We use a number of different treatment techniques to help get you upright and moving after an injury or surgery, and one branch of physical therapy that can be particularly useful in helping us reach these goals with our clients is neuromuscular re-education.
Our bodies tend to naturally move in pretty efficient ways, but as a result of traumatic injury or degenerative damage, movement patterns can become altered. An obvious example of this is when a patient develops a limp following an ankle injury, but oftentimes these changes in movement patterns aren’t as pronounced. Left untreated, these changes in how we move can put additional stress on certain areas of our body or leave us at a heightened risk of additional injury. That’s where neuromuscular re-education comes in. Neuromuscular re-education is a specialized form of physical therapy treatment that works to restore efficient and healthy body movement patterns.
How Neuromuscular Re-Education Works
There is a complex and delicate connection between nerves and muscles in our body that allows for coordinated movement patterns. Signals are sent from the brain to your muscles via your nerves, and these signals essentially tell your muscles exactly how to move. They contain information about the speed, distance and force we need to move our body in a specific manner. All of this information is transferred in an instant to help with all the movements we make throughout the day.
However, if a group of nerves or muscles are damaged as a result of acute trauma, an underlying medical condition or a degenerative issue, problems can develop for your natural movement patterns. This relay from the brain to the muscles can be disrupted, making it difficult or even impossible to perform everyday actions. When this happens, your brain and your body need to relearn how to make these efficient movements once again. Neuromuscular re-education works to restore this brain-nerve-muscle relay to help you move in a healthier manner.
Some patients who stand to benefit from neuromuscular re-education include patients dealing with or recovering after:
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Chronic Pain
- Pinched Nerves
- Compromising Athletic Injuries
- Balance Issues
- Posture-Related Issues
- Joint Replacement
There are a number of ways that a physical therapist may work to restore the neuromuscular connection, but some of the most common techniques include:
- Repetitive Motions – Having a patient perform the correct movement pattern repetitively so that the brain and body starts to learn what the correct motion feels like.
- Manual Therapy – The therapist works to move a specific area of the patient so that healthy movement patterns can begin to be established, even if the patient cannot fully perform the motion on their own yet.
- Electrical Stimulation– Neuromuscular electrical stimulation uses electrical impulses to re-educate muscles how to function optimally.
- Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation – PNF is a hands-on technique where the physical therapist uses different forms of resistance to help improve range of motion, flexibility and function in different muscles and joints.
Let us help get your back to moving effectively and efficiently with the help of a neuromuscular re-education program. For more information about our process, or to set up an appointment with the team at OrthoRehab Specialists, give us a call today at (612) 339-2041.