Neuromuscular Re-education
Neuromuscular re-education is another essential piece of treatment in our practice and in getting the results that will get you back to the active life you desire. It occurs throughout the entire treatment process and encompasses multiple techniques used by physiotherapists to restore normal body movement patterns. NMR consists of training (or re-training) your muscles, your brain, and the nerves used for them to communicate with each other to improve movement, strength, balance and function.
In order to produce a movement, your brain sends messages through your nerves to your muscles, communicating how far, how fast and how powerfully to move. No matter how strong your muscles are, if they are not getting precise instructions, it will be difficult to perform complex tasks fully and may limit functional capacity or performance.
When nerves or muscles experience damage or injury resulting from trauma and various medical and neurological conditions, muscle movement patterns can be negatively affected. Our Physiotherapists use many Neuromuscular re-education methods in their tool bag of tricks to challenge your muscles and your mind to practice and improve communication and coordination so you can get back to the activities that you enjoy.
The goal is to re-establish what is called kinesthetic sense which is your body’s ability to know where it is and what it is doing. Am I standing? What arm, leg or muscle am I moving? This is done by the feedback from the joints and muscles to the brain and other body systems. Trauma, illness or disability all at least temporarily damage communication. A common example is a simple ankle sprain. Very often without the right re-training balance exercises and techniques the ankle remains prone to more ankle sprains. Without the neuromuscular re-education process, “normal” movement patterns are unlikely to be re-established.
Neuromuscular re-education plays a major role in the rehabilitation of our patients. Using the proper techniques, activities and exercises for an injury will prevent acute injury from developing into a chronic problem. LEARN MORE
Examples and links of Neuromuscular Re-education are:
- Manual therapy techniques, such as, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation known as PNF. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Neurology_Treatment_Techniques
- Activities for balance and core control: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Coordination_Exercises
- Neuromuscular therapeutic exercises that are designed to re-develop and re-train normal controlled movement patterns. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Neuromuscular_Exercise_Program
