Why does it work when I touch here, but not when I’m not? 🤔
It’s a question I get asked a lot! Especially after that all important first session. This is the therapy localisation, or TL as you’ll often hear me say.
A TL is the bit in clinic where you can’t hold a position or posture and I could literally blow on your leg / arm etc to move it. Then, either I, or I get you to touch a specific area on your body (scar for example) and then you’ve turned into Mr / Miss Universe 🏋🏻♂️🏋🏻♀️ and your face goes 😳
These points, or TL’s, which make things work are specific, and they’re specific to you and your issues, either because of trauma, (which is why history is so important) or a specific compensation pattern which has formed as a result of a compromised pathway (the brain not feeling safe in a particular movement).
The TL provides a proprioceptive, or tactile stimulus to an area that draws the attention of the nervous system to that specific area.
This stimulus is enough for the brain to realise that the muscle (being tested) is, or, is not supposed to be involved in the movement being looked at and as a result a clear pattern can be produced.
Here’s a slightly more scientific explanation of what’s happening from guru Dr Kathy Dooley:
“Conscious and unconscious proprioception help us measure where we are in space and to what degree of output we need to deliver against resistance. This input is motor control, which is largely cerebellum mediated both via input and output for the majority of proprioception. By failing to meet a force of resistance, the CNS fails to complete a task with the PNS, creating an environment of neurological disconnect for a brief moment. In that moment, we can use touch and conscious proprioceptive awareness to an area with TL, completing a circuit with out muscle test when done simultaneously. If the body seeks a relationship between these proprioceptive pairings, the muscle test will now be able to meet the resistance of an extrinsic force.”
There’s a couple of research articles on the subject as well if you wanted to dive a little deeper 😉👨🏻🎓👩🎓
🔮 Not magic 🧞♂️But neuroscience 😉