Naprapathy

Naprapathy is a gentle manipulation of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in order to alleviate tension and promote fluidity of motion. Developed in the late 1800s by Dr. Oakley Smith, Naprapathy is based on the belief that disease symptoms arise from energy blockages appearing as muscular contractions in response to psychological conflicts, physical injuries, poor nutrition, and improper posture.

Most common treatable conditions are back, neck, and hip problems, as well as whiplash, frozen shoulder, different tendonitis and wrist pains, disc-based pains, sciatica-syndrome, ligament injuries, and so on. Blockages in the body may also produce systemic complaints such as low energy, tension headaches, digestive disorders, or unexplained depression, for example.

Naprapathy treatment method resembles chiropractic, but manipulates the soft body tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons) surrounding the spine, rather than altering the position of the spine itself (as in chiropractic subluxation). Other protocols include nutritional counseling, exercise, relaxation methods, and ergonomical guidance. A Naprapath may choose to utilize physical medicine treatments such as ultrasonic, cry-/thermotherapy, electro-irritation and electrical pain-relieving treatments. Back braces, neckbands, joint supports and taping can be used to assist Naprapathic treatment.

Finding a local Naprapath can be challenging as there are only two schools, one in the Midwest and another in Sweden, that offer the rigorous 4-6 year study necessary for this discipline.