Have you ever wondered why your hamstrings never loosen up, despite all the stretching you do? Or why your foot or elbow pain hasn’t subsided after traditional treatment? Persistent symptoms like these are often caused by neural tension, a frequently overlooked and untreated condition that can cause injury and discomfort.
Nerve flossing, also known as nerve mobilization, is an orthopedic manual physical therapy technique we use to alleviate neural tension.
Sometimes, central and peripheral nerves in your body get entangled with surrounding tissues or become agitated and hypersensitive due to overuse, acute injury, and poor posture. Nerves respond to this agitation by retracting or coiling up. This process, called neural tension, affects the neuropathodynamics of the nerve tissue. Neural tension symptoms can range from tingling, numbness, and weakness to aching, pulling, and pressure. The most common body response to nerve tension is to involuntarily contract the muscles to protect the underlying painful nerve, making the muscles short, tight, and susceptible to injury. Neural tension can create a cascade of negative physiological, biomechanical, and anatomical changes in your body that may affect your myofascial system, joints, and the way you move.
During your Pace West evaluation, our highly trained staff checks for neural tension by administering special neurodynamic tests in passive, active, and functional positions. These tests “load” the nervous system, causing your exact symptoms to occur. When the movements are proved to be sensitive or difficult, the therapist may decide to add nerve flossing exercises to your treatment program. These exercises can be performed at home, and those tight hamstrings will finally start to loosen up!
All of the physical therapists at Pace West have extensive training and practice in assessing and treating neuropathodynamic maladies. Our training comes from internationally recognized physiotherapy instructors: Dave Butler, Robert Elvey, and Micheal Shachlock, the forefathers of neural mobilization.
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Noi Group
