Learning Anatomy through Palpation

We’ve found the best way to learn Anatomy, with any profession in mind, is to be hands-on with the learning. While a good portion can still be studied at home with distance learning, especially when getting introduced to the concepts, terms, and vocabulary, anatomy really becomes more understood (and certainly alive) when a student can learn through touch. We provide some incredible opportunities for our massage students to learn and perfect Anatomy Palpation.

Palpation is touching the body – but specifically, pressing on the surface of the body to feel the organs or tissues underneath. The purpose for massage therapists to palpate bony landmarks and musculature is to connect with the tissues anatomically – to best understand the direction of a muscle so that the best and most appropriate massage technique can be used with that muscle. Also, it’s important for them to know where the muscles originate and where they insert to work more therapeutically with a client’s noted symptoms and pains to ensure they are addressing the correct muscles for that person’s situation.

During our Anatomy Palpation classes, we review each muscle’s AOI, which stands for Action, Origin, and Insertion. The Action is the movement that muscle creates at a joint. The Origin is where that muscle starts (typically origins are at the less moveable point of the attachment). And the Insertion is where that muscle goes to, more often the more moveable point of the attachment.

For example, of the Hamstring group of muscles, there are three muscles – one of those is called Semimembranosus. This Hamstring muscle has these Actions: Flexion of the knee (tibiofemoral joint), medial rotation of the flexed knee (at the T/F joint), extension of the hip (coxal joint), assists to medially rotate the hip (coxal joint), and tilts the pelvis posteriorly. Wow! That hamstring muscle does so many things.

We practice the actions on our own bodies and then practice feeling and doing those actions on each other. Also, the muscle will best be felt when it’s activated or in its action state. Students have so many “Ah Hahs” when they are palpating the muscle while it goes in and out of its action – that’s when the muscle really “pops” into your hand and you can feel it contracting and engaging.

The Semimembranosus originates at the Ischial Tuberosity (base of the pelvis, as the yogis call it, the “Sits Bones”). And then that muscle inserts at the posterior aspect of the medial condyle of the tibia (it crosses over the back part of the knee to attach to the back or posterior part of the bony protrusion (condyle) of the tibia (the larger lower leg bone). In class, we trace this together and we find the best angles for the full part of the muscle to be felt. We workshop through practicing these connections on each other in small groups.

We have regular classes for our massage students to practice Anatomy Palpation. We divide these sessions by body areas. For example, Shoulder and Arm muscles is one class and then Spine and Thorax muscles another class. The students are learning this content in a variety of ways – book reading, live Zoom classes, focused muscle sessions in-person, as well as full-class Anatomy Palpation classes where they get to practice and feel these structures on each other, separate from doing massage.

Students are reminded daily about the musculature they are working with during massage sessions. Studies show that repetition is truly one of the keys to memory retention and learning a subject in a variety of contexts as well. In addition to these Anatomy Palpation regular classes, we have a quarterly off-site Cadaver Lab where our students get to palpate two different cadavers, focused on finding bony landmarks, muscles, fascial, and internal organs, and our students can attend several of those labs to build their confidence and connection with the anatomical structures.

We are very passionate about Anatomy and are grateful that we get to continually learn and share the body’s inherent wisdom with eager students.

This article was written by our founder and owner, Hillary Hilliard. She has been a Massage Therapist since 2004 and an Herbalist since 2010. She also teaches classes for our herbalism program, Herbalism Roots, the Denver Integrative Massage School, and for our aesthetics program, the School of Botanical & Medical Aeshtetics. Hillary loves being connected with all aspects of her schools, and she’s very grateful for these opportunities to share her passion and love for the healing arts and the beauty arts with as many people as possible.

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