#neuromuscular reprogramming

[bodyalive]

“swinging” (c) Bernd Walz

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Descending Modulation: Why Massage Therapy Can Alleviate Pain Posted by Mark Olson | Oct 24, 2019 | Massage, Massage Science [Thanks Barbara Sharp Lmt]

“Clients walk out of a massage session feeling better, not because circulation was altered in the tissue or because of any direct mechanical manipulation of soft tissues, but because of the symphony of nociceptive modulatory activity that emerges both from tactile input and from the meaning the client derives from environmental and social cues. (11)

Once we understand that the tissue is (often) not the issue and how pain is generated and modulated in the brain, we can realize that placebo effects are nowhere near fake but rather an essential therapeutic tool to wield against the real basis for pain. Understanding the mechanisms of descending modulation’s nonspecific effects means that our treatment strategy doesn’t require mechanical focus on the region with the pain. It also means that educating our clients about how pain works becomes part of the treatment (since it can further enhance descending inhibition), and that what and how we communicate to the client about their condition plays a much more central role than what would be expected with the common, passive, unidirectional, tissue-centric model of pain.

Classes on effective listening and communication skills may truly be more valuable than classes in one massage modality or another.” I think the Neuromuscular Reprogramming model using competent, exacting and still soft manual muscle testing fulfills the active communication aspect better than words. Gently teaching a nervous system how to achieve a motion or hold a joint using a fully balanced set muscles does reduce pain.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Ball and socket joints:

Definition: A joint in which a ball moves within a socket so as to allow rotary motion in every direction within certain limits. 2. An articulation (such as the hip joint) in which the rounded head of one bone fits into a cup-like cavity of the other and admits movement in any direction.

Ball and socket joints such as the shoulders have infinite vectors of movement. This is a thought I’ve heard before from @John Welch, one of my favorite movement educators. Makes sense to me...

This presents us with the need to calibrate each position in a ROM with the other muscles that are part of maintaining and functioning in that position. Being willing to look at each degree of ROM and check muscle relationships to see if that position is fully supported is the sophisticated opportunity presented by NMR. How long will that take? That depends on how many of the muscles that the joint depends on are ‘on the map’ and ready for action…

Jocelyn Olivier :: Founder of Neuromuscular Reprogramming

[bodyalive]

Is Psoas REALLY the cause of our low back pain?

Some say YES; lengthen Psoas when it is short, it’s torquing the spine. TRUE a short Psoas will torque the spine…But does that Psoas test strong? What if it’s locked short due to weakness? Do we still lengthen it?

Some say Psoas is primarily expressive of emotional stress.

TRUE that it activates with the Sympathetic Nervous System SNS. But did emotional stress start the issue or does the torque in the spine create tension in one branch of Psoas and reflex into the psycho-emotional system due to the stress on the spine.

In my experience it can go either way: Emotional Stress can cause expressive shortening of our extensor muscles along the spine (low back and neck primarily and the Psoas simultaneously). But physical torque in the spine can cause subliminal stress resulting in psycho-emotional tension which is often resolved by eliminating the physical tensions without engaging the psychological system.

When people tell me about their psychological issues I have to tell them "not my area of expertise" but anxiety is real and real physical dysfunctional coordination creates stress on the system that creates anxiety.

Have you noticed that people's levels of anxiety go down with the bodywork you do?

Can you see the horizontal branch of the Psoas on the right side that attaches to L5? What do you you suppose that branch does and how would you muscle test it?

We may not get all this answered in Mod 1 NMR July 19 - 21st but we will be well on our way to resolving issues related to the Psoas, Iliacus, Pectineus, Rec Fem, QL, Erectors, Hamstrings etc etc etc.

[Jocelyn Olivier]

[bodyalive]

Here are some take aways from Mod 1 NMR.

There will be a free demo of NMR in Duluth on June 30 from 3 - 5 pm. The address is on the flyer. See attached.

These were sent by a student after beginning the study of NMR.

1. Whatever accommodations or compensation a person has, they are not necessarily the cause of the weakness that required them to overwork. THAT ACCOMMODATION is not necessarily the source of the problem! Beware of assumptions. Ie., It’s tight therefore it is ‘causing’ the inhibition I am seeing. Keep looking. Sometimes you will be peeling through the layers of time because indeed a tight muscle WILL be producing inhibitions, but perhaps not be the cause of the inhibition that required it be become tight in the first place.

2. If we can’t get a muscle to let go with our massage treatments it’s because the body views the tension pattern as necessary- This is why Deep Tissue is met with so much energetic resistance. ABA is better because it changes the functional relationship with the neuromuscular system. Once all muscles are facilitated (even for a temporary time), the body will simply relax it’s coping strategies and an surprising opening in ROM and softening in tissue rigidity will occur that makes the tissue work SO MUCH EASIER.

