Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists

"This is one of the first books I got when I was fresh out of my physiotherapy degree. This book actually put all my anatomical knowledge that was very disprese and created a map of connectivity. The anatomy taught in this book was more meaningful and useful than anything Ive ever had.

The map is not the territory... that's a given, but the anatomy trains map is the only truly useful map I've found up till now to assist my work and my understanding of anatomy. It's not the only way of looking at the human body, but its at least a start.

The amount of value you can extract just out of this one book is amazing!! I own both 1st and 2nd edition and this book hasnt left my side in years!!!

Thankyou Tom"
~ Written on 2010-07-07

"Really valuable book for every manual therapist!! Very interesting and usefull!! I definitely recmend it!!"
~ Written on 2010-07-02

"An interesting read for undergraduate physiotherapy/osteopathy students. The bonus dvd is very helpful, it works through many of the key concepts and allows readers to visualise what they have read about on real patients and this aids the learning process for students who learn visually - A very helpful feature of this book. The lay out and presentation is easy to follow and locate what you are looking to find and the diagrams are modern and useful."
~ Written on 2010-05-14

"using Cranial Sacral Therapy as a mode of Therapy, I have become aware of the body working as a whole and Anatomy Trains is a guide to a new level of consideration for me giving a working formular to achieve results otherwise would take many sessions to achieve.
It is a well designed and layed out manual for easy referencing and is deffinately a great addition to any therapists, sportsman-woman's, doctors library."
~ Written on 2009-11-03

"This book turns the dominant view of the musculo-skeletal system on its head. Myers has transcended the limitations of the reductionist notion that muscles alone control the body's shape and replaced it with a revolutionary way of interpreting movement and posture. Leaving behind the notion that isolated muscles act independently to approximate their origins and insertions, Myers has developed a framework based on the idea of myofascial slings that span the length and breadth of the body to act upon it as a whole. In so doing, he has brought us one step closer to appreciating the seamless integration of this miraculous living mechanism.

The ideas in this book are fascinating and the clarity and enthusiasm with which Myers puts them across is inspirational. What is even more impressive is the modest and unassuming way in which he presents his hypothesis. A lesser man might easily have been tempted to pose as an oracle and present this concept as some newly discovered revelation about the ultimate nature of humanity. Myers, however, is keen to emphasise that his theory tackles but one part of our near infinite complexity and jumps ahead of the known facts to weave together a picture that may well need revision or refinement in the face of new discoveries.

The introduction gives an overview of his concept and a clear account of the evolution of his ideas. He describes his personal journey and the historical and cultural background in which this took place so the reader can appreciate the broader context in which these ideas have arisen. A whole chapter is then devoted to the anatomy and physiology of the fascia, with a special emphasis on its role as the integrating element in the body's architecture. This allows Myers to explore fascia's place in the general plan of the body and introduce related concepts such as tensegrity and the embryological origins of `double-bagging', which inform and support his theory.

After introducing the principles by which he has determined what constitutes an Anatomy Train, Myers then devotes a chapter to each of the key `myofascial meridians' that he has identified. The anatomy of each of these myofascial slings is described in detail and they are beautifully illustrated making them easily accessible and comprehensible at a glance. Their functional significance and the clinical relevance of this way of looking at human posture and movement are also explored, making this an invaluable practical resource for manual and movement therapists of all kinds. Here too, Myers' modesty is to be admired as he respectfully acknowledges the value of diverse approaches to working with the body and simply provides the information necessary for others to apply his ideas in their own way.

This book is not a final answer to problem of human posture and movement but it does present a new way of thinking about it that will be invaluable to anyone who works in these fields. It is an interesting and engaging read and it will certainly change the way you think about the body."
~ Written on 2009-11-01