NeuroMuscular Reprogramming

05/21/2025

Got a hip problem?

Consider if Muscle Pairing might be a factor…

Have you tested that hip against the opposite one that it alternates with? That’s simple!

We all know about reciprocal inhibition, synergists and kinetic chains and how those kinetic chains can have missing links and how those reciprocal inhibition triggers can get jammed by tissue chemistry and spasms, causing other muscles to fail to function.

The muscle pairs that even my graduates seldom think to pay attention to are the muscle pairs that are part of a functional sequence in coordination, such as walking coordination. Think about the fact that hips have to alternated all day long.

What if one of them tightens up and prevents the other hips from working? Can you see that one hip in this photo is narrower than the other? I’d be guessing the right one is narrower than the left and the external rotators are tighter.

How about the lowest branch of the Psoas that attaches at L5? Do you know how to test it? Have you ever tested the right one against the left one? Those last little hitches in the hips often involve that.

Scoliosis patterns require the right/let Psoas and right/left Iliacus to be tested against one another side to side.

(What other muscle pairs have you found important to test in sequence?)

05/15/2025

Muscle Pairs

Got a hip problem? Have you tested that hip against the opposite one that it alternates with? That’s simple!

We all know about reciprocal inhibition, synergists and kinetic chains and how those kinetic chains can have missing links and how those reciprocal inhibition triggers can get jammed by tissue chemistry and spasms, causing other muscles to fail to function.

The muscle pairs that even my graduates seldom think to pay attention to are the muscle pairs that are part of a functional sequence in coordination.

How about the lowest branch of the Psoas that attaches at L5? Do you know how to test it? Have you ever tested the right one against the left one? Those last little hitches in the hips often involve that.

Scoliosis patterns involve the right/let Psoas and right/left Iliacus be tested against one another.

What other muscle pairs have you found important to test in sequence?

05/05/2025

It REALLY DOES MATTER what order you do corrections in.

Yesterday I worked with someone for whom the Iliacus area was clearly ‘stuck’ and unmoving.

Easy I thought and tested her Iliacus against all the usual suspects: Glut Max, Ipsilateral Oblique, Glut Max. I found nothing.

So I backed up and tested Pectineus first. Pectineus was strong and Iliacus subsequently tested inhibited, so I corrected this simple and common imbalance. After THAT, same side Glut Max, Oblique, Psoas all tested weak sequencing them after testing Iliacus.

Ryan recommends:

This is "Ryan Brown recommends studying NMR" by Jocelyn Olivier - NMR on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

05/04/2025

Doing the Right Thing in the Right Order Gets Fastest Results.

NeuroMuscular-Reprogramming NMR® is great stuff and will be a career long gift to your practice and your longevity as a practitioner. I hope you will prioritize getting started in person in New Jersey in May.

Mod 1 gives you a comprehensive strategy for making the structural changes your clients need for the proper functioning of their hips and low back, the foundation of all upright movement and stability.

Mod 2 puts the shoulders into the picture. Distortions in the pelvis undermine the support of shoulder and neck functions. First organizing the pelvis and low back, the problems in the shoulders become easy to correct.

You’ll be amazed at the immediate results you get with NMR! Work with Strategy, not Force.
Save your hands for a long career helping people feel better.

04/28/2025

This post is for those who already know how to muscle test…
Unraveling a Scoliosis
Figuring out a Scoliosis pattern and what the muscles are that contribute to holding it in that shape is an intellectual challenge. Here is a simple place to start... ..A new client presented with an unstable neck. Every time something jolted into her body she felt like her head was going to roll off. Three sessions later the neck is feeling MUCH better, out of pain but still stiff. There’s a lot of coordination confusion to unravel. There is also a Zigzag Scoliosis pattern, one that has segmental reversals in both the lumbar and cervical spine.

The first rotational issue to correct is the Thoraco-Lumbar T12/L1 rotation.
Rt QL rotation (T12) > Lt QL rotation

Then check side bending to the weak/inhibited rotation.
Lt QL (side bending) > Lt QL rotation

A further twist in this case was:
Left QL (Quadratus Lumborum) in the ‘Open’ position (beginning of ROM) > Rt QL rotation in the ‘Open’ position.

