Author: Jocelyn Olivier

What Can Be Done About Frozen Shoulder?

Published: 4 December 2022
Written by Jocelyn Olivier
No comments
Categories: Handling Stress, NMR Efficacy, Stress, Techniques

What is a REAL Frozen Shoulder?

Many clients have come in over the years with a diagnosis of ‘frozen shoulder’. A REAL Frozen Shoulder occurs when the joint capsule develops ‘Adhesive Capsulitis’.   Most shoulders are not really frozen but immobilized by co-contractions of external and internal rotators. 

What can be done when the shoulder is not really frozen; when palpation and passive ROM reveal that the capsule itself is not involved but movement without pain and restriction is not possible.

The Emotional Component

I have heard that frozen shoulder can follow an emotional trauma.  A former student came in to see me as a client. She had recently gone through two losses of people dear to her.  She developed frozen shoulder.  I’ve also heard that frozen shoulder will go away on its own after a couple of years. Can that process be speeded up? Yes, it can.

Any condition with an emotional component as history requires checking for Contralateral Coordination Dysfunction. Muscle testing reveals ALL shoulder muscles are weak. Brain Buttons turned on some of the muscles, but the shoulder is still dramatically dysfunctional. Many external rotation functions are inhibiting the internal rotator of the Subscapularis.**

Once internal rotators were working, we worked adhered and rigid shoulder tissues.

4 NeuroMuscular Reprogramming NMR® treatments

4 neuromuscular reprogramming treatments one month apart has almost completely removed the restriction and pain.

Now that the emotional factors have been addressed, in session 2 we were able to deal with some of the peripheral dysfunctions created by the main restrictions in the shoulder. We also began to work with the support and function of the neck muscles and how they contributed to the shoulder dysfunction.

In frozen shoulder, the muscles of shoulder depression dominate those of elevation. The client cannot lift their arm. Neither can they internally or externally rotate to a full potential ROM.  External rotators are usually inhibiting internal rotators to begin with… 

Resolving Scapular Adhesions in this case of Frozen Shoulder:

First, I addressed Scapular Adhesions, specifically…
Lt Rhomboid AND Lt Coracobrachialis inhibited Lt Teres Maj, Subscapularis

PMC inhibits Post Delt; Traps; Supraspinatus

The next layer of dysfunction:

Lt Subscap inhibits Lt Infraspinatus AND Supraspinatus (int rot’n inhibits ext rot’n) This was revealed after decompressing the shoulder with traction and tissue manipulation to reduce tissue rigidity.

More neck work resolved Lt Scalenes inhibit Rt Scalenes.
Lt OCI inhibits Rt OCI
Rt OCS inhibits Lt OCS
Lt Rec Cap inhibits Rt Rec Cap
(Yet another seeming reversal in dysfunction is now apparent as the neck compression issues of rotation and counter rotation are resolved.)

(Next session we need to connect the low back to Lt neck and shoulder.)

The Final Session: Pain on movement is gone, but details remain

Lt Sterno-Clavicular Joint is stuck (immobilized).
Infraspinatus inhibits Subclavius; Serratus Posterior Superior (SPS); Subscapularis
Ant Serratus inhibits Ant Deltoid. (Remember that Infraspinatus and long head of Tricep inhibited Lt Lat and Infraspinatus was the most fixated muscle in the superficial shoulder
area.)

The synergist of Subclavius, PMC is likewise inhibiting Subclavius; also P. Delt and Bicep.

Now we begin to see the layer of dysfunction under the layer we’ve been able to work with.
Subscapularis inhibiting Teres Major; Teres Major inhibiting Subscapularis (how can this be? An increase in the ROM in the joint reveals YET ANOTHER layer of dysfunctional synergistic muscle relationships.)

Teres Minor inhibits PMC AND Subclavius (once again we are looking at reciprocal inhibitions).

Rt Obliquus Capitis Superior (OCS) inhibits OC inferior (OCI); Lt eye tracking. Rt Eye tracking inhibits Lt OCI. Needs more work.

Did extensive tissue mobilization throughout the structure of upper chest and all through the arm muscles.   

