If we have pain, we want it to go away. Neuromuscular therapy (NMT) can help. Also called trigger point myotherapy, it’s a type of massage that focuses on the soft tissue.
Therapists use alternating levels of pressure on areas where a muscle is having a spasm. It might hurt a bit, but the pressure should relieve the spasm. Let the therapist know if there is intense pain.
How Massage Helps Reduce Pain
When a muscle hurts, it usually means blood is not flowing properly to the muscle and it becomes painful. Since there is not enough blood, there is also not enough oxygen in the muscle. The muscle produces lactic acid because of the lack of oxygen. That lactic acid makes the muscle feel sore. Massaging the muscles can help to release the lactic acid, restoring blood and oxygen flow.
Specifics of Neuromuscular Massage Therapy
NMT treats your pain at the source. Trigger points are often the reason behind most muscle pain. Trigger points are small knots of muscles that can cause pain when they are compressed. The pain can either be at the trigger point or somewhere else in the body. Massage is typically the only way to relieve pain caused by trigger points.
Many things can cause trigger points to flare up including:
- Stress and anxiety
- Poor posture
- Strenuous activity
- Accidents or injuries
- Pregnancy
During NMT, therapists apply static pressure to the specific areas, stimulating the muscles. The point of neuromuscular massage therapy is pain relief, not relaxation like a typical massage.
When to Try Neuromuscular Massage Therapy
Neuromuscular massage therapy can provide long-term pain relief and is something to try along with other non-surgical approaches.
Trigger points can cause pain and tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and muscle stiffness. Sometimes, trigger point symptoms can mimic those caused by carpal tunnel syndrome or sciatica and can cause headaches or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome.
Neuromuscular massage therapists can slowly get deeper and deeper into the muscle to release the pain so even people with intense pain can benefit from neuromuscular therapy since the pressure is often not deep in the beginning.
At B3 Medical, neuromuscular massage therapy is part of the overall approach our professionals take to treat pain. Finding the source of the pain is the best way to treat it, so looking at neurology first helps us to use the spine as a window to the entire nervous system. It coordinates and controls all of the body’s other systems, so it’s a good place to start.
Contact us today for a consultation and see if neuromuscular massage therapy is right for you.
