NeuroMuscular Reprogramming

Muscle Pairs

Got a hip problem? Have you tested that hip against the opposite one that it alternates with? That’s simple!

We all know about reciprocal inhibition, synergists and kinetic chains and how those kinetic chains can have missing links and how those reciprocal inhibition triggers can get jammed by tissue chemistry and spasms, causing other muscles to fail to function.

The muscle pairs that even my graduates seldom think to pay attention to are the muscle pairs that are part of a functional sequence in coordination.

How about the lowest branch of the Psoas that attaches at L5? Do you know how to test it? Have you ever tested the right one against the left one? Those last little hitches in the hips often involve that.

Scoliosis patterns involve the right/let Psoas and right/left Iliacus be tested against one another.

What other muscle pairs have you found important to test in sequence?

It REALLY DOES MATTER what order you do corrections in.

Yesterday I worked with someone for whom the Iliacus area was clearly ‘stuck’ and unmoving.

Easy I thought and tested her Iliacus against all the usual suspects: Glut Max, Ipsilateral Oblique, Glut Max. I found nothing.

So I backed up and tested Pectineus first. Pectineus was strong and Iliacus subsequently tested inhibited, so I corrected this simple and common imbalance. After THAT, same side Glut Max, Oblique, Psoas all tested weak sequencing them after testing Iliacus.

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This post is for those who already know how to muscle test…
Unraveling a Scoliosis
Figuring out a Scoliosis pattern and what the muscles are that contribute to holding it in that shape is an intellectual challenge. Here is a simple place to start... ..A new client presented with an unstable neck. Every time something jolted into her body she felt like her head was going to roll off. Three sessions later the neck is feeling MUCH better, out of pain but still stiff. There’s a lot of coordination confusion to unravel. There is also a Zigzag Scoliosis pattern, one that has segmental reversals in both the lumbar and cervical spine.

The first rotational issue to correct is the Thoraco-Lumbar T12/L1 rotation.
Rt QL rotation (T12) > Lt QL rotation

Then check side bending to the weak/inhibited rotation.
Lt QL (side bending) > Lt QL rotation

A further twist in this case was:
Left QL (Quadratus Lumborum) in the ‘Open’ position (beginning of ROM) > Rt QL rotation in the ‘Open’ position.

These inconsistent interplays between side bending functions and rotational functions MUST be checked and resolved in order to stabilize the spine. Undoubtedly, there will be a direct connection between the rotational restrictions in the neck and the rotational preferences in the lumbar spine. Check that too…

Why Learn NMR?

Essential info for getting results with neck and shoulders...

Muscle testing to assess functionality in a joint can tell you a lot… Instead of just releasing each tight muscle you come across, find out whether that muscle is functional or not, then you’ll know what to release.

Don’t know how to muscle test yet? Purchase the NMR Manual Muscle Testing video. Or, better yet, get it for FREE when you sign up for Mod 1 in Asheville, Florida, New Jersey, or Dallas

Lesson 5: Neck Rotation Dysfunction - Upper Back Torque and C2 rotation

Lesson 5: Neck Rotation Dysfunction - Upper Back Torque and C2 rotation Neck Rotation Dysfunction Our primary neck rotators at the top of the neck are Obliquus Capitis Inferior and Superior, with the stabilizing influence of the SCM.…

Watch Out Workout!
After a vigorous workout, a Client came in with a major spasm in her left hip. Her trainer identified it as a Glut Med spasm.

The trainer was encouraging a deep forward leaning squat while shifting weight from leg to leg.

This client has an underlying imbalance in her hips and low back due to a Scoliosis pattern.

The right hip typically is weaker than the left, with less muscle volume.

Treating the tight left hip would likely have yielded nothing but pain and resistance. During the workout, those left hip muscles were the strong ones. The left got weaker and weaker.

This is what we discovered:

The left Glut Med inhibited the rt Glut Med AND rt Glut Max. (The hips are a paired coordination function. Restriction in one will inhibit the other.)

The left side Erector Spinae (ES) was wiry and tight. However muscle testing (lifting against gravity) revealed it to be weak. (When I tried to release it directly, it was unable to let go. A weak muscle cannot afford to be forced to relax.)

The left Iliacus and Re**us Femoris were also tight, inhibiting the left Erector Spinae (ES).

After releasing the hip flexors it became possible to get the left ES to relax. But left ES was still tight and inhibiting the left hamstrings.

Yet another illustration of how important it is to TEST FIRST AND RELEASE THINGS IN THE RIGHT ORDER. NeuroMuscular Reprogramming NMR gives us a quick way to do this.