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Services:
Read here about the array of therapies we offer and how they work for various disorders.
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Neuromuscular Reeducation
Abstract:
Neuromuscular reeducation is the use of stretching,
strengthening, and specialized biomechanical exercises to relieve chronic pain
by creating new ways of resting, holding and moving the human body. Neuromuscular reeducation creates new
pathways for the muscles and joints thereby increasing mobility and promoting
pain free, healthy tissues. It is used as an adjunct to acupuncture and herbal
therapies for acute and chronic pain conditions. It is used, at times, to
correct the cause of a painful condition caused by clear biomechanical and
postural factors.
Poor
posture and biomechanics are a major contributing factor to many of the chronic
and acute pain conditions presenting to the practicing Acupuncturist.
Contributing to poor posture and biomechanics
are weak slackened muscles and tight shortened muscles. Every movement of the
body is the result of the combined action of two sets of muscles; the agonists
and antagonists. The agonists move the joint in the desired direction and the
antagonist works simultaneously to resist that very same movement. If one of
these sets of muscles is chronically weak or tight, slack or shortened, then we
have improper joint movement or an inefficient resting state for those muscles.
This leads to muscle fatigue and inflammation around the tendons and joints;
painful trigger points develop in the muscles, which are now more injury prone.
The joints themselves tighten up due to shortened muscles; this puts more
pressure on the joint tissues and can lead to inflammation of the ligamentous
tissues, bursae, and joint capsule.
The very first goal of acupuncture is to stop
the inflammatory process which is the root of most musculoskeletal pain.
Acupuncture is antiinflammatory, relieves pain, restores elasticity to
shortened muscles, deactivates trigger points, activates motor points, promotes
relaxation and improves blood circulation to painful areas. In many cases
however, this is not enough. The postural and movement errors of the patient
are so significant, they must be corrected in order to relieve all the pain. In
other cases, the acupuncture and herbal therapy are enough, but the
neuromuscular component is addressed to prevent future injury or return of
symptoms.
In fact, close to 90% of the chronic
conditions of the non-athlete have a postural or biomechanical factor. People
spend long periods at computers, driving cars, or reading, all with their heads
translated forward. People slouch. People exercise without adequate stretching,
or work out improperly, damaging joints or overdeveloping an agonist while
ignoring the antagonist muscle.
So once Acupuncture gets rid of the pain and
inflammation we must empower you, the patient,
towards health, by teaching you new ways of
using and moving your body.
Neuromuscular Reeducation begins with
learning how to effectively and safely stretch tight shortened muscles and
tendons, and then special exercises are assigned to strengthen weakened
muscles. Finally, after evaluation of the biomechanics of the patient,
specialized exercises are assigned to actually correct improper joint movements
and restore mobility.
All of this is done as part of your treatment
program, while in some severe cases we refer out to specialists for further
evaluation and treatment.
For more
information on the use of Neuromuscular Reeducation in the treatment of
neurmuscular injuries, please call Eyton @619.296.7591 or email
eyton@bodymindwellnesscenter.com |
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