Post Isometric Relaxation

This might sound incredulous but nowadays, with all technological advances in medicine, the treatment of muscular pathologies is one of the most difficult challenges for health care practitioners.

The difficulties that health-care profession face is due to the fact that no physical therapy equipment or muscular relaxation and anti-inflammatory medication can cause energy balance within pathologically hypertonic muscles. As you know, muscles composed of fibers. So muscle mass is an aggregate of masses of individual fibers. In case of hypertonic muscular pathology, because of such symptoms as: constant irritation of spinal nerves and ATP energy crisis, part of the same muscle could be over-tense while other parts could demonstrate normal resting tone or even be in hypotonic state. At the time when muscles constrict the shortened part of the muscles overwork, which causes formation of trigger points, further deformation of muscle, autoimmune reaction and pain and dysfunction.

Post isometric relaxation (PIR) techniques consist of isometric tension for 15-25 seconds following by passive stretching. The idea of PIR is such that at the time of isometric constriction unaffected parts of the same muscle stretch pathologically affected parts. Post isometric stretching stimulates Golgi organ, which in turn additionally relax the affected muscle. For further clarification please click here. This very simple method, along with trigger points therapy, muscular mobilization and fascia release has significant healing power. I would also like to point out that all methods that I mentioned above are equally important in treatment of muscular pathologies and must be part of comprehensive treatment.

The protocol for post-isometric relaxation is presented on the instructional medical massage educational video #4.