WHAT IS THE METHOD OF THE GDS MUSCULAR CHAINS?

The concept of joint and muscle group interplay has been elaborated by Madam GODELIEVE DENYS-STRUYF, physiotherapist and osteopath. Her strong sense of observation (helped by portrait studies at the Beaux Arts) allowed her to define and progressively adjust a global physiotherapist method which integrates body function and its unbreakable link with psychological behaviour. Her crucial observations explain the « psycho-behavioural » and « psycho-somatic » consequences that sometimes can surprise at first reading, but they do reveal the relationship between musculo-skeletal function and psychological status.

The GDS method is a preventive as well as a therapeutic method which takes into account the relationship between mind and body.

It is taugh to physiotherapists but also allows all other people to know themselves better and enable them to address the problem themselves. For professionals it endeavours, through a personal experimentation, to offer a method of observation, measurement, testing, analysis and strict interpretation, as well as providing a wide range of therapeutic tools. For other people it offers innovating experiences to provide awareness of behaviour and bodily function to allow everyone to generate their own solutions to their problems.

All parts of the musculo-skeletal system are interdependent, with muscular groups linking all parts together. Muscles are tools of psychobodily expression: our mental tensions, our emotions, our feelings and our way of being all express themselves through the muscular system which influences our posture and our physical movements. When such tensions or actions are repetitive and prolonged, an excess of muscle tone occurs and cumulatively, step by step, causes regions of muscular tension to develop.

This mecanism then determines in a progressive joint movement problems that we describe by the term musculo-skeletal dysfunction. GDS describes 6 functional muscle groups which are used in normal body movements. However, when these movements are excessive, muscular tension develops which forces the body into abnormally stiff positions thus reducing liberty of movement and resulting in characteristic postures.

Six functional muscle groups are needed for normal musculo-skeletal movement, but disturbances of these can lead to muscular tensions that impision the body in an abnormal state.”

How does one cure with the GDS method ?

The GDS method proposes massage manoeuvors, reflex techniques, stretching positions and even stimulation and balancing of muscle tensions.

A large part of the work is dedicated to awareness and understanding of the skeletal system and of the normal function and balancing of opposing muscle forces to harmoniously allow normal musculo-skeletal function. Awareness of this musculo-skeletal co-ordination can give birth to coordinated movement.

The patient can then re-discover a certain pleasure in body movement that once again become painless.

For whom is the GDS method intended ?

Indications for using this approach are numerous.

In the preventive field it works to optimise the body function by better management of the daily tensions linked to behaviour, and better awareness of good posture.

In the therapeutic field and based on the fundamental approach of the GDS method will give some understanding to such pathologies as osteoarthritis, pain (such as lumbago, sciatica..) and other common problems of rheumatology and orthopaedics. Postural problems of the spine such as lordosis, kyphosis and scoliosis will benefit from this method especially since the approach is global and takes into account a large number of parameters encountered in these conditions.

It proposes original, effective and durable solutions for the treatment of lower limbs (such as coxygeal pain, joint problems involving knees and feet, and carpal tunnel syndrome).

Functional problems of the musculo-skeletal system of the infant and child may also be helped.

The method does allow strategies to be put in place that will avoid recurrence of the problem and prevent new pathology from developing.