What Is NeuroMechanical Therapy (NMT)? The Secrets To Our Success!

What is Neuromechanical Therapy (NMT)?

From the www.RehabandRevive.com website:

NMT is an intertwining framework for eliminating pain and enhancing function. It focuses on progression based pain-management and active participation of the patient. ​ It comprises elements that make it a truly holistic healing system. First, NMT enhances nerve mobility and organ mobility before conventional muscular and joint therapies. ​ Then, it relies on the nervous system’s responsiveness, or “athletic reflexes,” before working on the balancing of our physical alignment and our movement strategies to decrease stress/strain. ​ When efficient, these enhance our ability for dynamic and static performance thus fulfilling our personal, physical, and athletic goals. ---

However, we realized with all the fancy words we should offer a more in-depth look at the beginnings and why we believe in NMT.

The Evolution

It could all be traced back to 1999, at the time Dr. Justin Lin was a personal trainer at your local gym. Understanding exercise form and sequencing was essential to the early successes of his clients trying to achieve fitness and aesthetic goals.

After going to graduate school for both his Masters and Doctorate in Physical Therapy, there was much information to decipher and clinical rules to follow that was evidence-based. However, none of these systems prevailed and were “flexible” to every individual. Everyone responds differently to learning, why wouldn’t someone react differently to different treatments.

After PT schools, there wasn’t much success, and Dr. Lin was burning out and frustrated wanting to help people.

He jumped from one treatment method to another looking for the “magic pill” and logging thousands of training hours. None of these systems could be the "one size fits all" system that could help everyone. He realized that all systems were important and they needed to be organized better;to make a single system that could switch from one paradigm to another interchangeably. The six strategy pyramid was developed for this purpose in 2015.

Principles of NMT

Listening to Patient’s complex intertwining complex stories and deciphering what is important from the chronology of past injuries and tying it into their current states of pain and symptoms:

• Neuromechanical system-is the interwoven framework (think of a chain-linked fence) of nerves and nervous tissues that weave through tissues and produce our unique biomechanical patterns and our ability function the way we do.

1) All of our bodies tissues (bones, ligaments, nerves, arteries, muscles/tendons, etc.) have a level of ability to lengthen and shorten and possess viscoelastic properties.

1b) All structures should slide, glide, spin, roll past each other like "oil and water."

2) All tissues with Neuro-Mechanical dysfunction have become tethered to other tissues preventing the ability for the specific tissue to perform their primary function.

3) All structures and tissues have a beginning and an end and would require one end to be stabilized before moving/treating that structure/tissue.

4) Our body should be treated in a hierarchical pain pattern (certain structures need to be addressed first) before treating mechanical tissues.

5) If there is dysfunction with a higher priority source, and it has yet to be addressed, symptoms will return.

6) Rotations are the first mechanical dysfunction to be addressed.

7) Shortening and lengthening of mechanical tissues are secondary.

8) To enhance performance (static or dynamic) in our clients and empower them: we must follow an exercise regimen that is based on progression.

(a hierarchy of progressive exercise that begins with awareness and restoration of automatic reflexes, stability, endurance/strength and then performance).

9) If we are unable to progress in exercise, the last reasons are likely (immobility or instability).

10) If instability or immobilization needs to be addressed, re-education is necessary, and need to be taken care of before a return of exercise regimen.

The Mystery of the Body

It’s not a one size fits all as many would like. Someone that hikes the mountain and someone the mountain bikes may use the same muscle groups, but because they are different tasks the utility of these muscles is therefore different (ie. timing, length-tension, angles of pull).

We realized that programs need to be flexible and every one as an individual possesses excellent potential but also a significant detriment. Treating someone who has a career as an electrician IS different than a Dentist. There are completely different tasks, muscles, joints that have to be used.

It was officially called NMT in 2016.

Using the Cross-linked fence/Web/Fishnet as reference and to imagine that it courses our body. He began to realize our network much like one we’ve seen in tree roots, the movie Avatar. Spider webs are a high matrix that is interconnected and interwoven. Scratching your ear and you feel it in your belly?

Think of a flag flapping in the wind. Sometimes the other end has to be held down to tackle the flapping flag. We have often found that the movement of one body part creates a ripple to move somewhere else. Here is another example, when a bridge needs to be repaired, scaffolding “foundational work” needs to be done from both ends to make sure it is stable on both ends before they fix and adjust the broken part of the bridge. This ensures a full repair and encompassing the bridge in the most stable way. That’s our holistic total body theory! Also a great metaphor for life and body.

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-steel-scaffolding-historic-stone-bridge-renewal-regensburg-germany-image57097079 (image of bridge scaffolding)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THbEHqp5LDs

See Dr. Lin explain Neuromechanical Therapy!

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How is it different than other therapy methods?

Comparatively, it’s just another organized system that is utilized to produce results in decreasing symptoms of decreased function, lack of range, and of course reduction of pain symptoms.

Staying relevant and up to the times of the manual therapy paradigms is hard, one is likely being created right now and some will fade away as they become obsolete. Research changes all the time, what was once tested and true is revealed later that statistics were manipulated and now deemed insignificant changes.

So where do we focus?

It’s not the WHAT but the HOW we derive conclusions with patients as each case varies and changes from person to person.

Often, you get bodywork, and your mind hasn't yet wrapped around learning to relax, so the mind and the body are not compatible. We believe that the eyes and the head are the gateways to healing the body. First, assessing through the nervous system at the top to “align” the body is the right and natural thing to jump start your healing. Then your body is ready to accept changes. This is one theory we believe in the success here.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOVrPnG51PE

What does NMT look like in action? Find out here!

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How long should I expect change and beneficial effects to last?

Do changes last:

With anything health related, empowerment and maintenance are key. Would you continue to eat candy or sweets and not brush your teeth and expect to have natural teeth? The same goes for the body; you can’t expect to go without adhesions to nerves, fascia, and tendons to other structures. Repetitive motions, typing all day, sitting/driving all day affects our body and in fact, may even mold it to be dominant in certain patterns while losing other patterns.

Self-maintenance and periodic sessions are recommended after you get better and back to the things you love the most.

We have found that those who finish our recommended programs and plans of care do improve up to 80% on average if not full-recovery in some cases. We do note that marginal to significant changes happen in postural habits/awareness, gait, core strength, and ability to manage function in a reduced pain state is achieved by all who complete our programs recommended in its entirety.

Will the system yield results for anyone and everyone? Although many on our review forums claim this is a superior method, it’s just another holistic system and can be wonderful when implemented correctly and with the correct guidance for self-management of their home exercise routines.

Although we’ve had great success with this system, we have had our failures, and it is important to realize there are so many variables that affect results with our system. IT IS NOT THE MAGIC PILL. If one is looking for that magic pill they do not have to look much further than inside themselves, it starts from the seed within you that exposes your true potential to learn, evolve, and transform.

The most harmful trait, we have found is the self-deprecating, self-punitive, selfish-pain patient. Sometimes there is a level of hopelessness that is vital to the healing cycle and will ultimately overwhelm and defeat the individual. The ones that talk down to themselves fear change and fear that they may never get better. I do not know what it is that creates such a downward spiral, but I have often found that this type of “stinking thinking” has not helped with ours.

If one is looking for a magic pill, it will not be this system. This system does take active participation on all levels, self-discovery, and awareness of poor/detrimental habits and relationships both intrinsically and extrinsically.

For those looking for something more comprehensive and for a total body approach that envelopes and encompasses all facets of the body’s mechanical and nerve matrices, along with a softer touch, come out and try us.

For more information read, continue on our site...

https://www.rehabandrevive.com/what-is-nmt

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