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Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT): Theory

This post is the first in a series explaining the differences in massage modalities and their benefits.  If you have any questions about this post or other modalities you would like to know more about, please do not hesitate to contact me: FreedomBodywork305@gmail.com

What is Neuromuscular Therapy?

Lets go direct to the source at NMTcenter.com, Nueromuscular Therapy is defined as:
"Neuromuscular therapy (NMT) is a precise, thorough examination and treatment of the body’s soft tissues using regionally oriented protocols that are taught in a step-by-step process."  

 Generally speaking, most pain patterns in the body can be categorized by at least one of three factors:

  • Biomechanical - stemming from physical imbalance, misalignment, or physical injury.
  • Biochemical - stemming from a pathological chemistry in the body related to disease or diet or even breathing patterns.
  • Psychosocial - stemming from emotional trauma which can manifest mechanically in the body or be triggered by touch, movement, or other environmental conditions.


NMT is designed to address pain patterns from any or all of these causes.  Judith DeLany, LMT developed NMT protocols based on the pain management techniques of Paul St. John early on in her career.  For the last 30 years, NMT has been developed and refined based on clinical experience and clinical peer reviewed studies.  The marriage of clinical hands on experience backed up by scientific studies has made NMT highly effective at both pain relief and recovery treatment for some pretty serious pathological conditions.  


 A typical NMT session begins with review of an in-depth patient in-take form, a discussion deeper into relevant medical conditions to determine any contraindications for massage, a postural and kinetic assessment of the patient, and the therapist explaining the treatment plan by body region and any related antagonist or synergistic muscle groups.  NMT requires a therapist to have very precise anatomical and kinetic knowledge of the muscles and bones.  Further, the therapist needs to have simultaneously sensitive and powerful palpatory skills to know what specific muscle they're treating and be able to feel the quality of the tissue.  The sensitivity is needed to feel for taut bands of muscles and Trigger Points, the power to be able to apply pressure at the correct depth of tissue to specifically treat the issues in the tissues.  The ultimate goal of an NMT treatment is to balance the nervous and muscular systems by locating and treating both acute and chronic sources of pain.

 My practice is primarily Neuromuscular Therapy, if you have any questions about NMT please don't hesitate to contact me:

 305.985.0161
mark@markcfreeman.com
MarkCFreeman.com

 Follow me on twitter @markcfreeman on Facebook, or Instagram.  Email me at mark@markcfreeman.com with any questions about bodywork techniques, modalities, or if there are any blog topics you want to know more about!
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Location: North Miami, FL, USA

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