Neural Manipulation

Neural Manipulation is a gentle hands-on technique to release stuck nerves from surrounding connective tissue after being injured. We prefer to call it Neural Mobilization because our objective is to create more freedom of movement throughout the nervous system, which ultimately improves all bodily functions.

The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves of the legs, arms, trunk, and head. Your nerves are essentially your body’s electrical system and provide essential communication for all bodily functions.

When they’ve been involved in serious trauma or a series of little micro-traumas, nerves can become injured. Through these traumas, a nerve can become fixed by scarring and fibrosis. Fibrotic nerves typically lose the ability to glide and stretch in length. If this happens it can affect many of your body’s processes.

 

 

Mobilizing injured nerves can help with the following issues and so much more.

  • Low back pain
  • Sciatica
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Joint Pain
  • Digestive Disorders
  • Post Operative Pain
  • Swallowing Problems
  • Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
  • Whiplash Injuries
  • Birth Injuries
  • Neuralgia/Neuritis
  • Tendinitis
  • Sprains
  • Concussion / Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Headaches / Migraines
  • Muscle Spasm

How Nerves Become Injured

Friction, compression, or traction forces can greatly affect the health of your nerves. These forces can come about from serious trauma like a car accident or a minor injury like a sprain, faulty posture, surgery, inflammatory disease processes, or overuse injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. 

How We Get The Nerves Unstuck

Through listening to your body, we can feel where the nerves are restricted and then gently free them from the connective tissue or areas where they are tethered and stuck.

NM Sessions are very relaxing and calming, yet they have profound effects on the body. Neural Manipulation goes very well with other therapies we offer at Align PT in Longmont; like visceral manipulation, pelvic therapy, and lymphatic therapy. Our therapists often collaborate with one another to help you have more thorough healing.

Is Craniosacral (CST) the same as Neural Manipulation (NM)?  

No. Both therapies are similar in that they work with cranial bones, the dura mater (which is the deep layer of connective tissue covering the brain and spinal cord), the meninges, and the fluid dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid.

NM differs from CST largely in that NM therapists are trained to work with the brain and the cranial nerves that originate from the brainstem as well as the peripheral nerves that run through the trunk, and limbs.

Cranial nerves govern the sensation of the face, tongue, and jaw as well as swallowing, chewing, vision, hearing, and balance. The vagus nerve is also a cranial nerve and an important factor in establishing the rest and digest part of our autonomic nervous system.

Align PT