What Is The Osteopathic Sports Energy Technique (SET)?

Osteopathic Sports Energy Technique, founded by the world famous osteopath, Dr Shahin Pourgol is a form of advanced osteopathic technique designed to improve athletic performance by increasing speed. This is achieved by working on the fast twitch type IIb skeletal muscle fibres.

Athletes can achieve dramatic increase in speed often after the first session. They can run, kick, jump or punch faster often after doing the first set of S.E.T. techniques.

Muscle tissue consists of fibres (cells) that are highly specialized for the active generation of force for contraction. Because of this characteristic, muscle tissue provides motion, maintenance of posture, and heat production. Based on certain structural and functional characteristics, muscle tissue is classified into three types: cardiac, smooth and skeletal. Based on various structural and functional characteristics, skeletal muscle fibres are classified into three types: Type I fibres, Type II b fibres and type II a fibres.

Type IIb fibres, also called fast twitch or fast glycolytic fibres; contain a low content of myoglobin, relatively few mitochondria, relatively few blood capillaries and large amounts glycogen. Type II b fibres are white, geared to generate ATP by anaerobic metabolic processes, not able to supply skeletal muscle fibres continuously with sufficient ATP, fatigue easily, split ATP at a fast rate and have a fast contraction velocity. Generally people are born with an average of 50% slow and 50% fast twitch fibres. Sprinters with proper training change this ratio to 80% fast twitch fibres in the leg muscles while marathon runners change the ratio with advanced training to 80% slow twitch fibres in the lower limbs muscles.

Because fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create fuel, they are much better at generating short bursts of strength and speed than slow muscles. However, they fatigue more quickly. Fast twitch fibers generally produce the same amount of force per contraction as slow muscles, but they get their name because they are able to fire more rapidly. Having more fast twitch fibers can be an asset to athletes since they need to quickly generate a lot of force.

Almost all osteopathic techniques have been founded by US osteopaths. This is the first time in the history of osteopathy that a Canadian osteopath was successful in developing an osteopathic technique.

Osteopathy is now the fastest growing health care profession in the world and in Canada it is the #13 occupation in demand, as reported by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce). Osteopathy is effective for people of all ages, from infants to the elderly. It offers an approach with gentle non-invasive techniques. An osteopathic assessment is so refined that the osteopathic manual practitioner can detect dysfunction without necessarily even having the benefit of a specific complaint, often difficult to obtain from young children.

Osteopathy is equally beneficial to athletes (whether professional or amateur), individuals with problems stemming from a sedentary job or life style, those exposed to occupational hazards, and to people suffering from a wide range of traumas.

Osteopathy can be a complement to medical care for women throughout their pregnancy and to mothers immediately after the delivery. In fact, osteopathy can be very effective in assisting the mother’s body to restore and resume function in the post-partum period.

Osteopathy assists patients to “manage” their own health so that “good health” is restored and maintained whenever possible. The philosophy of osteopathy promotes ‘health’ as opposed to ‘illness’, teaches people to learn to appreciate a quality of life and encourages opportunities to live it to the fullest.

Osteopathy customizes treatments for each individual according to his or her age, physical characteristics and specific reactions to treatments.