Why do muscles get imbalanced?
Studies have shown that when you are injured and feeling pain, your brain will turn off certain muscles in order to protect them. Known as neuromuscular deactivation, this process tends to shut down the smaller muscles that stabilize the joints. In turn, the larger muscles will take over. It is this muscle imbalance that can lead to joint instability and even more pain. It can also make you susceptible to other injuries. In some cases, it can even disrupt your bladder control (i.e., pelvic floor dysfunction).
At Activcore, we apply suspension exercises to wake up the dormant muscles and restore the underlying joint stability. Known as neuromuscular activation, our approach uses the Redcord suspension system to find and fix any hidden muscle imbalances that hold you back from feeling, moving and performing at your very best.
Suspension based physical therapy gets faster results than conventional physical therapy. The difference is felt at a neuromuscular level. When your mind and muscles are fully balanced, the effects are remarkable. It is common to experience relief of pain, freedom of joint motion, and a sense of being centered from head to toe.
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"The staff at Activcore have a deep understanding of neuromuscular activation. This is a fancy way of saying that when you are injured there are deep muscles that shut down as a protective mechanism. Over time this causes other muscles to compensate, leading to further pain and potential problems. Their treatment approach gets to the root of the problem and allows the healing process to begin. Having experienced it first hand, I believe this form of physical therapy is revolutionizing the industry."
— customer review
THE ORIGIN OF SUSPENSION EXERCISE
Gymnasts have been using suspension equipment (gym rings, high bar, etc.) for centuries. With practice and repetition, they learn how to control the weight of their body into suspended positions, such as a plank, pike or dip. Each exercise requires joint stability from head to toe for optimal performance and movement health.
Suspension exercise isn't new to PT. In fact, the physical therapy profession was born from gymnastics in the early 1800s. Physiotherapists in Sweden were originally called "sjuk-gymnast" which means a person involved in gymnastics for those who are ill. The first physical therapist was Per Henrik Ling (the Father of Swedish Gymnastics).
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THE REDCORD SUSPENSION SYSTEM
At Activcore, we believe that everybody could benefit from suspension exercise, not just gymnasts. We use an apparatus from Norway that consists of ropes, slings and bungee cords. Similar to floating in a swimming pool, the Redcord suspension system creates a "zero-gravity" environment where people of all ages, all conditions, and all abilities can safely perform suspension exercises with proper form and without pain.
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THE GYMNAST IN YOU
Redcord brings out your inner gymnast. Using bungee assistance, we will teach you how to precisely control your own bodyweight into specific suspended positions. Each repetition builds joint stability across entire chains of muscles (the myofascial chains) so that your whole body will feel more stable and less susceptible to injury.
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A CHAIN REACTION
You are only as strong as your weakest link. With each exercise, we will tease out any hidden weaknesses in the smaller muscles that stabilize your joints (e.g., rotator cuff, multifidi, deep hip rotators, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, etc.). These joint stabilizers should always be ON through continuous muscle activation. But they can turn OFF due to injury and pain. It's a process known as neuromuscular deactivation.
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THE NEUROMUSCULAR REVOLUTION
Originating in Norway in the 1990s, the Redcord suspension system is now utilized by professionals around the world as the ultimate neuromuscular activation tool. Here in the United States, Activcore is proud to be the nation's leading provider of Redcord. Doing suspension based physical therapy makes us feel like we are getting back to the foundation of "Swedish medical gymnastics" that the profession was originally built on.
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THE RESEARCH
Redcord is a scientific breakthrough in physical therapy and sports performance. It has been extensively peer reviewed with 100+ research studies featured in industry approved publications, including the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, Journal of Human Kinetics, Journal of Biomechanics, and Journal of Dance Medicine & Science.
Scroll down to learn more about the science behind Redcord...
NEUROMUSCULAR DEACTIVATION
Many studies have shown that trauma (injury, concussion, pregnancy, surgery, etc.) creates physical imbalances throughout the body by altering our brain’s capacity to switch on the right muscles, at the right time, and with the right amount of strength.
Known as neuromuscular deactivation, this process begins by shutting down some of our smaller muscles in order to protect them. These are the "inner" muscles located near the joints. Their primary job is to stabilize the joints to allow for upright posture and functional mobility. Some examples of joint stabilizers include the:
To make up for this loss of joint stability, our brain will naturally compensate by sending more signals to the larger muscles which are closer to the surface of the body. These are the outer muscles that make us look good in the mirror. Some examples include the lats, pecs, biceps, triceps, quads and hams. They are commonly known as "prime movers" since their primary role is to move the body. They are supposed to turn on to perform a specific task (walk, run, squat, push, pull, etc.) and then turn off, relax and recover. However, due to the underlying muscle deactivation, these prime movers must stay on to also do the constant work of the dormant joint stabilizers.
Simply put, the outer muscles are now doing two jobs: moving and stabilizing. But they are not built to stay on constantly like the inner muscles. So it's only a matter of time for them to tighten up like a knot. A classic example of this is tight hamstrings (outer muscles) compensating for a weak core (inner muscles). It is our body's innate way to protect the spine by stiffening up muscles further down the myofascial chain.
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In other words, your hamstrings could be tight due to underlying joint instability at the spine. If not properly addressed, this muscle imbalance will set in motion a cycle of pain that can lead to more serious injuries, like a pulled or torn hamstring.
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As the cycle goes around, pain will start to interfere with everyday life. Usually this is the moment when most people seek out help from a physical therapist, chiropractor or physician. However, if the practitioner does not know how to find and fix these muscle imbalances as the source of your pain, you might only get temporary relief. The symptoms could return, get worse, and spread out to other areas over time.
NEUROMUSCULAR ACTIVATION
Simply stretching, massaging and strengthening the painful spot won't fix it. You have to find the root of the problem which is often far away from where you feel pain. For example, neck pain can stem from imbalances at the pelvis, hips, spine and rib cage. That is why you need a physical therapist to treat your whole body from head to toe.
At Activcore, we apply suspension exercises to wake up these dormant muscles. Our approach is called NEURAC (NEURomuscular ACtivation). Essentially, by having you do repeated joint motions in a "zero-gravity" environment, NEURAC tells your brain that it's safe to turn the joint stabilizers back on. It's sort of like rebooting a computer.
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Redcord is an ideal tool for delivering neuromuscular activation. While it is common to feel immediate changes with just a few exercises, it's important to understand that retraining muscles into a proper neuromuscular pattern takes repetition. After all, we are quite literally remapping connections between the brain and the joint stabilizers.
Every exercise prescribed should be tailored to your specific needs. The practitioner may also use the Redcord suspension system to assist with the application of manual therapy techniques including joint mobilizations, stretching and myofascial release.
Redcord helps people to a life in motion. Just like gymnastics, these exercises help you develop underlying muscle control for optimal movement health and performance.
Click here to learn even more about Redcord.
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