Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization includes posture correction and functional movement which are the keys to treating any musculoskeletal injury or condition including:
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Headaches
- Mid-back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip Pain
- Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
- Upper Cross Syndrome
- Lower Cross Syndrome
- Layered Syndrome
- And more!
But how does it work? Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization or DNS is a new rehabilitation approach, from The Prague School of Rehabilitation and Manual Medicine, that utilizes the developmental movement pattern that every person around the world follows to develop proper movement and body function from around 3 months of age throughout the first year of life. Continue reading to learn more about DNS, what it is, how it works, and how it can help you improve posture and get rid of pain without surgery or medication.
What is Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization?
DNS or Developmental Kinesiology is designed to restore and stabilize musculoskeletal function by re-walking the path that we have all walked once as babies. All babies around the world are born and at around 3 months old start innately doing what it takes to develop strength in the muscles needed to lift the head and neck. This is the start of the developmental sequence and is also what it takes to start restoring function in dysfunctional adults, after breathing of course.
Let’s not forget that all human life starts with that first breath. Almost everyone that walks into my office, does so not breathing properly. The absence of biological breathing contributes to all injuries and chronic pain related to the muscle and skeletal systems, overall poor posture, and core stabilization.
Biological breathing involves aligning all three diaphragms: cervical, thoracic, and pelvic. Breathing in and out of the nose only and engaging what we refer to as your barrel. Learn how to breathe biologically in the video below.
The website, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS), gives a more technical explanation of the essence of DNS which is intended for the professionals such as Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, and the professionals involved in Sports Medicine and Advanced Physical Medicine. You can visit their website to better understand it and this video, while with some technical components may be of interest to you.
How Does Chiropractic Adjustment Increase the Effectiveness of DNS?
As a Chiropractor, I learned that the nervous system being the first system in the fetus to develop is at the very core of health. You see, the nervous system consists of the:
- Brain
- Spinal cord
- Spinal nerves
This system controls all the functions of the body. There are pathways and tracks, similar to highways, streets, and roads that allow the communication between the brain and the body parts to take place. Any interference with this communication leads to malfunction and dis-ease.
It does not matter WHAT body part we talk about, this is the method of communication. So as a chiropractor, I adjust the spine to stimulate this very system. In this video below you can find out how we use adjustment only as a part of treatment in the clinic.
The combination of DNS and Chiropractic Adjustment is still not the end all be all of the treatment for musculoskeletal conditions. So what’s missing? Find out in the next section.
What is Brain-Based Neurology and Posture?
When we discussed the nervous system above, we mentioned that the brain is in charge of every function in your body. Well, when we have an injury or are experiencing pain, there is a limitation in movement, and this limitation results in decreased activity in the parts of the brain that control those areas.
Over time, especially in the chronic pains occurring over a long period of time, multiple parts of the brain related to movement and posture can shrink due to inactivation. The solution seems obvious, because it is, and that is to activate those parts!
This is why our Postural Neurology Exam consists of up to 79 specific tests that allow us to MAP your brain with regards to POSTURE to see what parts need special attention. Since we already know that the brain responds well to positive stimulation (positive neuroplasticity) and adapts itself to the negatives (negative neuroplasticity) it is understood that we can positively influence the brain to strengthen the weaker parts that have to do with posture and therefore get long-lasting results because we are directly addressing the brain and master coordinator.
You can learn more about Brain-based neurology and posture at the link, watch the video below, and certainly contact me if any questions.
Why You Need to Make Sure DNS is Part of Your Treatment?
While Brain-based Neurology and Posture and Chiropractic Adjustment certainly awakens the brain in that the weak parts associated with the posture are now activated well enough that they are back in “business” and the nervous system is stimulated, this does not rehabilitate nor restore functional movement. This is why DNS is needed.
What makes sense is to see how babies, born with body parts and muscles developed the strength in those individual muscles and then learned to coordinate the movement of the different parts together to perform complex movements like crawling and walking. This is accomplished with no coaching, no weights, no bands, and no machines. This is our biological movement development that we are all hardwired with.
If it has worked for all babies with little to NO ability to move, to moving perfectly, if it is for everyone regardless of gender, location, race, or genetic background, then why not learn from that? Why re-invent the wheel that we KNOW works perfectly? EVERY single baby learns to move perfectly; it is the lifestyle of playing one-sided sports, getting injured, having a sedentary lifestyle, etc. that messes up that perfect initial year or so that it took to perfect the art of movement!
Here is a video of a patients’ experience with DNS and Postural Neurology.
How to Know if DNS is Right For You?
Your body functions as a whole and should be treated as so. Rehabilitation of shoulder pain, for example, that only focuses on mobility and isolated range of motion of the shoulder will almost always result in a return of symptoms. You see, movement is like a concert, body parts are the individual musicians that need to play their instrument, the brain is the conductor that guides the flow of ‘notes’ and the concert is when it all comes together. Rehabbing in isolation is like going after a single musician to correct the sound when it’s actually how the whole section chimes in rather than the ability to play the right notes alone.
DNS allows me to better guide my patients to connect the dots together. The typical patient in my clinic has tried everything from physical therapy, other chiropractors, acupuncture, and yet find themselves in my clinic doing something that they have not experienced before and connecting those dots. I encourage you to do your research and if you ever want to learn more about DNS or Postural Neurology you can visit my website or Youtube Channel and know I am here to answer your questions or brainstorm ideas to tackle your problem.
You are not alone! And together, we WILL make a difference.
Hugs,
Dr. Shakib