These inconsistent interplays between side bending functions and rotational functions MUST be checked and resolved in order to stabilize the spine. Undoubtedly, there will be a direct connection between the rotational restrictions in the neck and the rotational preferences in the lumbar spine. Check that too…

03/30/2025

Why Learn NMR?

Essential info for getting results with neck and shoulders...

Muscle testing to assess functionality in a joint can tell you a lot… Instead of just releasing each tight muscle you come across, find out whether that muscle is functional or not, then you’ll know what to release.

Don’t know how to muscle test yet? Purchase the NMR Manual Muscle Testing video. Or, better yet, get it for FREE when you sign up for Mod 1 in Asheville, Florida, New Jersey, or Dallas

Lesson 5: Neck Rotation Dysfunction - Upper Back Torque and C2 rotation

Neck Rotation Dysfunction Our primary neck rotators at the top of the neck are Obliquus Capitis Inferior and Superior, with the stabilizing influence of the SCM.…

03/27/2025

Watch Out Workout!
After a vigorous workout, a Client came in with a major spasm in her left hip. Her trainer identified it as a Glut Med spasm.

The trainer was encouraging a deep forward leaning squat while shifting weight from leg to leg.

This client has an underlying imbalance in her hips and low back due to a Scoliosis pattern.

The right hip typically is weaker than the left, with less muscle volume.

Treating the tight left hip would likely have yielded nothing but pain and resistance. During the workout, those left hip muscles were the strong ones. The left got weaker and weaker.

This is what we discovered:

The left Glut Med inhibited the rt Glut Med AND rt Glut Max. (The hips are a paired coordination function. Restriction in one will inhibit the other.)

The left side Erector Spinae (ES) was wiry and tight. However muscle testing (lifting against gravity) revealed it to be weak. (When I tried to release it directly, it was unable to let go. A weak muscle cannot afford to be forced to relax.)

The left Iliacus and Re**us Femoris were also tight, inhibiting the left Erector Spinae (ES).

After releasing the hip flexors it became possible to get the left ES to relax. But left ES was still tight and inhibiting the left hamstrings.

Yet another illustration of how important it is to TEST FIRST AND RELEASE THINGS IN THE RIGHT ORDER. NeuroMuscular Reprogramming NMR gives us a quick way to do this.

03/19/2025

Treatment Tip for Working with the Neck

Reciprocal Inhibition Activation is used in many modalities.

Here is a Treatment Tip about how to get the most dramatic results with it!

1. Use your favorite modalities to get as much release and alignment as you can. My favorite is NMR because it quickly organizes as it releases.
Treatment Tip for Working with the Neck

2. Holding the neck and head in alignment gently and passively move the client's neck ONLY to their LIMIT in ROM with everything aligned.

3. At the end of ROM (turning left for instance), turn no further as going beyond will just be falling into the neck's preferred strategy. For left rotation that frequently engages Splenius and Re**us Capitiis, taking the Cranium into extension.
4. Engage 2 - 5 pounds of pressure with a flat hand against the right side of the face/jaw/cranium. Maintain for 2 - 3 full breath cycles.

5. When the client releases support the head/neck turning in the direction they were engaging with 2 - 5 lbs, ie., let it rest. Then turn back to the former restricted limit of ROM. Support the cranium and neck in traction and invite the client to rotate in the restricted range as far as they can.

You and your client will be AMAZED at the huge increase in the ROM to that side!

In this video, you will see the method of executing the Reciprocal Inhibition Activation. The results accomplished here did not have the benefit of NMR corrections to the neck movement strategy prior to RI activation.

This is "REcip Inhibition for neck" by Jocelyn Olivier - NMR on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

03/18/2025

Treatment Tip for Working with the Neck

Reciprocal Inhibition activation is used in many modalities.

Here is a treatment tip about how to get the most dramatic results with it.

1. Use your favorite modalities to get as much release and alignment as you can. My favorite is NMR because it quickly organizes as it releases.
2. Holding the neck and head in alignment gently and passively move the client's neck ONLY to their LIMIT in ROM with everything aligned.
3. At the end of range (turning left for instance) turn no further as going beyond will just be falling into the neck's preferred strategy. For left rotation that frequently engages Splenius and Re**us Capitiis, taking the Cranium into extension.
4. Engage 2 - 5 pounds of pressure with a flat hand against the right side of the face/jaw/cranium. Maintain for 2 - 3 full breath cycles.
4. When the client releases support the head/neck turning in the direction they were engaging with 2 - 5 lbs, ie., let it rest. Then turn back to the former restricted limit of ROM. Support the cranium and neck in traction and invite the client to rotate in the restricted range as far as they can.

