Tom Abbott, cnmt
Neuromuscular Therapy ~ Healing Pain at its Source
I am a certified neuromuscular therapist, and more than that, I am a guide. You will be guided through your body and become aware of where you are hurting, where you are numb, where you store your history, tensions, traumas, everything from the intense pain you have not yet been able to solve to the aches and pains of life.
I will lead you through an individualized process, and we will understand your posture and gait, find your areas of strength and clarity, and feel and learn where and why you are hurting.
We will begin with a comprehensive postural analysis, which is the essential starting place for determining the causes of persistent pain issues. In our work together, you will learn much about how to help yourself on this journey.
Conditions Treated
This man has genius in his hands. He is the Mozart of bodywork.
~ Darce Brighthorse - traditional naturopath + healer
Pain Relief
- headache + migraine - normalize tense, contracted muscles, and trigger points in the muscles of the neck and head allowing most headache clients to heal
- earache - acute and chronic
- hearing loss - for some people there is a real possibility of improving hearing loss
- neck pain - spasm, whiplash, lost range of motion, cervical postural issues
- TMJ dysfunction + facial spasm - jaw pain, clicking, mistracking, lost range of motion, trismus: limited ability to open mouth
- throat - difficulty swallowing, tension from cough or injury, tongue spasm/pain
- voice enhancement for singers
- asthmatic symptoms - this manual treatment of the lungs can stop even intense attacks quickly
- upper back, shoulder, arm, wrist, hand - chronic spasm and pain, partially frozen shoulder, carpal/and other tunnel syndromes, (I use my hands harder than most people and treat myself, so I use a highly thorough treatment protocol)
- spine and back pain- meticulous treatment through the layers of the spinal muscles and tendons allows an opportunity for healing pain from whiplash, etc. and restoring mobility
- abdomen - visceral treatment, abdominal cramps, spasm in colon
- menstrual cramps - pain originating primarily from one specific area of the abdomen, (I have had surprisingly consistent results from the technique I have developed for this issue)
- leg-length imbalance - determining and working with leg-length imbalance. I use our specific protocol for working with, and treating, the effects of leg length imbalance, and will talk with you to help you decide how you wish to progress with normalizing this issue
- sciatic, sacro-iliac pain
- injury, sprain, strain, rehabilitation
- hip, leg, knee, calf pain
Diagnostics
I find diagnostic puzzles deeply intriguing. I love getting to the bottom of why someone is hurting. I extensively review the exact places of pain and discomfort, the activities that flare up those pain areas, the specifics of your structure, the tension in your muscles, and referred pain from possible trigger points and nerve entrapments. Manually working through the relevant soft tissues reveals the tension and begins normalizing the tissues. From there, what else can I say; Intuition and years of experience guide me in finding what hurts you.
- postural assessment - I will give you a thorough analysis of the positions of your body posture as a whole. Doing this tells us a lot about how to treat you. Many people hold their body in stressful positions in an attempt to improve their posture. I will guide you in subtle movements you can use to reduce stress and balance your particular posture! I will show you what to do that will help and what you don't need to do.
- dysfunctional gait patterns - we will look at what you can do to correct imbalances in your movement when walking. Doing this can help you profoundly reduce stress in your body.
- ergonomics - if needed, we can adjust your body usage and posture for your daily life and work to reduce stress and pain.
Self Care
- stretching + posture + gait - Regular stretching practice is one of the most helpful things we can do to maintain vitality and youthfulness in our body. For most people, it is the only way to create flexibility and keep it as we mature. I teach a gentle, low-stress method that most people can do. I believe this method is the future of stretching. I will give you stretches that will help you balance your particular posture and movement as you are ready for them.
- walking - Walking can be either the most relaxing thing we do in our daily life, or if not structurally aligned, a contributing factor to chronic pain and deterioration of the body. I highly recommend lots of it, at a quick but always comfortable pace. A slight to moderate incline gets your blood and breath flowing much better! We'll create awareness for you of what a healthy gait pattern feels and looks like if needed.
- exercise for rehabilitation - Strengthening and movement exercises will help in your healing and staying healthy. I'll recommend these when you're ready, based on your progress.
Multiple Sclerosis + Muscular Dystrophy
• paresthesias - Sensations in the absence of stimulation
• weakness and tremors
• fine motor movements, coordination
• muscle spams
• digestion, bowel regularity
I am happily finding more and more how much this treatment can improve the quality of life for these people while reducing pain levels.
Bodywork for Body-workers
We body-workers use the muscles and other soft tissues of our fingers and thumbs, hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders in rigorous ways for extended periods. I intimately know the wear and tear on our bodies from doing what we love. My work with body-workers is personally satisfying as there is a lot to share between us.
Musicians + Bodywork
That's me on alto sax...
I am an avid music lover... drummer, sax and flute
I personally understand the toll a musician's life can have on their body and posture
These and other issues are treatable:
- repetitive strain injuries (RSI) - Incorrect posture while playing your instrument, prolonged playing times without breaks, often in one position, being out of shape, sitting at computers for a long time, playing computer games hour after hour
- carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) - Numbness and tingling on thumb side of hand and on the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the ring finger. Fingers may feel tingly and weak, losing dexterity. Compression is in middle of wrist
- cubital tunnel syndrome - Tingling and pain on inner elbow, especially when elbow is bent. Compression is at the elbow
- guyon's canal syndrome - Ulnar nerve compression at the wrist. Decreased sensation on the palm side of the ring finger and little finger and/or weakness in the ring and little fingers.
- pronator teres syndrome - Pain and weakness down the affected wrist and hand
- wartenberg syndrome (radial sensory branch neuropathy) - Pain and numbness on the nail side of the thumb and the thumb side of the wrist
- flexor tenosynovitis - Numbness of the median innervated fingers during and shortly after playing- thoracic outlet syndrome - Fatigue and numbness of the hand and/or arm with use, aching of limb, and coldness or discoloration of hand. Compression is where the shoulder, neck, and chest meet
Intuitive Bodywork + Touch
- touch - Increases blood flow, and decreases inflammation due to the phenomenon known as “gating,” in which sensory stimuli simply block out the transmission of pain stimuli in the spinal cord
- human electromagnetic field - This is not conjecture. Technology exists to image these fields. Since the fields emanate around our bodies they overlap one another before ever we touch
About Me
Tom embodies the definition of compassion: "a deep awareness of the suffering of another,
coupled with the wish to relieve it". Thank you Tom!
~ Alice Rodgers - police stenographer
I have treated and healed my own numerous injuries and pains that have occurred due to a substantial leg length difference from birth and many years of intense exercise in martial art and cycling. I have experienced many of the pain conditions I've encountered in clients, in addition to having lived with headaches all my life until I found this work. My self healing process has strengthened my belief in the concepts I've learned, and has helped me relate to how people feel when they are hurting. Currently my exercise consists mostly of hiking, walking, stretching, and body-weight lifting. I certainly prefer exercises we can do without machines.
I realize that this work comes very naturally to me, as childhood friends have reminded me that I was working on them when we were kids. I am grateful to have been certified personally by Paul St. John in his Neuromuscular Therapy St. John Method and to have taught this work under Paul and Judith DeLany. My years of training were an exciting time and my curiosity and learning have never stopped. I love this work and find it deeply rewarding.
I am nationally certified by the NCBTMB and have been in practice for over 35 years.
My other technical studies include Maitland, Embodywork, Myofascial Release, and Zone therapy.
