Not long ago, a local physician visited BodyWork Associates with discomfort of the neck and shoulders. After taking some simple measurements and assessments to figure out which muscles were the problem, his therapist carefully and thoroughly treated exactly the muscles that caused the pain. Few sensations are more pleasing than having someone address exactly the place that has been the trouble area.

When this physician called the office two days later to report that his pain had disappeared, he also commented he had no idea how knowledgeable the staff was about anatomy and the causes of muscular pain. He thought massage was a luxury, not a viable treatment for pain.

Massage therapy clearly can be a wonderful luxury to reduce stress and tension. In knowledgeable hands, it can also be a powerful tool to relieve pain, increase range of motion, and make a tremendous difference in the lives of people with soft-tissue pain (which most studies indicate to be about 30% of the population). What is the difference between the two therapies, luxury and pain relief? Some might think that it is pressure and discomfort, that massage for pain relief is more aggressive. This would be like saying one piece of music excels over another because the first piece is louder. The key is not pressure or volume, the key is Precision.

Precision Neuromuscular therapy feels wonderful, as does other massage, but it gets results. People come for specific reasons and the session is designed to address those needs, rather than whole body relaxation. The areas worked are quite targeted. Instead of working the whole body, only areas that have to do with your original complaint are addressed. The work is more thorough, but less area is covered. Sessions are focused on specific areas of muscular holding and restriction that are the underlying causes of pain. A problem solving approach to muscular pain, PNMT begins with structural and functional analysis and seeks to piece all the various clues together to formulate an effective treatment plan.

Initial sessions are usually an hour long. Subsequent sessions may be shorter. We suggest that you allow us at least three to four sessions to address a problem. If no change happens in four sessions, we will probably suggest another therapeutic approach. We would be happy to convey exactly what we did to your doctor at that point, it is useful information to them and could impact what therapeutic approaches they might recommend.

The therapists of BWA who are certified in PNMT have worked very hard to attain this distinction. In addition to a minimum of 100 hours of additional training (most have done more than twice that), the therapists have also done clinical research in the field and participated in publishing these studies. The founder of Precision NMT is the also the president of BWA, Douglas Nelson. He has taught seminars all over the US, Canada, and in Central America, and Egypt. Several of the staff members have also assisted and taught with Doug at these trainings. You may also see the teaching website at http://www.nmtmidwest.com