Neuromuscular Therapy Clinic

What is Neuromuscular Therapy?

Sometimes referred to as Medical Massage, Neuromuscular Therapy is an educated approach to addressing compromised tissues and employs a wide array of techniques aimed at helping the body realign and heal itself.

Our neuromuscular focus is on balancing tight vs. taught patterns and bringing balance back to the system. In order to achieve this goal, we must also remove adhesions within the body’s structures. A firm understanding of anatomy and kinesiology is required, as well as the employment of multiple techniques.

NMT techniques involve activating weak muscle groups and sedating over-powering muscle groups.

How the Neuromuscular System Works

Neurologically, the body is designed to activate a muscle or muscle group that is required to accomplish the desired task. This muscle or group is referred to as the Agonist, or Prime Mover.

While the Prime Mover is active, the neuromuscular system must relax the opposing muscle or group, known as the Antagonist, usually located on the opposite side of the joint being moved. This mechanism allows for movement around a joint.

When this process does not occur as designed, weak or painful movement may occur. If both groups of muscles fire at the same time, the joint may jam and no movement occurs.

Imbalances in muscle firing patterns can cause postural deviations such as:

  • Scoliosis
  • Improper fit of the femoral head in the hip socket
  • Forward head posture

Conditions Associated with Neuromuscular Imbalances

These deviations create strain and torsion on joints and can contribute to joint damage such as arthritis, bulging or herniated disks, or degeneration of the hip or shoulder joints that may lead to joint replacements.

Additional examples of uneven neuromuscular firing include:

  • Cramps and spasms, such as “Charlie horses”
  • Anterior or posterior pelvic tilts
  • Chronic pain patterns
  • Sciatic nerve pain
  • Sacro-Iliac (SI) joint instability or pain
  • Carpal Tunnel pain
  • TMJ disorders
  • Whiplash
  • Thoracic Inlet-Outlet disorders
  • “Frozen shoulder”
  • Sub-occipital pain
  • Headaches
  • And more

Treatment Commitment and Progress

Compliance from the client to maintain a routine treatment schedule and home activities is imperative to achieving results.

The client will be asked to perform active and resistive exercises during and after the sessions. This service is therapeutic in nature and is intended for individuals with:

  • Injuries
  • Chronic pain patterns
  • Structural imbalances
  • Neuromuscular pathologies

It is recommended that the client schedule a consultation along with the first treatment, or when a commitment is made to any therapy and wellness sessions.

During this consultation:

  • Short-term and long-term goals will be established.
  • Postural analysis may be performed.
  • Frequency and duration of sessions will be discussed.
  • Home care recommendations will be reviewed.
  • Financial obligations will be discussed.

Healing Takes Time

Imbalances did not occur in an hour, and they take longer than an hour to correct.

Healing is a process, not an event.

Be patient with your body, realizing that the dysfunction likely existed long before symptoms appeared. It is always better to attempt to maintain health rather than trying to fix it once it is compromised. Routine bodywork sessions can be a helpful tool.

Once dysfunction does occur, it is imperative that treatment be frequent enough to avoid old patterns from re-establishing.

For example, if your body initially holds the work for 5 days, we may want to schedule your return treatment within 3–4 days. This helps avoid taking two steps forward and two steps back.

If we wait beyond that time period, we may continue starting in the same place and reaching the same level of remediation without progressing beyond it. Returning sooner allows us to pick up where we left off, or only one step back, so that forward progress can continue.

Once your body begins to hold the treatments beyond the initial 4–5 days, the time between sessions can begin to increase as well.

Individualized Treatment Plans

There are several methodologies of bodywork treatment plans, such as a 10-session protocol. I do not follow these “systems,” because one size does not fit all.

There is no way to determine exactly how many sessions each individual will need because there are too many variables, and each person heals differently.

Sometimes one session works, and sometimes it may take 30.

Once we begin a treatment plan, I will continually evaluate your progress and response to specific therapies and adjust the plan as necessary to achieve the best possible result.

Communication is important, as the client plays an active role in this process.