prrt

 

 
reflex hammer

Primal Reflex Release Technique (PRRT)
   

About Primal Reflex Release Technique (PRRT)

"An Amazing New Technique for Pain"
Eschman Physical Therapy, LLC is now using and continuing to study a revolutionary new hands-on therapy that can have a profound effect on reducing and eliminating pain in as little as one or two sessions. It’s called Primal Reflex Release Technique. PRRT is gentle and completely painless. Patients are amazed how quickly pain disappears. PRRT is particularly effective for patients with joint & muscle pain, neck & jaw pain, headaches, low back pain, and SI joint pain. It also helps to bring the body into balance, having a positive effect on athletic performance. PRRT is effective for about 80% or more of the patients that are treated with it.
 

How Does PRRT Work?

PRRT was developed by John Iams, a physical therapist for more than forty years from Poway, California. His official website is http://www.theprrt.com. This approach is based on two primal reflexes in humans, the startle and withdrawal reflex.
These two reflexes work together with the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls bodily functions like breathing, digestion, muscle and nerve function. The startle reflex is very common in someone who has experienced some form of trauma like a car accident or fall. The withdrawal reflex is when you touch something hot or step on a sharp object. The body instantly goes into a protective reflex in response to the trauma.
For many people who are injured, muscles stay in a “upregulated” state or in a state of reflexive muscle spasm. This “upregulated” state can last for weeks, months, even years. Now the startle and withdrawal reflexes become chronic and abnormal. This causes chronic joint and muscle problems like headaches, TMJ dysfunction, shoulder, neck and back pain, to mention a few.
 

What is a PRRT Treatment Like?
PRRT treatment can be done as a stand alone therapy or very easily combined with other therapies. After taking your history, checking range of motion, structural and postural analysis the therapist will touch certain key areas of your body looking for tenderness and tightness. These painful areas are treated with various techniques such as tapping certain areas or holding the body in certain position to relax opposing muscle groups. Other techniques work to reset the startle and withdrawal reflex. PRRT therapy only takes 10- 15 minutes. Combining PRRT with massage therapy adds an extra benefit. When done prior to a massage it significantly reduces trigger points and muscle spasm allowing for easier muscle release. PRRT is frequently done after a massage also.
Another benefit of PRRT is that when it fails to relieve your pain it does so quickly. This means we will know within one or two visits whether PRRT will work for you. Remember however, that 80% of patients get amazing results from PRRT. With this technique we expect changes fast.