Client is quite satisfied with her progress but still can’t ‘lift’ her hand behind her back to the range it was before.  These details will continue to progress with more work, but 4 sessions is extraordinarily fast to accomplish freedom from pain on movement.

NOTES:   *In the case of True Frozen Shoulder, the medical approach of forced manipulation under anesthesia is called for.

**(PT approaches given for frozen shoulder begin with exercising the external rotator functions of the shoulder. Since external rotation is usually dominant in frozen shoulder this would seem counter indicated.)

 

 

3 is The Key to Learning

Published: 28 November 2022
Written by Jocelyn Olivier
No comments
Categories: Brain Function, Handling Stress, NMR Efficacy, Self Help Techniques

3 is the Key to New Learning.

The Body Learns Through Repetition.

The first level of learning is getting the message through to the muscles. This involves neurological learning. Neurological learning boosts the brain’s learning facility which is usually knocked out by stressful experience, accident or trauma. When you try something new for the first time, your coordination system doesn’t know how to do it. When you try it again immediately there may be a glimmer of ‘almost’ understanding. It is only on the 3rd try that your coordination system begins to really ‘get it’; and OWN the new movement possibility. Sometimes it takes even longer than 3 repetitions to get it, but 3 is the maximum number of ‘trys’ that should be engaged on the first time around.

Repetition Exhausts the Nervous System.

Unlike the muscles, the nervous system becomes quickly exhausted when pushed too hard to do new activities. It is important to understand and expect that anything you just tried, your body intelligence will continue to integrate even as you sleep. (This has been validated in movement physiology research). When you perform the same activity the next day you may find it much easier.

First you have to prepare the body for new learning.

This is where NMR starts.  

The 1st Important Consideration in Corrective Bodywork: https://vimeo.com/395854829:

New NMR Trainings begin January 13 – 15th 2023 in-person or Live Streaming via Zoom. 

Find them at NeuroMuscular-Reprogramming.com/events.

For more information on our upcoming trainings, you can visit our Facebook Event Page, and remember: 

3 is the Key to Learning. 

Establishing Priorities in Hip Flexion Correction: The Art of Assessment

Published: 19 November 2022
Written by Jocelyn Olivier
No comments
Categories: NMR Classes, NMR Efficacy

The Art of Assessment:

NMR allows you to do sequential muscle testing. Doing this, you can discover which muscles adversely affect, dominate or interfere with others. If your pelvis is torqued or anteriorly tilted on one side for instance, you can test Iliacus on the anterior tilt side to see if it’s inhibiting the external hip rotators. Often it is. Let’s say Iliacus ‘tests strong in the clear’ which means it looks like it is fully functional, but subsequently the Piriformis tests weak or inhibited (as do TFL and Peroneus).

Don’t Jump to Conclusions


Instead of getting to work to lengthen Iliacus to balance function, hold off on jumping to conclusions, and test the Pectineus to see if it’s ‘strong in the clear’ then subsequently retest the Iliacus. You may discover the Pectineus weakens or inhibits the Iliacus. It frequently does, AND, not only does it inhibit Iliacus, it makes the Piriformis even weaker. So Pectineus is the priority for work.

Pectineus Dominates Iliacus in Flexion/Internal Rot’n 

Pectineus and Iliacus in this scenario are called Reactive Muscles because the function or action of Pectineus interferes with the sequential use of the Iliacus.  Iliacus worked fine until asked to fire in sequence after Pectineus. Since these two are actually Synergists it can be inferred that Pectineus will always dominate the hip flexion/internal rotation stabilization function. The client will typically be experiencing  chronically tight adductors and weak lateral line of the leg.  This will be hidden by the internal rotation of the femur in the acetabulum. Check it out!

After each Correction – Reassess

After correcting the Pectineus begin your assessment all over again. EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE ONE THING IN THE BODY, MANY OTHER RELATIONSHIPS CHANGE AS WELL. 

What you first anticipated may be different than what’s actually going on.  You may be down to the next layer of the problem.  Re-assess constantly as you work to determine what is the next priority; don’t work off assumptions. Ask the body through muscle testing and passive ROM.

Learn more about incorporating this valuable assessment and correction tool into your tool kit to get even better results with your bodywork. Take NMR Mod 1 coming January 13th-15th, 2023! 

