Elena's European Body & Skin Care Clinic

St. John Method of Neuromuscular Massage Therapy (NTM)
The human body maintains life and health in an amazing way. Each individual cell performs an activity that contributes to the body's overall function. Nerve impulses transmit information to maintain a balanced internal environment - called homeostasis. Every day, life situations threaten to disrupt that balance. Physical traumas, strains and emotional stress undermine homeostasis. There are ways to get at the roots of these imbalances and alleviate much of the pain and dysfunction. The St. John Method of NMT, developed by Paul St. John in response to his own constant, debilitating pain, is one such method. It is based on research that identifies the fundamental causes of pain. The St. John Method of Neuromuscular Therapy considers five principles that cause pain. They are:

Ischemia	Ischemia is a lack of blood supply to the soft tissues, which causes them to be very sensitive to touch. Typically, if less than 5 to 10 pounds of pressure causes tenderness, the tissues are in an ischemic state.
Trigger points	Trigger point occur when nerves fire impulses at a rapid speed into an area of the body other than that which has been traumatized. Because of trigger points, the cause of serious pain may often be far removed from the actual site of the pain.
Nerve compression or entrapment	Nerve compression or entrapment is pressure on a nerve by bone, cartilage or soft tissue. The role of the soft tissues n nerve compression is vital. Whiplash often causes nerve entrapment by the soft tissues. The nervous system initiates tightening of the muscles to stop bleeding in the tissues caused by violent snapping of the neck backward and forward. This tightening results in muscular spasm. After bleeding stops, the spastic response, initially a curative one, will continue if intervention is not made. This muscular spasm causes pressure on nerves and creates its own painful condition. Nerve entrapment is the most common type of pain and always causes ischemia Ignored, it can produce associated trigger points.
Postural distortion	Postural distortion is an imbalance of the muscular system, resulting from movement of the body off the coronal, midsagittal and horizontal planes. Gravitational force ( 33.5 lb per square inch ) is constantly pulling the body toward Earth. Trauma , gravitational pressure or psychological patterning causes the soft tissues to assume a weight-bearing function and thus become thicker, denser and harder. Muscle contraction, body distortion and pain are the results of compensations the body makes in order to maintain structural homeostasis. Other body distortions are caused by muscles contracting and shortening while others lengthen in an effort to hold the body upright as a result of "righting reflexes".
Biomechanical dysfunction	Biomechanical dysfunction is an imbalance of the musculoskeletal system resulting in faulty movement patterns.

The closer we come to balance the healthier and happier we are. St. John Therapists assist the patient at becoming more integrated in their body through a comprehensive program of soft tissue manipulation techniques that aim to bring upon homeostasis (balance) between the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves), musculoskeletal system (muscles and bones), and visceral system (organs). The techniques are supported by neurological laws that explain how the central nervous system maintains homeostatic balance. Accordingly, these same laws dictate how the central nervous system initiates pain responses.

The NMT therapist develops a treatment plan by screening gait patterns and measuring the positioning of the body on the coronal, midsagittal and horizontal planes. An exacting analysis of proper posture and biomechanics explains the cause and effect relationship to pain. The therapist then palpates the soft tissues to determine if there are ischemic, trigger point, nerve compression and/or entrapment possibilities. When the body is aligned on the midsagittal, coronal and horizontal planes, the tone of both somatic (body covering) and visceral (internal organs) tissues improves. As tone is normalized, the nervous system is balanced. The appropriate pressure to use during a neuromuscular therapy treatment varies depending upon age, fitness, nutritional health, postural pattern of the patient, as well as the extent of trauma and toxicity level of the tissues. The proper level of pressure elicits a moderate state of discomfort. If pressure is too light, it does not produce the necessary stimulation of nerve receptors to produce the desired therapeutic response In using St. John Method, the therapist applies pressure for 8-12 seconds to each area being treated, prompting a therapeutic response in the tissues. Optimal success is achieved by applying pressure to trigger points or ischemic area 3-4 times for 8-12 seconds rather than a longer duration. This is because the therapist's goal is to interrupt the physiopathological reflex circuits.