March Update
Hello lovely people,
Happy March! Can you believe it, the end of this month will mark the first quarter. I wanted to share a few updates from the past month.
In February I took two different continuing education classes.
The first was a four-day class in Flagstaff, Arizona with Ron Murray focusing on the lower extremities, with a deep dive into knee mechanics and treatment. Living in a ski town, knee issues are something I see frequently in the office, so I’m excited to bring some new techniques and perspectives into sessions. Yay!!
After practicing the techniques on each other in class, we filmed Adam (our skeleton), demonstrating them so we could remember the work.
My second four-day class was at the Barral Institute with Damian Kitcheman, focusing on visceral manipulation — specifically the liver, stomach, duodenum, colon, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas. It was a lot of information packed into a few days!
One organ we spent time exploring were the kidneys, which play a surprisingly large role in structural balance.
A few interesting connections with the kidneys include:
• Low back pain
• Dysfunction in the lower limb (especially the tibiofibular joint, knee, navicular, 1st cuneiform, and 5th metatarsal)
• Sacroiliac joint restrictions
There are also emotional and neurological relationships associated with the kidneys.
Emotionally:
• The left kidney is often associated with our genetic roots and sense of origin.
• The right kidney can relate to frustrated or intense anger — particularly emotions that feel “too big” for the liver to process.
Neurologically:
The kidneys are influenced by the autonomic nervous system.
• Sympathetic: T10–T12 through the renal plexus
• Parasympathetic: Vagus nerve
All of this means the kidneys can sometimes play a role in structural patterns we see in the body — especially in the low back, pelvis, and legs.
If you’ve been experiencing low back discomfort, SI joint restriction, or persistent medial foot issues, this new visceral work might be what your body needs.
As the first quarter comes to a close, it’s a good time to check in with yourself. How are you structuring your year, and what are you keeping important to help guide you to where you want to go?
As always, thank you for trusting me with your care. Wishing you a healthy and strong start to spring.
Peace,
Katie
