Neuromuscular Massage Therapy

Effective relief for muscular pain problems

At Integrative Therapeutic Massage there is a strong focus on working with those experiencing muscular discomfort and pain. Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) – sometimes referred to as clinical massage or medical massage – is an effective and well-recognized means of providing relief from soft tissue pain problems.

Many health-related conditions and sports, automobile and work-related injuries respond well to this form of therapeutic massage, including:

• Low back pain
• Sciatica
• Migraines & tension headaches
• Neck & shoulder pain
  
• Whiplash
• Rotator cuff injuries
  
• Frozen shoulder
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction
  
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tendonitis
• Sprains & strains
• Arthritis
  
• Plantar fascitis
• Shin splints
• Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome
• Knee pain
  

Learn more about sports massage therapy for athletes and sports enthusiasts.

At ITM, we are certified in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy (PNMT). The hallmarks of PNMT are:

• Skilled assessment - identifying the source of the pain.
• Precise treatment - creating a session based on your specific needs.
• Results - using benchmarks and measurements which enable you to see progress in a short time.

Pain is complex

Adding to its elusive nature is the fact that the area where you hurt and experience discomfort is not necessarily the source of your muscular pain problem. For example, trigger points – small, hypersensitive spots in muscles – are important factors contributing to soft tissue pain. They can be painful themselves or they can refer pain elsewhere, to a completely different part of the body, sometimes even mimicking other health-related conditions.

Because trigger points are so small (only a few millimeters wide), accuracy and precision are critical to treatment.

Other complications may also be factored into the mix. While some soft tissue discomfort is due to an accident or injury, much is also the long-term result of functional considerations, like working at a computer eight hours a day, and/or structural factors, such as one leg being a bit longer than the other. The fact that your hip is higher on the right side because your left leg is shorter than the right may not seem relevant to your neck and shoulder problem, but, in fact, resolving that pelvic / leg length discrepancy issue may be the key to providing longer lasting upper body relief.

Solving this pain puzzle is a wonderful mixture of both art and science and involves accuracy and precision.

Massage sessions

While the goal of massage is often relaxation, the goal of PNMT is to identify and eliminate muscular pain and discomfort.

• PNMT sessions frequently begin using assessment techniques that include postural analysis and various orthopedic and other tests to help identify the most likely causes and contributing factors involved in the muscular discomfort.
• Male clients may be asked to wear shorts, while women may be asked to wear shorts and a sports top to facilitate stretching and positioning changes on the table.
• Unlike relaxation-oriented massages where you are able to "drift off" during the session, PNMT sessions require your active participation, as your input and feedback are critical to uncovering the source of the pain problem.
• Conditions that took months or years to develop will not likely go away (and stay away!) in one session. At ITM, we strive to achieve measurable improvement after three to five sessions, although the total number and length of sessions will vary, depending on each individual's response and condition. Referrals are given if other treatment options appear to be more appropriate.

*PNMT is not meant to be an alternative or a replacement to medical care.