For more info and to enroll:  https://neuromuscular-reprogramming.com/event/mod-1-intro-nmr-protocols-hips-low-back-in-person-and-live-streaming-dallas-tx-jan-23/

 

NMR® Certifications begin soon around the country.

Published: 25 December 2019
Written by Jocelyn Olivier
No comments
Categories: Uncategorized

NeuroMuscular Reprogramming NMR® is a detailed and thorough structural bodywork used to assess and correct imbalances in coordination. It reprograms coordination dysfunctions at their source, in the Cerebellum of your brain. It acts as a kinesthetic conversation with the body that imprints new information in the motor control center of the brain, replacing damaged imprints created by trauma, injury, surgery, or repetitive strain from ergonomically inefficient use patterns.

It applies a simple protocol to any two (or more muscle used in sequence) to assess if those muscles are reciprocating well or being overused in compensation patterns. In the process of discovery the opportunity for correction is immediate and easy. The ABA protocol will enable you to resolve any neuromuscular sequencing errors. Learning NMR will give you a structured strategy for an integrated approach that gets the job done fastest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZklwXeBzHU

Function by function, muscle by muscle, motor coordination coherence is restored and your body is once again able to benefit from conditioning activities. In some cases the results are so immediate and dramatic that the conscious mind finds it difficult to follow. This is why NMR is called “The Missing Link” in the Rehabilitation process: it is a necessary step for the body to truly recover lost connections.

The Missing Link in Rehabilitation article is available from this link: https://neuromuscular-reprogramming.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/NMR-MissingLink-for-website-4_15.pdf

NMR used in conjunction with Physical Therapy, Fitness Training, Sports Medicine or Chiropractic is the fastest track to full recovery post injury.

Completing Modules 1 – 4 enables you to become a Certified NMR Therapist. The next NMR series starts in Mill Valley CA Jan 31st, Dallas Feb 21 – 23rd, Asheville NC May 1 – 3rd, and May 29 – 31st in NY city. Modules must be taken in order. To find out more about certification go to: NeuroMuscular-Reprogramming.com

NMR will make your current work more effective and long lasting.
You will find solutions for previously difficult to resolve tension problems.
Sign up for all 4 Modules at once and save $400. Sign up for 1 & 2 at once and save $200.

NeuroMuscular Reprogramming and Muscle Testing

Published: 17 December 2018
Written by Jocelyn Olivier
No comments
Categories: NMR Efficacy, Techniques, Uncategorized

How does a NeuroMuscular Reprogramming practitioner go about discovering what’s not working in someone’s body? They use muscle testing!

So when a client has a specific problem, the NMR practitioner goes to the area where the symptoms are and discovers whether or not all the coordination in that area is working properly. Sometimes the area that’s tight is actually not functional; it’s weak. So we might have a situation where one might think that with a tight muscle, what is needed is to go and loosen it up. But a weak muscle doesn’t get stronger by being loosened up!

With NMR we realize that this area of the body is inhibited, and there’s some larger global consideration that is the reason why that muscle got tight in the first place. The muscle tightens in that area because of weakness. So before we start doing massage or bodywork on someone who has a tight, fixated area in their body, we need to muscle test to determine whether those muscles are on and functional, or off and inhibited.

NeuroMuscular Reprogramming

We are testing to discover how is the coordination system supporting the function of a joint and then connecting that joint with its relationship to the other joints in the body. So if so the complaint is in the hip, we want to see how that hip is affecting the opposite shoulder, or the opposite neck, for instance. Or if the complaint is in the neck, we want to know what’s the effect of the feet on the neck, or of the neck on the feet. We’re looking globally to see what all those relationships are. We want to get all those relationships sorted out and functional.

What mostly disables people in their coordination system is muscles firing out of sequence. Patterns are stored in the cerebellum in the back of the brain and the patterns don’t change until the body discovers that they aren’t working. So muscle testing is a way of cuing the brain to the fact that its strategies are dysfunctional. And in that moment of realization, the whole survival system of the body gets activated into the possibility of engaging the motor cortex at the top of the cerebrum into learning a new movement strategy to support the function of that joint and of the whole body!

NeuroMuscular Reprogramming classes are happening around the country, find out where and Enroll Today!