HMT and Pain Management
Body aches and localized pains are not only uncomfortable, they are disruptive to overall physical health and stress levels. Body aches are often dismissed, especially by individuals with busy lifestyles. However, pain is a warning sign from the body and should not be taken lightly.
The signal may originate from a site of immediate trauma (injury), or from a general area delocalized area (like osteoarthritis). In any case, pain should never be taken lightly. Certain habits like bad posture and repetitive motion can also lead to body aches and pains that may seem harmless. In reality, they can actually be disruptive.
What can be done about it?
Pain of any kind should never be ignored. If the source of discomfort is easily tracked, it may not be alarming but it should be addressed nevertheless. However, internal pains which are harder to assess are best left to a professional who can apply their knowledge of the body to tailor an individualized treatment plan.
Muscular Pain and SportsChiro Therapy
Muscular pains are also best assessed by a functional movement professional who can pinpoint the source of the pain and the respective cause. Back pain, for example, is commonly caused by the repetitive stress from excessive sitting or lifting as well as an aftermath of trauma, like a car accident.
Experts at Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab use the Sports ChiroTherapy program to alleviate pain and restore structural symmetry. This program provides results in three steps: Hanson Muscle Therapy (HMT), Chiropractic, and a Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). Together these three practices maximize the results of each therapy and get immediate results.
Read More >> How to Deal With Chronic Pain
What is HMT?
HMT, or Hanson Muscle Therapy, is an advanced manual therapy which is very effective in treating various types of pain that originate from muscular imbalances. HMT targets muscular imbalances, caused by the uneven pulling on joints and limbs. The site of the muscular imbalance is the site of greatest tension, which the practitioner will target to provide immediate relief and promote better function. HMT also uses acupressure techniques to help release tension from trigger/acupoints. It combines healing manual practices of the west and of the east.
How does HMT work?
The practitioner will find the point of greatest tension. They do so by assessing the results from a range of motion assessment, postural evaluation, and specific muscle length testing. This way the practitioner can detect which muscles are contracted, or shortened, and where most of the tension is held.
The excessive accumulation of tension, in turn, leads to the hypersensitivity of myofascial reflex points, also known as acupoints or ashi-points. The science behind these reflex points is that they act as circuit breakers that can be overloaded with tension from muscular imbalances and other stresses. When the reflex points are overloaded they cause local or referred pain, which can progress to chronic pains and place more stress on other reflex points, further aggravating the problem.
Why try HMT? And Why CORE?
The number one reason to try this advanced manual technique is that it is effective. While the targeting of reflex points might be mildly painful (because the practitioner is targeting very tender points), it gets results. Furthermore, the combination of HMT with chiropractic and the movement assessment of Sport’s ChiroTherapy is what sets Santa Cruz CORE apart from other wellness facilities.
Santa Cruz CORE is also the home to Dr. Rhodes, the founder of Sport’s ChiroTherapy who also teaches other practitioners the protocol of this therapy.
If in pain, try out the program and get great results!
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