You and your client will be AMAZED at the huge increase in the ROM to that side!

In this video, you will see the method of executing the Reciprocal Inhibition Activation. The results accomplished here did not have the benefit of prior NMR corrections.

This is "REcip Inhibition for neck" by Jocelyn Olivier - NMR on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

03/09/2025

Pinched Nerve Pain Resolved in ONE session.

A NMR practitioner came in with a pinched
nerve at C7. C7 was rotated to the right. The left shoulder was weak and sore.
The problem was in the lack of reciprocal function between the 2 sides of
Serratus Posterior Superior, a muscle so deep in the back of the upper back
that it is seldom attended to. A spasm in Left SPS keeps the shoulder girdle
rotated to the right. C2 will also be rotated to the right to match it. The
resulting compression factor from the bracing of the Scalenes was compressing
the neck base at C6/7 on the left.

The weakness in the left shoulder required a
bracing pattern under the back of the shoulder socket and a narrowing across
the chest in order to do bodywork. The area was massively muscular, overbuilt
from the compensations of continuing to work with this painful irritation.

Serratus Post Sup (SPS) was inhibiting
Subscapularis. Anterior Serratus was inhibiting Subscap.

Pec Maj Clavicular inhibited mid Trapezius
Subclavius inhibited mid Trap origin and
insertion.
Pec minor inhibited Mid Trap and Supraspinatus & Post Delt.

As all these muscle imbalances were resolved
more width across the left shoulder allowed more freedom of movement and less
pain and finally the ability to decompress the base of the neck.

The pinched nerve went away after 1
treatment, clearing up completely after a week. The practitioner could work without pain. No return visit necessary.

"It resolved itself after that! The
pinched nerve resolved and then there was a different weird patterning that was
annoying but it did continue to resolve itself completely within a week!



I did have other neck stuff that was functional, but not great and what you did made it all great! My left shoulder buildup has been there for years. No one’s ever dealt with it.” GD

03/07/2025

Spasmatic Torticollis Pt 2

On Feb 26, we posted a 'miracle moment' a story about working with Spasmatic Torticollis/Cervical Dystonia.
Forrester agreed to let me film our second session. Today we begin with his description of living with Torticollis. We will probably be able to film short cameos at intervals to share with other therapists and sufferers to see how NMR can make a difference. Many thanks for Forrester for letting us follow his journey...

This is "Forrester 3/25" by Jocelyn Olivier - NMR on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

03/02/2025

This morning my husband was seeing ‘fractals’, lights around the edges of his vision. I watched him trying to use ‘Brain Buttons’ to balance out his brain. Each time he turned his eyes to the left his head turned too and tilted back (using Splenius Capitus?) to turn his eyes left.

I offered to work on his neck sitting as he was. It was jammed up and inflexible at the top on the left. I insisted he get on the table.

Here’s what I found…

His Contralateral Coordination was turned off, affecting reciprocal rotations of T/L junction, neck rotation, and eye tracking. First we had to do Brain Buttons, a reboot for bi-lateral brain function.

Next Rt SPS (Serratus Post Sup) inhibited Lt SPS. You can’t correct upper neck problems without first correcting the upper Thoracic rotations.

Next Rt Occipital rotation inhibited left.

Then Rt cranial extension (Rec Cap) inhibited left Rec Cap AND rotation. That jammed up place at the top was dysfunctional and frozen trying to stabilize. This is a tension you cannot succeed in working on directly.

I released Rt Sub-occipital rotators and extensors to turn on the left rotators and extensors. NOW the left neck was flexible and functioning at the top. Nothing to work on.

Knowledge of how to work with the complex pulleys of neck function and gesture is something we teach in Mod 3 of NMR. There is a Mod 3 coming up May 30 – Jun 1, available via Zoom. There’s also a chance to have an in-person supervision in Dallas if enough people are interested. (DM me right away so I can know if I should set it up.)

Mod 1 and 2 NMR modules are also coming to Dallas July 25 – 27th and Oct 31 – Nov 2nd.