NRT is derived from the work of two great scientists, Sherrington and Pflüger, who investigated the nervous system over a century ago to uncover its basic operating laws.  Sherrington’s The Law of Reciprocal Inhibition and the Pflüger’s Law of Symmetry has mostly remained in the laboratory until now. NRT is a practical, rapid and reliable way to apply these laws of physiology with this advanced form of manual therapy.

Muscles are controlled by the nervous system. Proper application of NRT resets the nervous system to release a muscle from excessive tension. With the reset, the knots, pain, and tightness are gone. Joint mobility and posture are improved. 

How Does NRT Work?

It appears your Web browser is not configured to display PDF files. No worries, just click here to download the PDF file.

*Note that NRT is not an energetic method. NRT is  based on sound physiological, anatomical, and neurological principles.

In your body, there are specialized nerve bundles called mechanoreceptors. The receptors respond to pressure, velocity, vibration, stretch, and other forces. When receptors detect a change, a signal is sent to the spinal cord and then relayed to the brain. 

With NRT, the therapist briefly stimulates the receptors embedded in the selected muscle by asking for a position to be held or for a movement in a particular direction. Or the therapist taps on a muscle in such a way as to cause receptors to send a special message to the spinal cord. 

That new message goes through the spinal integrating center which will reset the nervous system so the muscle is optimized neurologically. With the reset, the muscular pain and tightness disappear within seconds. 

Commonly, we see the following conditions improve greatly or disappear completely:

  • Neck and back pain
  • Muscle spasms
  • Headaches, especially tension related  
  • TMJ issues
  • Tennis and golf elbow
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Rotator cuff pain
  • Persistent pain after trauma
  • Reduced range of motion from various causes
  • Hip pain
  • Pain from various unknown causes

During each session, the Andy will thoroughly evaluate each area for pain and tightness. Resets are performed for any dysfunctional muscles. The reset of the nervous system will allow the muscles to obtain a more healthy condition. All treated areas are rechecked to ensure that the area is now clear. 

How long do the effects of NRT last?

NRT is so quick and effective that people often ask how long will this last. At a minimum, the long-term effects of NRT in lengthening and relaxing muscles to bring them out of pain is at least equal to any traditional work such as neuromuscular/medical massage/deep tissue/myofascial release/activated isolated stretching type of therapies. Therapists and clients report that the results of NRT have often been observed to last longer and to have more profound effects. Sometimes chronic conditions that never seem to make any progress start to clear.

NRT resets the muscles to a more optimal state, but there are negative factors under the control of a client’s lifestyle choices. Many people who suffer from pain will have a number of these factors. The more they bring to balance or make healthier choices in their lives, the longer before their muscles will need a reset. Even if you have factors that cannot be changed, NRT can play a role in increasing your quality of life.


Neural Reset Therapy with Ralph Stephens at the… by massagenerd