Neuromuscular Therapy interrupts pain in muscle and reeducates the nervous system so that chronic pain will be less likely to reoccur.

Neuromuscular Therapy is based on the physiological understanding that pain in a muscle and other soft tissue is usually accompanied by circulatory constriction and excessive neurological activity. Injury to muscle may involve the trauma of torn muscle fibres, the self protective bracing of muscle resulting from an impact injury ( car accident, severe fall etc.) or the “knotting” of repetitive overuse. In any case, the defensive reaction of the nervous system is to curtail blood supply to the injured area in order to contain internal haemorrhaging and inflammation. Limited blood supply weakens muscle tissue due to inadequate supplies of nutrients and oxygen. In addition, waste products accumulate, irritating nerve endings and generating further pain. The result is muscle fatigue which further reduces function and endurance. Nervous system involvement increases, and localized pain spreads and becomes what is known as “referred pain”, often found far from the causal site of the dysfunction.

Neuromuscular Therapy interrupts this cycle of pain and constriction, introducing a healing environment for the injured, chronically spastic, or overused tissue. Beginning with a detailed analysis of the musculoskeletal system, the therapy involves searching and relating individual muscles. This treatment employs techniques which reduce or alter neurological activity in the area, thus interrupting micro spasms and encouraging the return of normal blood supply. Waste products (lactic acid, etc.) accumulated in the injured tissue are flushed away by the normal return of blood flow. This results in diminishing of “referred pain” in other body areas.

Also known as trigger point therapy or myofascial therapy, this type of somatic intervention was developed as a direct result of the medical research and clinical applications of Dr. Janet Travell, White House physician during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations in the U.S.

Many common disorders have been known to respond favourably to Neuromuscular Therapy, such as chronic muscle and joint pain, repetitive motion injuries, headache, sciatica, whiplash, orthopaedic compression injuries, tennis elbow, TMJ dysfunction, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, dysmenorrhea, bursitis, fibromyalgia and many types of arthritis.