“Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life.” – Anonymous
One of the universal and ancient burdens of being human is the ability to experience pain. And chronic pain is a common malady throughout the human race.
One of the oldest endeavors in the medical field – Western, Eastern and everywhere in between – has been the effort to alleviate or eliminate chronic pain.
And members of the medical field are still working on that.
What is P-DTR®?
Proprioceptive – Deep Tendon Reflex, or P-DTR®, is an innovative approach to resolving pain stemming from injury or trauma. It is both non-invasive and equipment free. Essentially, P-DTR® is a manual therapy approach that treats the reflexes of the body to reduce discomfort, resolve pain and restore muscle function quickly.
Proprioceptive – Deep Tendon Reflex is a manual therapy system was created by orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jose Palomar. According to the P-DTR® website, the basis of his work in developing this therapy,
“[R]ecognizes that input from sensory receptors – and the way the brain processes the information from these receptors – is critical in determining neuromuscular responses throughout the entire body. If feedback from proprioceptors is aberrant, then motor control is compromised, and pain and dysfunction will ensue.”
What Dr. Palomar determined is that proprioception (the sensations of touch, pressure, hot, cold, pain, etc.), and the way the body processes the information from the various sensory receptors, is what determines neuromuscular responses throughout the entire body.
In other words, motor function is not just determined by the motor system, but it is also modified by the inputs of these receptors.
Why Use P-DTR®?
Pain is easy to define – ask any five-year-old. But exactly how do we get the experience of pain?
According to one explanation,
“When we feel pain, such as when we touch a hot stove, sensory receptors in our skin send a message via nerve fibers (A-delta fibers and C fibers) to the spinal cord and brainstem and then onto the brain where the sensation of pain is registered, the information is processed and the pain is perceived.”
Essentially, pain sensation is a function of the nervous system. But if the process is not working properly, and the information the brain receives is incorrect, its response will be faulty and result in potential pain or dysfunction.
P-DTR® aims to repair these faulty connections through the use of muscle tests and the stimulation of deep tendon reflexes. By re-forging a connection of healthy proprioceptive responses. In turn, the brain will be better equipped to deal with pain management and proper motor function.
The primary objective of P-DTR® therapy is to restore the proper balance and alignment of the body’s nervous system. When this is achieved, patients are quickly and permanently pain-free.
P-DTR® differs from other treatment methods in that they try to apply adjustments to muscles and joints. Proprioceptive – Deep Tendon Reflex, on the other hand, uses neural challenges specific to the dysfunctions identified and muscle tests, usually combined with the proper stimulation of the deep tendon reflex. The result is often immediate and lasting progress toward restored and pain-free function.
How Does P-DTR® Work?
P-DTR® uses manual (touch) techniques to send new messages to the nerve endings via different stimuli, such as rubbing or tapping. You’ve probably unconsciously sent different messages to your brain when in pain. A good example is rubbing your stomach when you have a belly ache.
The manual therapy itself is gentle and painless and focuses on the mechanoreceptor system, not the muscles or tendons. Think of this system as analogous to “software” and your bones, muscle, ligaments and tendons as “hardware.”
Just like your computer, hardware problems are fixed at the level of the hardware. But, if the problem is with the software, hardware solutions won’t fix it. The main goal of P-DTR® is to address the body’s “software” issues, which, in turn will correct or lessen the “hardware” malfunctions.
Getting Your Body “Up and Running” With P-DTR®
The overall goal of Proprioceptive – Deep Tendon Reflex® is to help your correct and bring balance to your mind and body’s deficiencies.
While results can be quick with P-DTR®, it’s important to remember that when treating any injury or issues causing chronic pain, patience is needed. Time is required for complete healing too many people rush back into their work or sports activity before they are completely healed.
Here at Pain and Performance Solutions, we can help you by treating your pain, so please reach out to us today. You can contact us at (707) 636-4404 and Let’s start the healthy journey back to your body’s ultimate healthy state.