This article about Neuromuscular Therapy appeared in the January
2003 Women's Magazine:
By Ben Crabtree, RMT, MTI, CNMT / Lois Pearson, RMT, LVN
The New Year is upon us and so are the New Years resolutions. By definition a
resolution is an agreement or promise to do something. We make resolutions about losing
weight, quitting our bad habits, and being nicer to children and small animals. Somehow,
we end up not keeping our resolutions. One reason we dont keep our resolutions is
simple, we just dont feel up to it. Keeping a resolution while suffering with
headaches, jaw pain, stiff necks, back pain, and hurting shoulders is difficult. In
addition to muscular and joint pain theres stress. While stress can be a motivator
that pushes us to go the extra mile and accomplish great things, its also the source
of the bodys fight or flight response. Thats the same response
that leads to chronic tension, fatigue, and a decreased ability to heal. Combine stress
with muscular and joint pain and its no wonder our resolutions quickly fade away.
Perhaps the resolution we should make and keep is simply to feel better before the end of
the year.
Feeling better could mean a lot of things but,
if getting rid of your headaches, backaches, stiff neck, shoulder pain, or sore feet is
what you mean then Neuromuscular Therapy, or NMT, could be for you. Originally developed
in England in the 1930s by Dr. Stanley Leif and his cousin Dr. Boris Chaitow, NMT is
an advanced form of massage therapy that targets the sources of your pain, dysfunction,
and stress. Today, NMT is widely practiced by a number of disciplines in the medical
community from osteopathic physicians and Chiropractors to massage therapists. In fact for
30 years many massage therapists have sought out the advanced NMT training, and have
become the primary providers of NMT Neuromuscular Therapists.
Neuromuscular Therapists have found that the
source of pain and dysfunction is very often located in the bodys soft tissues.
Muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and even skin may be at the heart of pain and
stiffness due to a litany of problems. Poor posture, recent or long-forgotten traumas, and
even emotional turmoil place repeated stresses on the bodys soft tissues causing
them to adapt and compensate. The compensations that occur cause the tissues to become
abnormally tight, congested, and hypersensitive to pressures placed upon them. Once
compensation starts it becomes a self-perpetuating problem that is seemingly resistant to
prescriptions, exercise, stretching, and even more sleep. In fact, sometimes exercises and
stretching designed to help can make matters worse since soft tissues can
refer pain to areas far from the cause.
So how does the Neuromuscular Therapy help?
Well, in the beginning, the Neuromuscular Therapist will have you complete a health
questionnaire and a precisely describe the location of your pain. Next the Neuromuscular
Therapist is going to perform a systematic and comprehensive evaluation. During the
evaluation your posture will be checked for deviation from normal, and joints will be
evaluated for smooth unrestricted movement. After posture and joints, the soft tissues
will be thoroughly checked for general and focussed tenderness, swelling, contracted
tissues, restriction of movement, and even variations in temperature. Armed with knowledge
gained from the evaluation the Neuromuscular Therapist will develop a treatment plan to
target the cause, not just symptoms, of your pain.
Once the treatment plan is in place the good
part begins treatment. NMT treatment is quite similar to getting a relaxing
massage. The session will take place on a padded massage table for your comfort and the
Neuromuscular Therapist will begin with lightly lubricating your skin and performing some
gliding strokes. As the session continues the gliding strokes will occasionally be
interrupted by kneading and compression of certain tender areas called trigger points, on
muscular attachments, and other areas of restriction. Using this deceptively simple
method, combined with targeted stretches and joint movements, the Neuromuscular
Therapists trained and sensitive hands help areas of tension and pain melt away.
Depending on your specific pain and dysfunction the NMT session may focus on one area such
as a leg or arm, or it might cover your entire body. Either way youll emerge from
your NMT session relaxed, feeling less pain, and knowing your pain and stress will soon be
just a memory.
Getting the best results from NMT depends on
finding and selecting a Neuromuscular Therapist. The easiest way to find a Neuromuscular
Therapist is by looking in the phone book under massage therapists and
checking for those that list NMT or Neuromuscular Therapy. You could also search the World
Wide Web. Once you find a prospective Neuromuscular Therapist you should check a few
things. How long have they been practicing NMT? Have they had experience with your
particular problems? And, which type of NMT do they practice? Regarding experience, more
is usually better. As for the type of NMT there are three methods which are prevalent in
the U.S., the Lane method, St. John method, and Delany method. Choosing a Neuromuscular
Therapist versed in one or more of these methods helps to assure great results.
This year keep your resolutions but lose your
pain and stress. Dedicate yourself to improving the way you feel, the way you move, and to
reducing the stress in your life. Try Neuromuscular Therapy, youll be pleasantly
surprised and it will go a long way toward improving your health and happiness.
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Copyright 2004 Ben Crabtree, RMT, CNMT