FUNCTIONAL NEUROREHABILITATION

Yes. Symptoms often appear when fragile pathways and systems are pushed past what they can handle and into fatigue. Our testing helps us watch for objective early signs that your system is starting to tire. These can include changes in heart rate or pupil size, or changes in how your eyes move. We can often see these signs before you notice them yourself, so we can adjust or stop an exercise before you are pushed into fatigue. Please always tell us how you are feeling during your sessions, too.

Our goal is to avoid it. Pushing until you reach exhaustion can work well for some kinds of physical training, but for a struggling nervous system, we take a more careful approach. By watching for early signs of fatigue and adjusting or stopping your exercises before you reach your limit, we work to challenge your nervous system without making your symptoms flare. Some people may still notice mild symptoms at times, especially early in their program, and these usually pass quickly.

We believe that if a therapy is bringing on your symptoms, we either need to change the therapy or adjust its intensity. When symptoms appear, we stop or change your therapy right away.

Your exercises and therapies are based on the specific findings from your exam and testing. Depending on what we find, your therapies may include specific eye and head movements, balance exercises, tilt table therapy, physical exercises and more. When we identify a pathway or system that needs help, we design an exercise that targets it. We base the intensity and number of repetitions on your test results, to keep you within a safe range throughout your therapy.

The NeuroRescue Program uses a three-phase approach to functional neurorehabilitation. In phase one, we use your exam and testing to identify fragile pathways or systems. We then look for ways to stimulate those pathways using different types of sensory input. Rather than starting right away with exercises for a fragile pathway, we often begin with targeted electrical stimulation, laser or LED light therapy, or gentle passive movements that stimulate body position sensors. These inputs are designed to gently and safely build function and endurance in the struggling system before exercises begin. Some programs also include mild hyperbaric therapy as a structured recovery option between more demanding therapy sessions. This approach is intended to make exercises more comfortable and less likely to bring on symptoms. We then begin exercising the involved pathways, and as you progress, we may combine these other types of stimulation with your exercises.

Phase two focuses on neurological integration. As your involved systems start working better, our goal shifts to helping them work well with your other systems. Your ability to function in the world depends on how well your different neurological systems work together, and neurological problems often affect that teamwork. As early as possible, we begin combining your struggling pathways with other systems. As you improve with your eye exercises, we combine them with balance challenges. As you improve with your thinking exercises, we add more demanding sensory environments. As you keep progressing, we add more systems, with the goal of getting everything working together as well as possible.

Phase three focuses on carrying your progress into real-world activities. As your function improves, we work on making it hold up in your daily life. We adapt your exercises and therapies for real-world situations and show you how to turn everyday activities into therapy. This can include anything from rearranging your desk to give your brain better input, to shopping in our virtual reality grocery store, to hitting the basketball court with us to train specific head and eye movements for your three-point shot.

Functional neurorehabilitation relies on neuroplasticity to create change. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain’s networks to change through growth and reorganization. These changes range from nerve cells making more of the proteins they need, to individual pathways forming new connections, to larger-scale changes such as the brain reorganizing its maps of the body.

The brain changes based on experience, especially sensory experience. Your brain is a sensory-driven system that relies on input from all of your senses to develop and adapt throughout life. As your nerve cells and pathways receive different types of stimulation, they can build endurance, become easier to activate and slower to tire, and form new connections with other cells and pathways. Your brain is constantly reorganizing and adapting to input from the world around you. Every therapy in your NeuroRescue Program is designed to use neuroplasticity to support changes in function.

Nerve cells need three things to stay healthy: oxygen, glucose and activity. Oxygen and glucose are needed to make the energy that powers the cell. Activity is needed to keep the cell making the proteins it needs. When one nerve cell stimulates another, it releases chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which bind to receptors on the receiving cell. This causes chemical changes that can make the electrical charge across the receiving cell’s membrane more positive. When that charge reaches the cell’s firing threshold, the cell sends an electrical signal, called an action potential, down its long fiber, called an axon. The axon connects with other nerve cells, and the action potential causes it to release neurotransmitters that stimulate those cells in turn.

Most nerve cells in the brain receive input from thousands of other nerve cells, all sending neurotransmitters to their receptors at the same time. Some of these inputs are excitatory, pushing the cell toward firing, and some are inhibitory, making it harder to fire. When a nerve cell is stimulated repeatedly, it can activate special receptors called NMDA receptors. These help switch on genes that lead the cell to make more of the machinery it needs to keep firing at high rates. Repeated stimulation can also strengthen the cell’s connections with other cells in the same pathway, and even help form new connections between cells and pathways.

We use your neurological exam and testing to identify which pathways are struggling, then design your NeuroRescue Program to encourage neuroplasticity in those systems. We pay close attention to signs of neurological fatigue, so we can challenge your nervous system without overwhelming it. We guide you through all three phases of functional neurorehabilitation, encouraging neuroplasticity at every step, with the goal of helping you on your path back to living your best life.

No. Functional neurorehabilitation is designed to be comfortable, and most people find it painless. Some exercises are meant to gently challenge your nervous system, so you may briefly feel a little dizzy, tired or off balance at times, and some people notice mild, short-lived soreness after manual therapies. If anything feels uncomfortable, tell us right away and we will adjust your program.