Before I go on with my post, I would like to first state that I have inserted Wikipedia’s links for the following conditions in case some of you are unfamiliar; however, please keep in mind that they do not mention PNMT—or any specific modality of massage—as an option for pain-relief, aside from the brief-mention of “massage” in the carpal tunnel and piriformis syndrome links under Treatment. Traditional medicine is basically the main focus, which is one of the reasons why I felt it was important to start this blog. At the end of the day, PNMT is extremely beneficial for pain and dysfunction caused by muscular imbalances within the muscular-skeletal system. What’s even better is that it is non-invasive!
Referred pain is a phenomenon used to describe pain perceived at an area, adjacent to or at a distance from, the site of an injury’s origin. For example, carpal tunnel symptoms can be caused by muscular imbalances in the shoulder and/or upper arm. These imbalances can throw off the alignment of muscles and tendons down the arm. The result is not necessarily pain in the shoulder, but instead, pain that is similar to carpal tunnel. Interesting, huh?
Assuming you would agree, I’ll go ahead and get a little more specific, using sciatica as another great example. In my experience, it appears that many people aren’t aware of specific muscles in and around the buttocks that can mimic true sciatica. The piriformis, gluteus minimus, and hamstrings being perfect culprits. Most people are told that sciatica is directly related to the sciatic nerve; generally caused by compression of the lumbar nerves L4 or L5; sacral nerves S1, S2, or S3; or by compression of the sciatic nerve itself. There is also another diagnosis called piriformis syndrome. This is when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated by the piriformis muscle due to it being in the shortened position or from spasming. (Please read the portion on Davis’ Law in this post if you are unfamiliar with “shortened” muscles and how they occur.) Not only can muscles in the shortened position entrap or compress nerves, but they may also contain TrP’s that replicate nerve-related pain, such as the carpal tunnel and sciatic-type symptoms I mentioned, among others. (Please read this post for more detailed information on TrP’s.)
I know it may sound crazy that muscles could actually be the root cause of the above mentioned problems, but I promise you it is indeed very possible. If you have tried other options out there, up to and including surgery, but have had no relief or it was short-lived, I encourage you to look into this form of medical massage. If you live in the Cincinnati, OH area and are interested in reading some testimonials from my clients, please click here.
As always, I hope you find this information informative!
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“Neutral balance alignment is key to becoming pain free!”™ ~ Me