Frozen Shoulder: we can help!
The Niel-Asher Technique™ (NAT)
The Niel-Asher Technique™ is a 'natural' method of treatment
that utilizes the body's own healing mechanisms. No drugs, no
surgery.
The technique uses a specific and unique sequence of manipulations
and pressure points to the shoulder joints and soft-tissues. In
essence, these can be thought of as 'inputs' into the nervous
system.
The technique has been in use since 1998 and has been adopted and
approved by Doctors, Physio Therapists, Osteopaths, and
Chiropractors in the UK, Europe, and the United States.
NAT works with the body, listening to the body's wisdom, not by
forcing the arm into the restricted ranges but by applying gentle
stimulation to muscles whilst they are resting.
Helping the Body to Heal Itself
Nothing
in the body happens without a good reason. The body is a
beautifully complex system and when it goes wrong it is often
because it is trying to protect us.
NAT embraces the body's own healing processes, as an alternative to
forcing the shoulder into painful movements, or using artificial
chemicals and drugs to reduce inflammation.
The technique 'fools' the body/brain into healing itself by
addressing the two main components of the problem - pain and
stiffness.
The unique combination of exercises and pressure techniques,
stimulates a new pathway in the brain, rapidly relieving injury and
spasm and increasing strength and power. This is now known as
Cortex-Neuro-Somatic- Programming® (CNSP®).
The initial phases of the technique are designed to significantly
reduce the pain, by treating the swelling around various shoulder
tendons (especially the long head biceps tendon). Following this,
the technique moves on to rapidly defrost and improve the range of
shoulder motion by stimulating a unique sequence of reflexes hidden
deep within the muscles.
This works on the parts of the brain that co-ordinate the shoulder
muscles called the motor cortex. By using a unique choreographed
sequence of reflexes one against another the brain is fooled into
changing the fixed capsular pattern. We do not force the arm;
instead you keep it still whilst your partner applies the
pressure.
Cortex-Neuro-Somatic-Programming®
Simeon
Niel-Asher likens this theory to an a s p e c t of Ne u r o - l i n
g u i s t i c Programming (NLP). In NLP, the modality of language
as an input is manipulated in specific ways.
This seems to change the way that the brain interprets, processes
and responds to various stimuli.
In CNSP, somatic inputs (trigger points, pain responses, joint position and other somatic stimuli) can be blended in specific and coordinated sequences (or programs).
The brain interprets these somatic inputs at the level of the
spinal cord (locally) and the sensory cortex (in the brain); it
responds by changing the motor output (changing the reciprocal
inhibition and facilitation patterns) resulting in a plethora of
changes such as increased strength and power, reduced pain and
disability and increased function.
Patients treated with the technique will generally see a fast and
tangible improvement with each treatment session.
How Does NAT Differ from other Treatments?
Traditional approaches to the frozen shoulder either address the inflammation (steroid tablets, steroid injections and hydrodilatation) or the stiffness (physical therapy, exercise therapy and surgical manipulation).
Physical therapies attempt to improve the range of motion by forcing the shoulder through the blockage; this in our opinion can make the condition considerably worse.
NAT works differently. We keep the arm still while we apply a sequence of pressure points to specific tissues. The treatment can still be painful, especially in the early freezing phase, but it is no worse than the pain of the frozen shoulder (you will know what we mean if you have had one of those nasty spasms).
The first few sessions of the technique initially address the
inflammation in the rotator interval, after this the emphasis is on
improving the range of motion. Depending how long you have had the
problem and which phase you are in, results can be seen in as few
as 4 sessions (range 4 -13).
The results can be dramatic and fast and the method is 'totally
natural'. We believe it should be the first line of treatment
before injections and or surgery.
How does NAT work?
A frozen shoulder seems to result from the way the brain
responds to inflammation around the long head of the biceps, in the
rotator interval (see anatomy). In some people, and we still don't
know why, the brain over-reacts to this inflammation by switching
off groups of muscles and changing their dynamics.
Traditionally, muscles are thought to operate around joints in
triangles; one muscle group holds the joint still (fixators), one
muscle tenses up and pulls the joint one way (agonist) whilst
another opposite muscle (antagonist) relaxes.
In shoulder problems these smooth and seamless operations no longer
operate properly and agonists, antagonists and fixators become
confused. The brain responds to this by recruiting alternative
muscles to do jobs they are not designed for (synergists).
The Niel-Asher Technique™ stimulates groups of receptors embedded
in the muscles to fire their messages to the brain. This creates a
new and specific neurological profile within the part of the brain
called the somato-sensory cortex. By stimulating these reflexes in
a specific sequence, it is possible to change the way the brain
fires muscles (the motor output).
This situation occurs in most shoulder problems and Niel-Asher has
invented specific treatment sequences for a range of conditions
such as Rotator cuff problems, biceps tendonitis, bursitis,
arthritis and tendinopathy.