Today’s athlete needs rejuvenation and recovery in order to maintain optimum health, and performance. Many trainers and coaches tout rigorous exercises and athletic programs, denying their athletes the ability to effectively recover from intense training regimes. The athlete’s body needs a balanced internal environment (homeostasis) in order to maximize their potential. Many physiological dysfunctions and imbalances are directly traced to the body’s repeated exposure to repetitive biomechanical pain and emotional stress directly challenging the body’s natural homeostasis. Neuromuscular Therapy is a hands on soft tissue therapy specifically designed to identify and address muscular dysfunction and pain. This effective therapy boosts the body’s ability to recover from prolonged exposure to the stress and strain of overtraining and fatigue.
What is Neuromuscular Therapy?
It is a comprehensive system of soft tissue manipulation that creates balance of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) with the structure and form of the musculoskeletal system (skeleton and muscle of the body). Based on simple neurological laws explaining the central nervous system’s homeostatic balance, NMT works with these laws changing how the central nervous system processes pain responses. In physiology, Arndt’s Law illustrates how pain can originates in the body. It states that the body’s activity is affected by different levels of stimuli to nerve centers. Postural distortions, trauma and the stress of injury, cause rapid nerve transmissions inhibiting equilibrium and making the body vulnerable to pain and dysfunction. Without this environmental stress, natural homeostasis (balance) of the nervous system transmits slowly. The stabilization to healthy levels of neurological activity is our goal, which maintains homeostasis, promoting overall health.
Neuromuscular therapy recognizes six principles that cause pain.
1. Ischemia
2. Trigger Points
3. Nerve Compression
4. Whiplash
5. Postural Distortion
6. Biomechanical Dysfunction
1. Ischemia, is a lack of blood supply to the soft tissue, with causes them to be very sensitive to touch. Typically, if less than 5 to 10 pounds of pressure causes tenderness, the tissue are in an ischemic state. This is one of the first conditions a neuromuscular therapist analyzes.
2. Trigger points occur when nerves fire impulses at a rapid speed into an area of the body other than that which has been traumatized. Because of trigger points, the cause of serious pain may often be far removed from the actual site of pain. This, in turn, inhibits proper blood flow, which causes ischemia and often leads to more pain and discomfort.
3. Nerve Compression or Entrapment is pressure on a nerve by bone, cartilage or soft tissue. The role of the soft tissue in nerve compression is paramount. Realigning vertebrae without treating associated soft tissue frequently treats the symptom and not the cause. Spinal nerves are subject to intrusion when any of the vertebrae are dislocated or spinal disks herniated. Treating the surrounding soft tissues that cause or maintain the dislocation greatly enhances rehabilitation and alleviation of pain
Whiplash often causes nerves entrapment by the soft tissues. The nervous system initiates tightening of the muscles to stop bleeding in the tissue caused by violent snapping of the neck backward. This tightening results in the muscular spasm. After bleeding stops, the spastic response, initially a curative one will continue if the intervention is not made. This muscular spasm causes pressure on nerves and creates its own painful condition. Nerve entrapment is the most common type of pain and always causes ischemia. Ignored, it can produce associated trigger points.
Postural distortion is an imbalance of the muscular system resulting from movement of the body off the coronal, midsagittal and horizontal planes. Gravitational force (33.5 lb per square inch) is constantly pulling the body toward Earth. If there is an imbalance in the structural system, gravity causes the body to compensate in an effort to retain balance. Trauma, gravitational pressure or psychological patterning causes the soft tissue become thicker, denser and harder. Muscle contraction, body distortion, and pain are the results of compensations the body makes in order to maintain structural homeostasis. By determining why the compensation has occurred, the distorted patterns can be eliminated, proper posture restored, and associated pain diminished or eliminated in most cases. Other body distortions are caused by muscles contracting and shortening while others lengthen in an effort to hold the body upright as a result of “righting reflexes”. These reflexes respond to massages from the inner ear, eye, muscles or skin to bring the body into equilibrium.
Biomechanical dysfunction is an imbalance of the musculoskeletal system resulting in faulty movement patterns. Repetitive strain of certain soft tissues results in adapted movement patterns that become muscular “habits” and must be reeducated.
How Does Neuromuscular Therapy Help You?
NMT can help individuals experiencing structural distortion, biomechanical dysfunction, and the accompanying pain that is often a symptom of the underlying problem. It is used to locate and release spasms and hyper contradiction in the tissues: eliminates trigger points that causes referred pain; restore postural alignment, proper biomechanics and flexibility to the tissues; rebuild the strength of injured tissues and assist venous and lymphatic flow. NMT is an effective and economically feasible method of treatment.
