• Weissfeld R

• Muscle Strength
• Muscular Diseases
• Open Access Document
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / complications

Background: Musculoskeletal problems are by far the most costly and prevalent group of maladies we face in the U.S. and weakness of individual muscles — clinically revealed through manual  muscle testing — can probably be found in every condition. Muscle weakness is listed as a factor in most named problems — e.g. plantar fascitiis, whiplash,  tennis  elbow.  It  is  also  routinely  found  in  'non-specific'  or  unexplained  problems,  most  notably  low  back pain.  Weak  muscles  can  also  be  found  in  non-symptomatic  areas.  Diagnostically  known  as  muscle  inhibition,  it  is nonetheless missing from the 70,000 codes of the International Classification of Diseases. While several mechanisms that  may  describe  the  onset  of  inhibition  are  well  accepted,  research  fails  to  present  a  mechanism  for  the  ongoing persistence  of  the  condition,  which  is  known  to  outlast  even  'successful'  healing  by  decades.  Resistant  to  even aggressive physical therapy and targeted exercise, muscle inhibition is essentially a permanent condition.Hypothesis:  Muscle  inhibition  is  sustained  by  maladaptive  learning.  Specifically,  previous  incidents  have  inculcated (unconscious) beliefs that use of particular muscles will lead to bad outcomes, creating automatic avoidance of use of those muscles.Method: We experimentally attempt to treat muscle inhibition by applying a psychotherapeutic technique theorised to erase  maladaptive  learning  by  blocking  ‘memory  reconsolidation’  -the  re-storage  of  memories  rendered  unstable following  recall.  Saccadic  eye  movement  (as  used  in  Eye  Movement  Desensitisation  and  Reprocessing  (EMDR),  an accepted  therapy  for  post  traumatic  stress)  is  performed  by  subjects  immediately  after  testing  each  weak  muscle. Experienced muscle testers applied the method on 136 randomly selected weak muscles in 8 subjects. Results: Eye movements immediately strengthened 91% of muscles, with 84% remaining strong 15 days later. Just over  half  those  muscles  'spontaneously'  recovered,  assumedly  a  vicarious  effect  from  treatment  of  preceding muscles. In a control group of 42 weak muscles, 88% remained weak over similar time period. Case history: A case history applying this experimental method as the primary therapy adds practical understanding. Conclusion: This experiment suggests a novel model of muscular PTSD (mPTSD), in which memories of stress and trauma  become  associated  with  the  use  of  certain  muscles  (or  specific  vectors  of  movement)  leading  to  chronic avoidance of use of those muscles.   Erasing the information from the brain that led to that avoidance is the putative mechanism of cure. A simple treatment for inhibition (mPTSD), if broadly accepted, will be a disruptive innovation in musculoskeletal care, which has been ignoring muscle inhibition in both its studies and treatments for over a century.

Hypothesis: Muscle inhibition is sustained by maladaptive learning. Specifically, previous incidents have inculcated (unconscious) beliefs that use of particular muscles will lead to bad outcomes, creating automatic avoidance of use of those muscles.

Method: We experimentally attempt to treat muscle inhibition by applying a psychotherapeutic technique theorised to erase maladaptive learning by blocking ‘memory reconsolidation’ -the re-storage of memories rendered unstable following recall. Saccadic eye movement (as used in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), an accepted therapy for post traumatic stress) is performed by subjects immediately after testing each weak muscle. Experienced muscle testers applied the method on 136 randomly selected weak muscles in 8 subjects. 

Results: Eye movements immediately strengthened 91% of muscles, with 84% remaining strong 15 days later. Just over half those muscles 'spontaneously' recovered, assumedly a vicarious effect from treatment of preceding muscles. In a control group of 42 weak muscles, 88% remained weak over similar time period. 

Case history: A case history applying this experimental method as the primary therapy adds practical understanding. 

Conclusion: This experiment suggests a novel model of muscular PTSD (mPTSD), in which memories of stress and trauma become associated with the use of certain muscles (or specific vectors of movement) leading to chronic avoidance of use of those muscles.  Erasing the information from the brain that led to that avoidance is the putative mechanism of cure. A simple treatment for inhibition (mPTSD), if broadly accepted, will be a disruptive innovation in musculoskeletal care, which has been ignoring muscle inhibition in both its studies and treatments for over a century.

Author keywords: Muscle inhibition - PTSD - Chiropractic - Theory - Hypothesis.

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