Definition / Theory

The Fascial Distortion Model (FDM)

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It is very important to clarify three fundamentally different terms that are unfortunately often confused by therapists and, as a result, by patients.

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The Fascial Distortion Model by Typaldos is the theoretical concept

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The Fascial Distortion Model by Dr. Stephen Typaldos, D.O., is an independent medical concept that attributes the cause of all injuries, physical complaints, functional limitations, and other disease images to certain reversible deformations of the connective tissue (so-called fascial distortions).

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The FDM is thus a completely independent medical viewpoint and there are no contraindications for its principles, meaning it can be applied in any medical field ("think in the model").

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The Typaldos Method

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is the manual application of the FDM. The practical therapeutic implementation of the FDM as a special manual method is called the Typaldos Method. Although method-neutral, each of the six different fascial distortions requires a highly specific therapy aligned with the patient's gesture of pain.

 

Special manual grip techniques are used here, which have nothing to do with "fascia therapies" from other therapy forms since we treat fascial distortions!

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Typaldos Medicine Any other method suitable for specifically remedying fascial distortions is represented here. For example, applications of FDM in active physiotherapy, sports, but also in surgery, etc.

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What are fascial distortions?

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The FDM postulates three-dimensional deformations in connective tissue (so-called fascial distortions). These can be twists, adhesions, or dislocations, for example. From the perspective of the FDM, they are key to the diagnosis and treatment of physical complaints.

The goal of every treatment according to the FDM is to correct fascial distortions through targeted treatment techniques (e.g., with the Typaldos Method's grips). This correction leads to a significant decrease in complaints and improved function.

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Why is it a model?

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At first, this might sound confusing. But on the contrary: Models play an essential role in natural sciences/medicine (as a science of knowledge with scientific methods) to make complex processes understandable.

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The principles formulated therein enable us to make certain predictions. These predictions must/must not then occur in observed reality (verified/falsified). All medical disciplines work with such models (e.g., the orthopedic or neurological model).

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The FDM is an empirical analytical model.

 

Stephen Typaldos D.O., an emergency physician and osteopath, developed the FDM in 1991. Based on his empirical observations, he modeled the correlations between specific fascial deformations, associated typical complaint patterns, and effective treatment possibilities.

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He observed recurring patterns in how his patients showed and described their complaints, gaining the impression that they also - unconsciously - knew exactly what was wrong with them and even had suitable approaches to solutions.

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The analysis of body language and descriptions indicated that apparently, the connective tissue remained as the common denominator, and he derived the hypothesis that three-dimensional shape changes occur in it (so-called fascial distortions).

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The FDM's basic rule is six (1x1=6)

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these fascial distortions cause six different characteristic complaint patterns. They are precisely perceived by the patient and unconsciously communicated non-verbally (gesturally) and consciously (verbally).

These fascial distortions are thought constructs for the therapeutic process. This makes them systematical and comparable and can be remedied by specific grips/other methods under the guidance of patients.

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Each of the six different fascial distortions requires a distinct and specific therapy—inspired by the gesture of pain—aiming always to restore the original state. That is to correct the fascial distortion and thus causally remedy the complaints.

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• If a fascial strand is twisted, it is turned back;

• if a joint is folded, it is unfolded;

• if tissue is pinched in a gap, it is pushed back.

 

Fascinatingly precise and successful

 

Modern medicine should fundamentally be a service to the patient, oriented towards therapeutic success. This is occasionally overlooked in the sometimes enormous diagnostic effort in conventional medical settings, which often leads to a modest therapeutic bottleneck.

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In contrast, the diagnosis in the FDM is only a hypothetical assumption. Fascial distortions are the cause of patients' complaints and at the same time their diagnosis. This assumption remains in place until the success of the treatment decides on the correctness of the hypothesis.

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This means that in the therapeutic process according to the FDM, we first attribute complaints to specific fascial deformations, then identify these through the three-pillar diagnosis and subsequently reshape them in a meaningful way. In most cases, this immediately leads to significant pain reduction and functional improvement. The patient can immediately assess the success or failure of the treatment themselves after therapy.