G.O.T stands for General Osteopathic Technique, and is the very first technique taught in Osteopathy here in Ontario. It is a technique that can be applied to any joint in the body from the feet to the neck and shoulders. G.O.T is very good for tight sore muscles and is quite often the go to technique for aches, strains, and trigger points. G.O.T is non invasive, very safe and extremely effective. I use this technique on every patient, every day.
Sometimes when a muscle or joint is assessed by a clinician, if feels very boggy or congested. The muscle has been damaged for so long that the natural fluidic nature of the tissues has been replaced with adhesions and feels full of knots. This is where Pumping techniques are applied. Pumping techniques are also taught very early on and are used to help with fluid movement in, out, and around the affected muscle or joint. Again, this technique is very gentle, non-invasive, and only a very light stretch is needed to make it work.
G.O.T and pumping techniques are not only used as treatment of a tight muscle or fascia, but also used to improve the efficacy of the Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM).
The ECM is “everything in between” the cells of the body. It is from this gel like substance that most of the nutrition for cellular activity is stored and transported. All of the working materials that cells need to function float around in this endless nutritional pool. Within the ECM the building blocks of life are waiting to be put together and used to support cell function and repair. Think of it like a natural floating pharmacy, open 24/7. Everything the cells need to thrive and survive is in the ECM. It is literally the lifeline to all cells of the body.
When a joint is damaged, or a muscle is sore and tight, there is a change in the state of the ECM. The ECM gets more gel like, and you often feel inflammation and boggyness around the joint/muscle. When this occurs, all of the cells that require the nutritional components from the ECM suffer, and cannot repair themselves properly. G.0.T and pumping techniques are used to directly change the state of the ECM from that gel state into a more naturally fluidic state. When this change occurs, the inflammation goes down and the boggy feel disappears. The muscle/joint has a greatly increased capacity to heal because the nutritional components are fully available for supportive repair. We have increased the vitality to the affected area to its normal state of health.
I can’t tell you how many times I have come across a patient who has seen multiple doctors and therapists with little to know results. What we look for, the vitality of the tissues, is very unique to craniosacral therapists and osteopaths. The vitality to the area, the fluid movements between tissues, the quality of the ECM, these are the overlooked parameters that we look for FIRST! Before range of motion techniques, before exercises, before anything else, it is our job to make sure the patient has the vitality in their body to heal from the inside out. Our whole philosophy of practice is to re-align the patient on the path towards health, and watch them flourish. G.O.T and Pumping techniques are two of the tools used to do just that.
Jason Brandow, BSc TR, CST
Osteopathy Current Study & Thesis Writer
For more information contact Ultimate Sports Therapy at info@ultimatesportstherapy.com or visit us at http://www.ultimatesportstherapy.com/osteopathy.html