Yonemoto Physical Therapy

   As Arthur C. Clark put it, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”    Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) is advanced technology. When treating a heart attack, you could describe CPR as putting pressure in a specific location to improve a normal rhythm in the body.  IMT therapists treat many body rhythms using precise pressure in specific locations to normalize rhythms and body functions, thus improving health and quality of life.

    A wine connoisseur tastes a glass of wine and can tell the variety of grapes used, where they were grown, and even the bottler and year.  He takes sensory information, taste and smell, and translates it into something else: a date, location, or winery.  The IMT therapist similarly takes sensory information such as touch, sight and more and translates it into something else: a tissue type, an age, and a type of dysfunction.  The therapist may say there is a bone bruise in the thigh or compression in the anterior-cruciate ligament of the right knee, which would likely show on an MRI, but it is probably not necessary to have invasive medical tests to confirm this data.  The client knows the therapist is correct if he feels, functions and looks better.  At that point, does it matter whether the theoretical basis for IMT is accurate?

    You could view IMT as a bio-mechanical approach where therapists use pressure in specific ways to help tissue and joint surfaces shift, decompress and unwind, allowing more space and better movement.  When the tension on blood vessels, nerves and other tissue is released, fluid and information flows better and facilitates recovery.

    IMT therapists use reflex points to expedite healing, much like acupuncture, shiatsu and reflexology.  IMT therapists use reflex points reflecting spinal cord and brainstem level reflexes as well as those influenced by the hypothalamus, autonomic nervous system and cortical parts of the brain.  These points are contacted to create a change in the pressures and tensions in the tissue.

    The IMT therapist perceives more information consciously and is able to articulate it clearly and precisely.   A person with a bone bruise in their right femur lies on the table differently from someone with a disruption of membrane in their femoral artery.  The information is there for anyone to see, but it takes training and practice to pick it up and consciously verbalize it.   This might appear to be magic, intuition, or mind reading, but in fact it is just an IMT therapist at work.   

Yonemoto Physical Therapy
55 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
PHONE:  626 576 0591
FAX: 626 576 5890

Links:
http://www.yonemoto.com/ - Yonemoto Physical Therapy home page
http://www.yonemoto.com/aboutus/virtualtours.htm - Virtual Tours
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/IMT.htm - Integrative Manual Therapy, a Hands-On Approach
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/qigong.htm - Qigong to boost the immune system

Technorati Tags: Integrative Manual Therapy, IMT, Body rhythms, therapists, sensory information, dysfunction, MRI, bio-mechanics, reflexology, acupuncture, shiatsu, intuition, physical therapy Alhambra, Monterey Park, South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino, San Gabriel