3. We can’t see the blind spot in our visual fields- we can’t feel the kinesthetic ‘blind spots’ in the body.

4. Body collapses into long held distortions/compensations/old habits as we age. If not addressed our patterns will become more and more visible as we age.

5. Massage clients (people in general) don’t heal because they have a lack of down regulation, ie., the parasympathetic nervous system can’t turn on, the client is always in a state of hyper-arousal. Healing of tissues and learning of new strategies happens in the activation of the Parasympathetic nervous system.

True Dat!

Jocelyn Olivier

[bodyalive]

Anatomy of a Scoliosis Pattern — a Real Life Story

Client in today had a hip and low back problem that showed up when running up uneven stairs. This is probably not a new problem as she has a Scoliosis pattern. (Many people do who’ve never been ‘diagnosed’.)

Her right hip has been painful and tight; her right pelvis is ‘hiked’; her right lumbar is ‘flat’; the right QL is short.

When prone, turning bent legs left against resistance is weak at T/L junction and L5/S1 junction. Since the body is 3-dimensional this means her lumbar likes to turn left at T12/L1 AND L5/S1.

But on the left side of the lumbar, the TOP of the QL at T12/L1 is thick and tight. Scoliosis often has this pattern. Side bending using QL on the Left side she is strong at T12/L1 and weak at the insertion of QL onto the Iliac crest. So, TOP of the QL on the left is Strong for Side Bending and Weak for Rotation. On the right the insertion of QL on the Ilium is VERY tight and strong and inhibiting the lateral hip stabilization of Glut Med/Min. BOTH Erector Spinae up and down the spine are weak. The right hip therefore is ‘gripped’, externally rotated to brace for the weak back and Glut muscles. The right Iliacus is very tight also creating the perfect picture for compression of the hip joint: External Rotators co-contracted with Iliacus. This co-contraction flattens the lumbar spine. Erector Spinae is not functional/active/responsive and the Psoas on the right side is not supporting the upper end of the lumbar lordosis from the front. It tests weak.

The right rib cage is narrower than the left at the bottom. When my client inhales using the diaphragm, the right side does not expand as well as the left. This too, is a common pattern of some cases of Scoliosis. Are you confused? How does all this fit together? What can be done about it?

I’m just glad that NMR does not try to understand the whole pattern at once... These compensations were built on top of one another over many years of coping. You would never know this client has Scoliosis if you saw her in line in front of you. NMR tackles the most strategic imbalances first. The T/L junction is #1. Remaining functions of the ‘waist’ are next; then the way in which the pelvis deviated to accommodate the shorter muscles.

When I look at these ‘types’ of Scoliosis there is no way to understand from a 2-dimensional drawing the dynamics of what is going on in Scoliosis patterns. The ’shape’ of things is less important than What’s working vs. What’s not working.

These muscle patterns can be re-programmed. If you are curious, consider studying NMR. We’ll be doing an Advanced NMR for Scoliosis class in Dallas the first weekend in August.

[Jocelyn Olivier]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

How to Reduce Tension in the Back of Your Neck and Shoulders

Did you know you can reduce tensions in the back of your neck and shoulders by Breathing Out through the Pores of Your Skin into the Space behind your neck and shoulders?

In the 7 Laws of Huna Healing from ancient Hawaii, they say “Where your attention goes, that’s where your energy flows".

We have 2 kinds of attention: Focused Attention and Spatial Attention. Focused Attention uses all of our attention in one direction.

The word “Attention” has the word “Tension” within it. When we pay intense attention to something, we amplify our tension. We over focus. Focused attention moves our energy forward, the attention of hypervigilance.

Breathing out through the back of the body moves energy backward, inviting and enabling a more spacious awareness. This moves our energy out beyond our body and promotes the good peripheral circulation that accompanies relaxation. You can feel your limbs and periphery getting warmer. This is a self-tuning way to access the Parasympathetic nervous system or PNS.

Hyper-vigilance or a dominance of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) contracts muscles throughout your body and contracts circulation from the periphery to the core to protect the survival of the organs.

You can control your own energetic state and level of muscle tension using Breathing as a vehicle for moving your energy into the space beyond your body.

(Jocelyn Olivier). [Neuromuscular Reprogramming]

[bodyalive]

Jocelyn Olivier - The Shape of Things Massage gives my...

The Shape of Things Massage gives my hands lots of Information about the Shape of Things. This is the shape of things after many years of d

The Shape of Things

Massage gives my hands lots of Information about the Shape of Things. This is the shape of things after many years of doing the same things in the same way. This is apparent when you start working on a body doing massage. Physical Therapists have a lovely term for this: Effort Shape.

