Frequently Asked Questions

When you receive massage, the therapist is stimulating your Sensory Nervous System – the system in your bodies that signals hot/cold, rough/smooth, bright/dark. A massage feels good, it’s relaxing, it relieves overall stress, and it does get some tight muscles to relax. All of that is very beneficial for one’s overall health and well-being.

However, for chronically tight muscles - muscles that hurt when you move a certain way, or prohibit you from moving freely - stimulating the Sensory Nervous System alone cannot produce the lasting change needed to keep your system stable, functional, and pain-free.

Throughout an MCT session, stimulating the Sensory Nervous System is definitely part of the work. But primarily, an MCT therapist works with the Central Nervous System. The Central Nervous System is the source of all movement and consists of the brain, the spinal cord, and the neural pathways that carry information between our brains and our muscles – hence the name “neurologic bodywork”.

An initial MCT session begins with a thorough discussion of your symptoms and a thorough look at your physical history – things such as car accidents, sports injuries, bad falls, past occupations, and past sports activities. We also discuss how you currently use your body – your current occupation, current sports activities, current hobbies.

Every MCT session is both physically and verbally interactive. You remain fully clothed. Depending on your condition, you may be asked to sit, stand, or walk about the room, at various times throughout the session. While on the treatment table, the therapist moves you into various positions and determines which muscles your brain can engage and which ones it cannot. Throughout the session, the therapist alternates between releasing and activating the muscles that are relevant to your condition.

MCT is a partnership between you and the therapist. Your healing continues with a self-care regime. At the end of the session, you will be given “homework” to do. The homework is customized to your condition and consists of a daily regime of specific stretches, ice therapy and REST!

MCT addresses a range of movement problems, whether they arise from repetitive stress conditions, or from injuries of any kind. Clients range from those with chronic postural and movement challenges to those who are highly athletic, performance oriented individuals.

Some of the many conditions that Motor Control Therapy® alleviates include neck, shoulder and upper back immobilities, whiplash, cervical spine injuries, rotator cuff impingements, wrist and elbow immobilities, lumbar spasm, sciatica, and hip, knee, ankle and foot pain.

If it hurts every time you turn your head, if you can’t raise your leg to put pants on, if your knees ache after a hike, if your back hurts during a round of golf, or if you can’t raise your arm high enough to reach that item on the top shelf, you need MCT!