What is Pain?

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I practice a particular kind of Neuromuscular Therapy that is called P-DTR.  Because P-DTR involves not only the treatment of muscles, tendons and ligaments, but also incorporates stimulation of the central nervous system and the brain, there are very few practitioners in California who offer this highly specialized, cutting-edge therapy. In order to better understand what P-DTR is, it is important to understand how pain works.  

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Pain Is A Defense Mechanism To Protect Your Body. 

The reason you experience pain is to motivate you to protect yourself. It is a warning signal. If you feel pain, your brain thinks that your health is threatened.  Pain lets you know that you are injured and need to protect the damaged body part.

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Pain Is Generated By The Brain, Not The Body. 

Pain is created in the brain, not the body, although it may feel that way. When a body part is damaged, nerve endings are triggered and send warning signals to the brain. You actually feel no pain until the brain interprets this information and decides that pain is necessary to encourage protective behaviors to minimize further damage and allow time for healing. (Many different parts of the brain interpret an injury and its necessary response, including areas that govern emotions, past memories, and future intentions.) A signal for action is then sent to your spinal chord and on to your muscles, which contract or expand to cause movement that will prevent further damage.  So, pain is not actually a measurement of damage, it is an impulse that encourages action. 

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What Is P-DTR® And What Does It Do?

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PDTR corrects dysfunction in muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and it disrupts the pain signal from the brain. This is done by sending a new message to the nerve endings via different stimuli, such as rubbing or tapping. (See below how a typical session works).  This treatment may seem strange in the grand scheme of traditional medicine, but it provides a new code to the brain. You have, probably unconsciously, provided a message like this to the brain yourself in the past - A good example is rubbing your stomach when you have a belly ache).

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What does a typical session at Balance in Motion look like?

 

P-DTR involves no extended manual manipulation such as with massage or physical therapy. There is only minimal, brief touching involved (and you remain fully clothed) so I can work on even the most painful areas without causing further pain.  My training is in correcting the dysfunction and identifying and applying the signal that will turn off the pain.

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A typical session begins with an orthopedic gait and posture assessment. Is your body correctly aligned?  (Are your hips and shoulders level, are you walking with an even gait, etc.).  I will then discuss with you where your pain is located and where your motion is inhibited, and what may have originally caused the pain. 

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The next step is finding out where your muscles are responding incorrectly.  This is done through a muscle strength test, which is completely pain free.

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I will then correct the dysfunction and determine which stimulus is needed to turn off the pain signal and use tapping, circling, stroking or vibrating to send a new signal to the brain.  I may also occasionally check the condition of your nervous system by checking your reflexes. 

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Finally, I will retest the muscle to make sure it now gives me a healthy response.  At this point, your pain and range of motion should be considerably improved, even after only one session.  I will ask you to walk or perform certain motions that indicate how much range of motion you have regained.

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In conjunction with P-DTR, I may also use Asia, Cranial, Myofascial, and Trigger Point massage therapy, as well as Lymphatic Drainage, to complement treatments and calm the central nervous system.