A 38 year old fit mother of two little ones was referred by a professional acquaintance to my Neuromuscular Therapy center near Boston for treatment of twelve years of chronic headaches. There had been no accident or initiating event. They had come on insidiously and had grown steadily worse to the point that the quality […]
People with foot pain usually think of the condition called plantar fasciitis, but there is another source that is easier and less painful to treat. It’s caused by Trigger Points in the calf muscles. Two of those muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus have referred pain patterns into the foot, one to the underside of […]
In the case of Joelle G., Neuromuscular Therapy treatment at our clinic near Boston proceeded as follows: The quadriceps muscles that straighten the knee were the first to be treated to release tension in these overworked muscles and to work on Trigger Points referring pain to her knee. Walking on bent knees, the quads were always working, […]
As a Neuromuscular Therapist, how do I think about knee pain? First, I think about which Trigger Points refer to the patient’s pain location. Second, with any joint pain, when medically treatable conditions have been attended to, I treat all of the muscles that cross the knee to release pressure on the joint. Third, I […]
Joelle G., a woman in her 40s, was referred by her doctor to my Neuromuscular Therapy Center Southwest of Boston for help with her knee pain. She was limping badly and couldn’t completely straighten one leg. It hurt too much to climb stairs, so working in a building with an elevator was a good thing! […]
Practice body awareness. Here are 5 things to check: Are you clenching your jaw or holding the muscles in your jaw tightly? Open your mouth as wide as you can for a few seconds then let it go, relax your jaw. How does it feel different? Are you squinting or scrunching up the muscles around […]
As a Neuromuscular Therapist, how do I think about the muscle pain and numbness caused by a herniated disc? Whenever there is a problem in the low back such as a herniated disc, the nerve signals generated by the irritation there can cause symptoms down into the muscles along the nerve pathway that can persist long […]
Pablo had 36 treatments in my Neuromuscular Therapy clinic and only needs maintenance now. He started at twice a week for a month then once a week for a month, and kept stretching out the time between treatments depending on the the window of time in which his pain returned. My criteria for a “breakthrough” […]
Whenever there is a problem in the low back such as a herniated disc, the nerve signals generated by the irritation there can cause symptoms down into the muscles along the nerve pathway that can persist long after the spinal irritation is gone. Low back problems and their resulting issues cause more insurance complaints than […]
Accompanying all poorly understood chronic pain conditions is a considerable amount of anxiety. Thinking catastrophically about what might happen to you is normal. Knowledge is power and action produces results. Learn all you can about your muscles and what you can do to help yourself. Then take action. Learn to treat your own muscles. It can […]