Harvard researcher investigates structural approach to pain Matrix repatterning is an objective system of assessment and treatment directed to normalizing biomechanical function. It recognizes that certain injuries, especially those related to impact trauma, may penetrate to deep, dense structures, such as bone and the fascia surrounding certain internal organs. Once identifi ed, restrictions in these tissues are released using gentle manual pressure. The founding principle of this technique is the cytoskeleton, which is now established as the underlying basis of cellular and organic structure.2 The cytoskeleton is composed of a geodesic framework of actin and myosin fi laments. These proteins form a complex of tension and compression elements which determine the mechanical and physiological properties of all organic tissue. The cytoskeleton and the binding sites on the cell membrane create a continuous fabric, referred to as the matrix. 1 Our research demonstrates that a restriction in one part of the matrix is transmitted throughout the entire body, leading to compensatory alterations in biomechanical function. This may lead to strain and pain in areas of the body that are remote from the area of the primary involvement or primary restriction, the term we use to describe an intrinsic source of molecular and cellular tension, detectable through our assessment procedures. 6 Matrix repatterning has been successfully used to eliminate pain syndromes, including low-back pain, neck pain, and headaches, resulting from various injuries. Due to the normalization of biomechanical function, many individuals have also discovered that other symptoms have improved, including numbness, muscle weakness, athletic performance, snoring and apnea, hearing loss, gastro-esophageal refl ux, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and various other functional conditions. For many individuals, the benefi ts of matrix repatterning have signifi cantly added to their quality of life. 3,4,5 HARVARD RESEARCHER TAKES AN INTEREST In early 2007, I received an e-mail from a gentleman stating that his back condition had responded favourably to some of the self-help approaches outlined in my book. He expressed an interest in following up, in person, to more fully resolve his condition. He identifi ed himself simply as a physician from Boston. Dr. John H. Page, MBBS, Msc, ScD, arrived at my offi ce in Aurora, Ontario, and it became evident that he was not just a physician. He is, in fact, a research scientist and an assistant professor in epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Harvard University. When I examined him I was able to identify several other components of his condition, and resolve them satisfactorily. One component of his condition involved an injury to the right hip – a restriction involving the greater trochanter, which resulted in a typical enlargement of the neck and head of the femur. Following treatment, the size of these structures signifi cantly diminished, which is routine when matrix repatterning is applied to this type of injury, and his hip range-of-motion, and low-back condition dramatically improved. The changes he observed intrigued Dr. Page, and he decided to stay for several more days, observing patients under our care. He quickly recognized consistent improvements in bone and joint integrity, normalization of ranges of motion, achievement of signifi cant improvements in musculoskeletal and fascial symmetry and tone, and relief from many conditions, which had defi ed many other conventional approaches. As a result, Dr. Page decided to return on several other occasions and develop a proposal to conduct research into the clinical and scientifi c ramifi cations of the matrix repatterning technique. GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER My clinical experience suggests that the fascia around the heart may be a primary restriction in many patients. Upon correction of these primary restrictions, I have noted that several patients’ cardiac murmurs appeared to have normalized. Dr. Page, during his period of observation of the use of the matrix repatterning technique, subsequently confirmed this with several patients. Around the time that these observations were being confirmed by Dr. Page, the following article, regarding a new study on a blood test, B-Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) for cardiovascular function, surfaced: Based on the premise that matrix repatterning releases tension in deep core structures, such as bone, 7,8 and the supporting fascial elements surrounding various organs, including the heart, it was only natural that we became interested in evaluating the levels of BNP in relation to our therapeutic interventions. Under Dr. Page’s supervision, we have now developed a research proposal to evaluate the effect of matrix repatterning on this marker. Preliminary results are promising. NEW HORIZONS Further potential areas of investigation of the effi cacy of matrix repatterning include the evaluation of osseous changes related to mechanical osteoarthritis, upper airway obstruction related to snoring and apnea, pelvic dysfunction – which we have determined to be commonly associated with urinary incontinence, infertility and erectile dysfunction – and gastro-esophageal refl ux – related to visceral and diaphragmatic tension affecting hiatal closure. These clinical presentations are routinely managed successfully with the use of matrix repatterning and clinical research is now being planned to further investigate this. The purpose of the research is to validate our clinical fi ndings using standard randomized controlled studies. It is our hope that this will open the door for further professional and public interest in, and access to, matrix repatterning, which we feel can greatly benefi t a wide range of conditions associated with structural dysfunction. This would also provide practitioners, trained in these technologies, the skills and scope to help alleviate suffering and limited function for a much wider proportion of patients. • References: 1. Roth GB. The Matrix Repatterning Program for Pain Relief: Self-treatment for Musculoskeletal Pain. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 2005. 2. Ingber DE. The architecture of life. Sci Am 1998;278:48-57. 3. Roth GB. A New Approach to Frozen Shoulder: A Pilot Study using Matrix Repatterning. Presented, by invitation, at the 2nd Annual Conference of Canadian Chiropractic Research Centers. 4. Roth GB. Snoring and Sleep Apnea, Structural Implications. American Chiropractor, Vol. 27, Issue 4, 2005. 5. Roth GB. The Use of Matrix Repatterning on a Case of Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report. Presented, by invitation, to the University of Illinois School of Medicine. 6. Oschman JL. Energy Medicine – The Scientifi c Basis. Churchill Livingstone, New York, 2001. 7. Duncan RL. Transduction of mechanical strain in bone. ASGSB Bulletin 8:49-62, 1995. 8. Marino AA, Gross BD. Piezoelectricity in cementum, dentine and bone. Arch Oral Biol 1989;34:507-9. 9. Bibbins-Domingo K, Gupta R, et al. N-Terminal Fragment of the Prohormone Brain-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP), Cardiovascular Events, and Mortality in Patients with Stable Coronary Heart Disease. JAMA. 2007;297:169-176.