Neuromuscular Therapy Overview
Modern Neuromuscular Therapy is an innovative form of problem-solving massage therapy that uses advanced manual therapy and dynamic, safe movement techniques, along with pain neuroscience education. The ultimate purpose is to reduce pain in all its forms and to restore full function.
The NMT session starts with comprehensive information gathering, followed by a detailed assessment. This informs the design and purpose of the advanced manual techniques. The manual techniques that are used are personalized for the individual. Active movement techniques are safe and introduced slowly.
Along the way the patient is introduced to the latest pain neuroscience education to understand how they got so bad. This combination really helps pain sufferers understand and give meaning to their symptoms, and take control of the rehabilitation, thus speeding up the healing process.
NMT considers the whole living, breathing, thinking patient in context with their environment.
NMT is good for most soft-tissue driven pain and dysfunction. It may be used in many ways:
Reducing Pain
Reducing longstanding pain that was originally derived from soft tissue, including connective tissue.
Before Surgery
Should be used before having a more invasive procedure, like surgery.
Pre- and Post-Op Pain
May be helpful for pre-operative pain and hard-to-explain post-op pain.
Performance
Can be used for performance enhancement.
Maintenance
Can be a valuable part of regular monthly maintenance.
Solving Pain Puzzles
Solving enigmatic pain puzzles associated with myofascial pain.
The Principles Underlying NMT
Your health will be considered under the
Three Pillars of overall well-being:
Biomechanical
Biochemical
The intake of healthy food, fluids, and air. The ideal internal processing of these elements, resulting in homeostasis
Psychosocial
NMT itself addresses six
major factors of health restoration
Muscular Injury
Firstly, we address all forms of muscular injury due to soft-tissue overload, overuse, misuse, disuse, and abuse.
Neurological Wellbeing
We also think of the body in terms of neurological wellbeing, both cognitively and mechanically.
Posture and Movement
Posture and subsequent movement are assessed.
Trigger Points
We always identify and deactivate all trigger point contributions to pain and dysfunction.
Pain Neuroscience Education
Attention is paid to educating the patient in chronic pain on what is going on in their body. We call this pain neuroscience education.
Perpetuating Factors
Lastly, we try to identify, modify or remove all relevant perpetuating factors. These factors can include ergonomics, sleep, nutrition and stress etc.
Proven Outcomes of NMT
It has been demonstrated that NMT can improve a long list of chronic problems to restore good health:
Headaches & Migraine
Tinnitus, dizziness, facial pain
Neck Pain
Torticollis, wry neck; forward head
Upper Limb Conditions
Radiating tingling or numbness, forearm pain, carpal tunnel syndrome
Low Back Pain
Mechanical or unexplained
Pelvic Pain
Sciatic pain; coccyx and groin pain
Lower Limb Conditions
Muscle strains; shin splints; plantar fasciitis; hyper-pronation syndromes
Internal imbalances, insomnia, anxiety
All conditions with myofascial trigger points
TMJ Pain
Grinding, clicking, tension, malocclusion
Shoulder, rotator cuff, subacromial or post-op pain
Chest and Abdomen
Myofascial pain contributions; breathing pattern disorders
Hip Pain
Deep, aching hip (arthritis-like)
Thigh and Knee
IT band syndrome; patello-femoral syndrome; post-op knee pain
Myofascial pain syndrome & fibromyalgia
Postural and movement distortions
Sports injuries that don’t heal as they should
The Myopain Solutions
NMT method combines:
Assessment
Assessment and reassessment of the body.
Manual Techniques
Manual techniques that are tailor-made for each individual situation.
Movement
An active movement rehabilitation component.
Pain Neuroscience Education
Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) to help you understand how pain works and how it can be controlled.
The overall aim is to provide a swifter recovery from pain and to promote optimal, efficient movement.
By understanding the comprehensive nature of how things go wrong in the body, and the contributions of biomechanical, biochemical and psychosocial factors, we develop effective strategies to solve even the toughest, longstanding pain conditions.