Including Nervous System Mobilisation in the Treatment

Abstract

Any action, reaction or interaction with the environment is possible only if a muscle contracts. It has in fact been said that, “To move is all mankind can do and for such the sole executant is muscle, whether in whispering a syllable or in felling a forest” (Sherrington 1947). However, it must not be overlooked that every movement entails accommodation on the part of the nervous system through an adaptive lengthening or shortening of nerves and neural structures, and that every muscle contraction is the result of an impulse transported by nerves. It is as if the motor systems were “servants” to the rest of the nervous system, in that they can only respond or not respond, depending upon the integrity of the different sensory systems and the integrative action of the system as a whole (Tuchmann-Duplessis et al. 1975). In addition to being the “master” of movement, the nervous system is also essential for respiratory function, heart rate, and circulation, and all perceptual modalities are dependent upon the information it transports to and from the brain.