What happens when different types of practitioners start working together in multidisciplinary healthcare settings? Collaboration, which in turn produces innovation.
It’s no wonder, then, that there is an exciting, relatively new system that has been developed by a chiropractor to improve and expedite massage therapy outcomes. Called the MyoKinesthetic System, the treatment method was created by Michael Uriarte, DC, to stimulate 100% of the tissue throughout a single neural tract.
This new angle on how chiropractic care and massage therapy can be integrated to optimize pain relief was introduced to the audience of Massage Magazine in September 2010, by Dr. Uriarte himself. Here are some highlights.
The power of specificity
Dr. Uriarte explains how this simple yet revolutionary technique boosts the quality of care for each patient by zoning in on the specific areas of damage: “When I adjust the C5 bone, for example, I get the massage therapist to work on just the muscles innervated by C5 instead of all the muscles of the upper body.”
Of course Dr. Uriarte is the expert of the MyoKinesthetic treatment and is biased regarding its value to practitioners, but the strengths of this approach seem obvious: By keeping everything at a reasonable scale and using the modalities of chiropractic and massage synergistically, you are much better able to guide the focus of your pain relief program.
The technique in practice
Dr. Uriarte wrote a second, companion piece to the Massage Magazine article, specifically about how to use it alongside massage therapy. He notes that the modality works best when it is isolated, rather than alternating between MyoKinesthetic treatment and massage. He recommends that therapists use the system followed by a massage session.
Don’t be tricked into thinking that the specificity of this treatment limits it to influencing only a few muscles. On the contrary, Dr. Uriarte comments that 62 muscles are stimulated during a session that lasts only 10 minutes.
How does that achieve pain relief? “When I make nerve endings in each muscle along one nerve pathway fire, the ‘change’ information is sent immediately to the brain when the client stands up.” Consequently, the brain knows right away how posture should be changed to best achieve proper alignment, a critical cornerstone of health.
Personalizing care
The other strong suit of the MyoKinesthetic System is that it makes massage therapy highly personalized. Massage therapist Michael Lathrop, who works in Dr. Uriarte’s practice, has credited the technique for helping him know the best approach for each particular patient.
We believe deeply in personalized care at Advanced Wellness & Rehab. In fact, we can answer all your questions at (316) 942-5335.
