NMT and Chronic Pain
What is Neuromuscular Therapy?
Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) is a type of soft tissue therapy which employs static pressure on specific points to: relieve pain, interrupt a self-perpetuating pain cycle.
It is a diagnostic tool as well as a treatment method for normalizing dysfunctional tissue by isolating and identifying the imbalance and restoring normal function and resilience to the damaged tissues. These areas of dysfunctional tissue - known as trigger points - are characterized by local tenderness and referred sensations.
Stress is a Leading Cause of Chronic Pain
The Stress-tension-pain Cycle
Stress can come in many different forms but always elicits the same response from the body - muscle tension
When muscles tighten, vessels constrict. Circulation diminishes reducing the available oxygen supply and increasing toxic waste accumulation.
Lack of oxygen, also called ischemia, and waste accumulation both add to the hypersensitivity of nerve receptors. We interpret these incoming signals as pain.
When we feel pain, we automatically tense up. Pain signals also alert the brain that an injury has occurred (even if it hasn’t) and the surrounding tissues harden to “splint” the injury
The increase in muscle tension further reduces circulation
The result is more pain
An increase in the level of pain raises anxiety levels as well as increasing muscle tension even more.
With chronic pain, often times the place where it hurts is not the source of the pain.
Most chronic pain and lots of unexplained pain is caused by dysfunction on the cellular level commonly referred to as “Trigger Points”
What are Trigger points?
Trigger point are bands of tight tissue or “knots” that are pinching on nerves and sending referred sensations elsewhere. The trigger points are often located at a different location than the source of the pain. The pain is called referred pain because it is remote to the trigger site.
A common example of this is Sciatica pain. One of the common causes of sciatic pain is the piriformis. The Piriformis is a muscle in the leg which the sciatic nerve runs through. When the piriformis is tight, then it can pinch / impinge on the sciatic nerve causing a chain reaction to occur which results in you feeling a referred sensation down your leg.
