the standing posture. Thus, they are generally strong enough to do their job and it is easy to understand that under such conditions they can easily become stiff, thus complicating posture. However, it is a tendency and not an infallible rule; the human body is full of possibilities and this statement can be quite reductionist.

Mézières’ third law is very controversial: “Any local work, whether of a shortening or lengthening nature, can only result in the shortening of the whole system (or chain)” . Although there is some evidence that local work, such as stretching a shortened pectoralis major aiming to correct a protruded shoulder, does not work, it does not mean it will be harmful or will make the whole system shorter. Actually, there is also some evidence showing it can improve posture. So, postural faults are not always caused by the whole chain and the muscles do not always work together. But a lot more than attention is generally given to, still today!

Another reason for the failure of some local strengthening/stretching exercises is the lack of biomechanical analysis of them assuming, for example, that lumbar lordosis is only caused by a weakness of the abdominal muscles or short paravertebral muscles. (Other local muscles, such as the diaphragm, might be involved).

So, it is possible to save time and money using the static stretch to increase the hamstring length, which can be self-applied and needs to be held for only 30 seconds instead of 15 or 20 minutes. Secondly, if there is a superior improvement in the posture with the chain-stretch exercise, but both chain-stretch and segmental stretch are similar for muscle length, there is a good possibility that the postural improvement is achieved through a different mechanism other than muscle stretch. Therefore, Mézières’ method of relying on a principle of correcting shortened muscles does not hold good. Another law states “the limbs’ rotations due to shortening of the chains are always in internal rotation.” This tends to be true in women, but not for men.

Another law states “the limbs’ rotations due to shortening of the chains are always in internal rotation.” This tends to be true in women, but not for men.

The female pelvis is larger, broader, with a larger inlet, and is oval in shape, whereas the male pelvis is taller, narrower, with a further projected promontory, and is more compact. The iliac crests are higher and more pronounced in males . The male sacrum is long, narrow, straighter, and has a pronounced sacral promontory when compared to females. Thus, the sacrum and the pelvic ring of the female are wider and more circular, facilitating the passage of the newborn.

This provokes the acetabula to be wider and face more anteriorly. Consequently, a wider pelvis means a different angle with the femur, leading to a tendency of genu valgus and internal rotation of the femur. As a consequence, females have higher tendency of having a flat foot. Internal rotation is connected to the iliopsoas (anterior chain). The external rotation is related more to gluteus maximus and other types of posterior chain dysfunction, which is the opposite of Mézières’ statement.

Mézières was among the first explorers to draw a chain map.

Mézières was a visionary and a genius. She broke the paradigms of her times. She created a very interesting form of therapy. However, it is clear that her method needs to be actualized. And yet, the creation of new chains only “babelize the mapping of the body”. This statement paraphrases the Holy Bible and Alfred Korzybski’s statement: “A map is not the territory.”

Mézières was among the first explorers to draw a chain map. However, the body will always be the body, it does not matter who is trying to map it. Better maps must be produced with improved modern tools.

There is a quote created by Megginson, which has been frequently attributed to Sir Charles Darwin that reflects this moment: “According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.” Thus, in this new environment of modern science and many different manual therapy techniques, the fate of the Mézières method is to die if it does not adapt.

Meanwhile, just the introduction of the concept of a muscular chain can still help so many with their aches and pains. More so when Red Cord steps in!