Cervical Dystonia and Greg Roskopf's Muscle Activation Techniques
Anyone with the condition will tell you that Cervical Dystonia is a painful and debilitating condition.
Depending on the severity of the involuntary contractions in your neck, anything from pain in your arms and shoulders to an inability to hold your head up right can be present. I have yet to see a case where the individual's symptoms did not alter their life to a large degree.
Up to the time I am writing this, the treatments available for those suffering from Cervical Dystonia, also called Spasmodic Toricollis, are very limited. Below is a link to some great information if you are not familiar with the condition and want to learn more.
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Dystonias-Fact-Sheet
For those of you that are impacted by the condition or symptoms similar to what is described on the above page, I want to give you hope!
Two years ago, I had never heard of this condition. It was not until one of the medical doctors that we work with reached out to me with a case that I first learned of it. I dug into the research and contacted a few people that had undergone different procedures and treatments. The news was bleak at best. Most reported little change in their condition as a result of various treatments.
Given what I've learned, I was not concerned that I would injure the person more if I stuck to a structured protocol as with Greg Roskopf's Muscle Activation Techniques, so I eagerly accepted the client. I knew in the back of my mind that I could help this person with their range of motion and muscle control, however, I did not have any clue if the tools and limited understanding I had of the body could impact the direct symptoms of Spasmodic Torticollis.
Fast forward 2 years and WOW!
I was amazed at the results of my intervention with that first case of Cervical Dystonia. Let me just say upfront so as to not build anyone's hope up, this condition is not curable with Muscle Activation Techniques or any other form of intervention that I have seen. What I have seen is an almost 75% reduction in the symptoms caused by this condition. The symptoms are not gone BUT they have been drastically reduced to the point the clients feel they can better manage the symptoms and on most days do it pain-free.
To date, I have had the gift of being able to help 3 different clients with Cervical Dystonia. All three clients had been sent to me by their doctor, and range in age from 40 to 75. All of them experienced comparable results. If you have this condition and are suffering, please reach out to me, regardless of your geographic location. There are a number of things that traditional therapies have missed when addressing these conditions and I would love to share those with you.
While MAT played a large role in my approach to assessing and intervening with these clients, there were a number of other techniques and knowledge used with my clients. I say this because I don't want anyone to seek out a MAT specialist and not get the same results, feeling lost again. I can provide guidance as to who I would suggest for care and I can share what I have found to work well.
My wish is that I have provided, and can continue to provide hope for those of you suffering from Cervical Dystonia. The Fitness-Tek Team is here to assist you in any way we may.
Interested in learning more about how we can help individuals with this condition and others similar to it?? Join us Thursday, May 3rd @ 12:30 pm on Facebook Live! Bring all and any questions you might have as we love engaging with our followers.
Yours in Health,
Kevin Votta