What is Neuromuscular Therapy?

Neuromuscular therapy consists of alternating levels of concentrated pressure on the areas of muscle spasm. Muscles that are in spasm will be painful to the touch. The pain is caused by ischemic muscle tissue. Ischemia means the muscle is lacking proper blood flow, usually due to the muscle spasm. This in turn creates the following undesirable process:

● Because the muscle is not receiving enough blood, the muscle is also not receiving enough oxygen

● The lack of oxygen causes the muscle to produce lactic acid

The lactic acid makes the muscle feel sore following physical activity. The neuromuscular massage therapy pressure is usually applied with the fingers, knuckles, or elbow. Once applied to a muscle spasm, the pressure should not vary for ten to thirty seconds. This technique promotes blood flow and the release of lactic acid.

Neuromuscular therapy will feel painful at first, but the pressure of the massage should alleviate the muscle spasm. At this point, it is extremely important to communicate with the massage therapist regarding the pressure - whether the pressure is too much, too little, getting better, getting worse. The therapist should listen and respond accordingly. The massage therapy pressure should never be overly painful. In fact, most people describe the pressure as “good pain”.

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