A+ Physical Rehab: Chiropractic, Massage, Rehabilitation Therapy
What is Neuromuscular Therapy?
Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) is a specialized form of manual therapy. A therapist trained in NMT is educated in the physiology of the nervous system and its effect on the muscular and skeletal systems. The neuromuscular therapist is further educated in kinesiology and biomechanics as well as how to put it to practical use in a clinical or medical environment.
By definition, meuromuscular therapy is the utilization of static pressure on specific myofascial points to relieve pain. This technique manipulates the soft tissue of the body (muscles, tendons and connective tissue) to balance the central nervous system. In a healthy individual, nerves transmit impulses (which are responsible for every movement, function and thought) to the body very slowly. Injury, trauma, postural distortion or stress cause nerves to speed up their transmission, inhibiting equilibrium and making the body vulnerable to pain and dysfunction. It is, therefore, necessary to stabilize low levels of neurological activity to maintain normal function and overall health.
Why is Neuromuscular Therapy important to me?
Neuromuscular therapy treats the 5 following elements to help heal soft tissue and relieve pain: ischemia, trigger points, nerve compression or entrapment, postural distortion and biomechanical dysfunction.
- Ischemia is when there is poor blood supply to an area of soft tissue. This can lead to hypersensitivity to touch.
- Trigger points are highly irritated points in muscles that can ‘transfer’ pain to other parts of the body. For example, it’s not uncommon for a trigger point in the neck to cause pain through the person’s arms, chest and back. Deactivating trigger points can be a challenge but once completed, should relive the pain caused by the overly tight muscles.
- Nerve compression or entrapment is when soft tissue or bone applies pressure to a nerve. This can often lead to intense shooting pain along that nerve.
- Postural distortion is an imbalance of the muscular system resulting from movement of the body off the longitudinal and horizontal planes.
- Biomechanical dysfunction is the imbalance of the musculoskeletal system resulting in faulty movement patterns. Some examples include poor lifting habits, bad mechanics in a golf swing or tennis stroke and computer keyboarding.
Using neuromuscular therapy to treat all of these aspects can lead to a life with greater mobility and less pain. By using these practices we have built up a fantastic client base. Thanks to those wonderful clients and their referrals we’ve been business for 6+ years. We work to build personal relationships with all of our patients. In doing so, we have a unique ability to understand, manage or rid patients of their pain entirely.