Neuromuscular Therapy - What is it and what does it do?
Massage therapy has been used for thousands of years to help relax and calm people as well as offer physical healing. Neuromuscular therapy is used to relieve pain and specific problems a patient is experiencing. It is used to focus pressure on certain areas of skeletal muscle and can reduce pain and tension, but also help balance your posture and lengthen as well as strengthen tissues. These areas are often myofascial trigger points. Myofasical trigger points are hyperirritable spots located within skeletal muscle. These spots are associated with nodules of bands of muscle fibers. These nodules become small contracture knots and therefore cause pain to the patient. By focusing on these points with neuromuscular therapy, a massage therapist with the right training can help decrease the contractions and this help relieve the pain. It is a great therapy to assess, treat, and help prevent soft tissue injuries and thus relieve chronic pain. Neuromuscular therapy is often used by occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses, chiropractors, and those that practice osteopathic and physical medicine.
The technique of neuromuscular therapy (sometimes referred to as NMT) was developed by Dr. Stanley Leif and Boris Chaitow. Both were trained in chiropractics and naturopathy, which is a philosophy that seeks to improve health by focusing on the body’s innate ability to recover. They worked with Dewanchand Varma and Bernard MacFadden to help develop neuromuscular therapy in order to help patients suffering from soft tissue dysfunction. One part of neuromuscular therapy focuses on the fact that the body can heal itself. Stimulation from neuromuscular therapy can help hasten the natural healing process.
A neuromuscular therapist takes into account many aspects of the patient before beginning therapy. Things like age, stress, prior therapy, family history, diet, and nutrition will be looked at. By looking at the patient’s history and health, they can ascertain what type or how much therapy is needed. They may work with the patient’s primary physician if certain conditions exist. For example, if an elderly woman with a calcium deficient diet had hip or lower back pain; the therapist will need to watch for possible osteoporosis or hip fractures. They may need to alter their procedures to accommodate such patients. They will also look at posture distortion to see what other pains that can be causing.
The therapist will use their thumbs, fingers, and elbows as well as pressure bars during the massage. The pressure bars help release the muscular contractions. One good thing about neuromuscular therapy is it concentrates on placement much more than degree of pressure, so a good deal of pressure is not normally necessary.
Who can be helped by neuromuscular therapy? Anyone that suffers from chronic pain can be helped by neuromuscular massage. Whether you have chronic pain due to an occupational injury, a sports injury, or an automobile injury, if you suffer from chronic pain, you may want to give neuromuscular therapy a try. Others that respond well to neuromuscular therapy are those that suffer from sciatica, rotator cuff dysfunction, carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and even migraine headaches.
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About the Author
Annalisa Zisman, a proficient author and tutor, she is a leading practitioner for many massage courses. Annalisa specializes in Indian Head Massage, Thai Foot and Thai Herbal Compress Massage techniques.
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How to Find a Good Sports Massage Therapy Course
Today, more than ever, people are playing many sports. Unfortunately, many people get injured each day playing sports whether it is a professional or amateur sport. Sports massage therapy can not only help an athlete who are injured, but is also great to help athletes keep toned and in shape to prevent injuries. Sports massage therapy can also help athletes psychologically as well as physically.
Athletes of today are recognizing that massage is an important part of getting them healthy and keeping them that way. Most professional teams employ sports massage therapists to help those that have been injured so they can make a quicker recovery, but also to help their athletes perform in their peak condition. As little as 10 to 15 minutes of pre and post event massage can help the muscles and tissues of an athlete perform better and avoid injury.
Why is it important for therapist to practice sports massage? It helps the body maintain a generally better condition, helps prevent injury and helps maintain mobility and flexibility, it can restore lost mobility, it can boost the performance of an athlete, it can reduce back pain; a common complaint among athletes of all kinds and it can help to extend the career of an athlete by helping keep them in better condition. Sports massage can help those who suffer from neck pain too. Most athletes use their backs and necks every time their play their sport, so these two areas are especially susceptible to injury.
Learning to be a sports massage therapist can be a very lucrative and rewarding career. In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping heal others, you may also be able to make a good living at it. Sports massage therapy is one of the fastest growing fields in the market today.
If you are thinking of a career in sports massage therapy, you will want to pick a school that offers great courses. Depending on your philosophy, you may want to find a course that focuses more on the traditional medicine area or the holistic appraoch. Some sports massage therapists blend the two areas to give clients the best of both worlds. Ask if the course includes such therapies as structural and postural evaluation, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, stretching or remedial tissue massage.
Be sure to ask if there is any type of certification, diploma, or accreditation that comes along with the completion of the course. It is always good to be certified – that gives you an edge up when looking for a job over the sports massage therapists that are not certified. Check to see what, if any, certifications the instructor holds. Find out his or her credentials so see if this is the sports massage therapy course for you. It is important that your instructor be not only well qualified, but also experienced. Of course cost is often a concern, but remembers that to take a sports massage therapy class that will result in the right qualification and with the right ongoing mentoring and employment opportunties, you may have to be willing to pay more money.
Source: Free Articles
About the Author
Annalisa Zisman, a proficient author and tutor, she is a leading practitioner for many massage courses. Annalisa specializes in Indian Head Massage, Thai Foot and Thai Herbal Compress Massage techniques.
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