Total Motion Release™ (TMR)
What is Total Motion Release™?
Total Motion Release™, or TMR, is a technique that was developed by a physical therapist and his colleagues to address the two most common symptoms that are treated in physical therapy: tightness and pain. With this technique, the patient (guided by the therapist) will utilize non-painful movements on one part of the body to affect the pain and tightness in a different part of the body. The idea itself is simple, yet profound and has been demonstrated to assist with a wide variety of ailments including, but not limited to; neck pain, back pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain.
What does TMR look like?
Once the therapist has decided that TMR may be an option for the patient, they start with the simplest form of TMR. This involves using the opposite side of the body to affect the painful side. For example, let’s say a patient has pain and tightness in their left shoulder when they lift their arm straight in front of themselves. The therapist would have the patient lift their right arm straight up for a number of reps and sets and then re-test the right arm to see if there is more motion or less pain. Here are some pictures of what that may look like.
This person has no pain when lifting their right arm up, but has a tightness and 4/10 pain in the left shoulder when lifting their left arm. They then lift their right arm straight up for 2 sets of 20 reps. Then the left arm is re-tested to see if any change has occurred.
Now the person has more range of motion and their pain has gone down to a 1/10. This is just a quick example of how TMR can affect pain and tightness.
What happens next?
Once the PT determines if TMR will be appropriate for a patient, there are a series of specific exercises that can be utilized to affect pain anywhere in the body. One of these exercises is a simple trunk twist. The therapist and patient will determine which way is easier to twist to and then the patient will complete a number of reps and sets to that side and then re-test the painful motion. The trunk twist can potentially be used to treat any area of the body. At the end of the session, the therapist can give the patient a trunk twist and any other exercises that they have found to reduce the patient’s pain as exercises to perform at home.
Can I try this at home?
Yes! Whatever aches and pains you have, you can try to alleviate them with TMR right now at home. Now as a disclaimer, the specific exercises that may help you may need to be determined by a PT trained in TMR, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see any change right away. One thing you can try is moving your body in the opposite direction or using the opposite side to do a motion. For example, if you have pain turning your head to the right, but have no pain turning left, then turn it to the left. If you have pain squatting with your right leg, but no pain squatting with the left, then squat with your left. Pain doing shoulder press in the right arm, but no pain doing it with the left arm, then do it with the left arm. For all of these exercises, do 2 sets of 15-20 reps with a small 30-second break between each. Then retest the painful movement and see if there is a change. If there is, you can repeat the exercise again in the same way. Another way you can try to affect your pain is by doing the trunk twist that was discussed earlier. Stay in a seated position and lightly fold your arms in front of you like the picture below.
Twist as far as you can to one side, and then the other. If one side is painful or you feel like it is tighter, then do the exercise in the opposite direction. If they are about the same, just pick one and try it out. Do about 2 sets of 15-20 reps of the twist and then retest the painful movement. If you see a change, go ahead and do it again.
DISCLAIMER: If you notice that for some reason the pain gets worse, you may need to do a different kind of exercise. Discontinue this until you can see a PT trained in TMR.
Want to give TMR a try?
That’s great! Go ahead and make an appointment with us today either online at www.protailored.com or by calling us at (260) 739-0300. If you would like to read more about TMR, check out their website here: www.totalmotionrelease.com