Effects of NMT
MECHANICAL
REFLEXORY
Friction warming
Relaxation
Pumping Circulation
Pain reduction
Stretching soft tissue
Opening microcirculation
Breaking car tissue
Balancing autonomous nervous system
Breaking adhesions
Increased tissue permeability
Opening microcirculation
Enzyme release
Improved tissue elasticity
How Is Neuromuscular Therapy Performed?
The client is actively involved in the process of healing by helping the neuromuscular therapist understand his or her particular condition. At the initial visit, the therapist evaluates for:
1. Postural Distortions
2. Biomechanical Dysfunctions
3. Soft Tissue Causes of These Patterns and Present Pain Conditions.
The NMT therapist develops a treatment plan by screening gait patterns and measuring the positioning of the body on the coronal, midsagittal and horizontal planes. These measurements provide reference points from which to determine distortion patterns. An exacting analysis of proper posture and biomechanics explains the cause and effect relationship to pain.
The therapist then palpates the soft tissue to determine if there are ischemic, trigger points, nerve compression and/or entrapment possibilities. When the body is aligned on the midsagittal, coronal and horizontal planes, the tone of the both somatic (body covering) and visceral (internal organ) tissues improves. As tone is normalized, the nervous system is balanced.
The appropriate pressure to use a during a neuromuscular therapy treatment varies depending upon age, fitness, nutritional health, postural patterns of the patient, as well as the extent of the trauma and toxicity level of the tissues. The proper level of pressure elicits a moderate state of discomfort. If pressure is too light, it does not produce the necessary stimulation of nerve receptors to produce the desire therapeutic response. When adhesions are found in the tissues, deeper pressure may be used by working across muscle fibers.
In using NMT, the therapist applies pressure for 8-12 seconds to each area being treated, prompting a therapeutic response in the tissue. Pressing longer may cause the body to treat the pressure as an intrusion, particularly if there is inflammation in the tissues.
Optimal success is achieved by applying pressure to trigger points or ischemic areas 3-4 times for 8-12 seconds rather than a longer duration. This is because the therapist’s goal is to interrupt the physiopathological reflex circuits.
Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening
Another wonderful system for athletes is Aaron L. Matte’s Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) and Strengthening. It is a flexibility system that incorporates controlled muscle and fascia release, which controls the body’s stretch reflexes.
Stretching should be a painless process to help improve the quality of an athlete’s life. Traditionally stretching has been a series of exercises that are held for a prolonged period of time without exploring or comparing adequate physiological considerations such as: improving circulation, increasing oxygen to the tissues, eliminating the waste products by improved function of the lymph glands and improving nutritional deliverance to the cells.
Stretching should be proactive which helping to improve or maintain a greater quality of life. Flexibility exercises can be implemented prior or after sporting activities decreasing soreness and improving athlete’s total performance schedule.
As athletic performers progress they often begin to lose their flexibility, which decreases performance and agility. Athletic movement is more enjoyable when the body is flexible and capable of performing without restriction.
Soreness, swelling, and pain relate to loss of tissue movement. The muscle, fascia (connective tissues), and joints need to maintain optimal oxygenation and flexibility to help prevent postural changes, diseases and injury.
Proper AIS stretching aids in maintain the body process and if performs consistently will contribute to a healthier body and increased longevity.
Incorporating the Active Isolated Stretching (A.I.S.) method of muscle and fascia release is founded on the concept of controlling the body’s stretch reflexes. The A.I.S. method myofascial release technique uses active movement of the muscle on the opposite side of the muscle being stretched. Using an 3-4 second repeated stretch has proven to be the key in avoiding contraction of the muscles and connective tissue is being stretched.
Some Beneficial Effects of The Mattes Method Active Isolated Stretching are:
1. A.I.S. improves oxygenation and nutrition of myofascial structures promotion
2. Growth and repair.
3. A.I.S. stimulates the circulation and drainage of lymph, which helps eliminate metabolic wastes.
4. A.I.S. improves flexibility and health of muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
5. A.I.S. breaks down the friction and sticking among fascial sheathes.
6. A.I.S. separates fibrosis and breaks down adhesions that may result from trauma
or inflammation.
7. A.I.S. realigns collagen fibers.
8. A.I.S. reduces muscle spasm.
9. A.I.S. reduces risk of muscle strain and tear.
Benefits of an Optimal Flexibility Program
1. Athletes reach peak performance sooner and sustain it longer.
2. Muscles respond more quickly and powerfully.
3. Performance is improved with reduced change of injury.
4. Muscle stiffness is reduced as excess lactic acid buildup is removed. Reductions in metabolic wastes allow muscles to recover rapidly after intense workouts or athletic events.
5. Athletes recuperate more quickly. Healing of injuries is faster and stronger without the loss of power due to the development of transverse fibrosis.
6. Reduction in spasms splinting, and tension as a result of ischemia (lack of oxygen).
7. Athletes increase their career span and level of performance.