When I start work with a new client, I frequently start them face down. By the time you stroke the map of the spine you can begin to feel the torques that are there for instance.

If the left QL is shorter than the right, the pelvis is likely to have a right rotation. When the client is instructed to turn their pelvis to the left, they may dig their knee into the table to make that happen. If you stretch the quad on the left it may feel tight and restricted compared to the right hip. Because the pelvis is rotated right and all the weight is being carried on the left hip the ES will test weak on the right side. The support for the back will be coming from the grip of the external rotators in the right hip.

The Shape of Things is quite apparent. It also predicts weaknesses:

A hiked Lt QL pulls your weight to the left: Rt Erector Spinae and QL are often inhibited. This puts a torque into the pelvis with a left Iliac crest anterior tilt and right rotated pelvis.

The kinetic chains of inhibition/facilitation from these basics through to the legs, shoulders and arms are numerous.

Often, we don’t realize a problem exists with the base of support in the pelvis for our movement system until our knee starts hurting or our hip joints begin to wear out.

Mod 1 NMR will give you a coherent strategy for changing the Shape of Things. The current NMR teaching schedule is up on the NeuroMuscular-Reprogramming.com/events website.

No matter where you are in the world you can join us for the Live Streaming series broadcast via Zoom simultaneously with the in person class in Marin County CA.

Sign up for all 4 modules at once and save big money!

[Jocelyn Olivier]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Success Treating Migraine -- How to Treat it

A client came in whom I've worked with a lot. Her spine has many twists and turns from multiple falls being an equestrian for 25 years. At this point, in her 60's she's experiencing a lack of energy and general difficulty putting on muscle. Migraines are part of the picture.

I've worked with her sub-occipital rotators before but they haven't stayed corrected. The migraines are less frequent but not gone. What else am I missing? Clients who present with complex problems are my favorite these days because they make me think and learn new things. Sometimes I have to relearn something....

A major area of instability in many people's spine is at the base of the rib cage where the lumbar spine is vulnerable to torque injuries. A left torque will create weakness down the medial side of the opposite leg and up into the back of the opposite shoulder and also inhibit the ability to twist the spine to the right. Often this will be accompanied by an inability to get the 'push reflex' to work through the left leg. All these events are predictable and repeatable. If you don't correct that fundamental torque, the problems will recur.

The work the client does at home is crucial.

I corrected the sub-occipitals then had my client fire off the left lumbar preferred rotation. I then rechecked the neck and the correction I had done minutes ago was gone. I released the left lumbar at the T12, L1 junction, training the spine to be able to rotate right without using the left back extensors to push it. (Yes, your back extensors will get active in rotation if your rotators don't work.) After releasing the left QL and Extensors at T12/L1 I retested the sub-occipitals and they were testing strong. I ran the same tests twice through to double check. Yup, doing fine.

I saw that client again today. I ask how the Migraines were since our new discovery. SHE HADN'T HAD A MIGRAINE IN FOUR MONTHS. Miracle! When I retested the left lumbar rotations to the sub-occipitals no errors occurred in the firing patterns. No muscles 'switched off', a term used for muscles that fail to respond reliably when muscle tested.

For those of you who know muscle testing, you can test the preferred lumbar rotation against the cervical rotations and release the lumbar to correct the cervical inhibitions. Pictured here are 2 of the major players in lumbar rotation: QL and Serratus Posterior Inferior SPI, (a very important player which opposes the full expansion of the back of the diaphragm. Frequently locked short following past falls which ‘knocked your breath out’). These short tight muscles end up inhibiting the sub-occipitals on the opposite side.

A major area of instability in many people's spine is at the base of the rib cage where the lumbar spine is vulnerable to torque injuries. A left torque will create weakness down the medial side of the opposite leg and up into the back of the opposite shoulder and also inhibit the ability to twist the spine to the right. Often this will be accompanied by an inability to get the 'push reflex' to work through the left leg. All these events are predictable and repeatable. If you don't correct that fundamental torque, the problems will recur. If you don't address the secondary relationship between suboccipital torque and Thoraco/Lumbar torque, the problems will recur.

What is the role of Serratus Posterior Inferior? I looked up an image of it. It's a lot more superficial than I thought.

This lovely strong muscle the Serratus Posterior Inferior ties our lowest ribs to our spine. When you take a blow to your back and get the ‘wind knocked out of you’ this muscle contracts and frequently doesn’t let go. SPI is superficial compared to the QL, another prime suspect for being ‘frozen’ tight = always a culprit when someone’s ‘back went out’, along with the Quadratus Lumborum on that same side.

Jocelyn Olivier :: Founder :: Neuromuscular Reprogramming