The Zemper Method

My rather unique method of therapy is in large part an amalgamation of different styles of treatment. In 1995 I began down this road when I first learned of, and began practicing Active Release Technique (ART). Since then I have learned of several other modalities, and I use aspects from them as I see necessary for the situation at hand.

What I have come to employ now is a diagnostic treatment system that proves its worth in the treatment of soft tissue injuries. Strains, sprains, pulls, repetitive injuries (cumulative trauma disorder) and nerve entrapments can all be remedied with this system. It shows itself to be over 90% effective.

With most injuries, scar tissue forms as a part of the healing process at the site of the injury (as in traumatic injuries of varying degrees). There is also a second way that scar tissue regularly forms. That is when a muscle loses range of motion (flexibility) through repetitive injury or tensioning (and occasionally compression). Swelling then occurs, which reduces blood flow to the affected tissues. This means inefficient oxygen and nutrient supply, as well as waste removal, at the cellular level. This condition is called "hypoxia" and it makes for the perfect environment for the scar tissue to grow and spread further. Scar tissue helps in healing an injury, but it will often do too much by adhering muscle fibers (or the fascial sheathes that envelope the muscles) together. This prevents the muscle from being able to slide back and forth freely past others. Thus losing flexibility and range of motion. It can also cause adhesion of connective tissue, or fascia, also limiting the flexibility of a muscle or joint. Often scar tissue, continuing to grow in this situation will adhere to, or envelope a nerve. This creates nerve entrapments and nerve pain symptoms. Frequently this will be the situation involved in carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic back pain and many other conditions.

Repetitive injuries can often be in the form of "syndromes" like carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, compartment syndrome, or other similar nagging problems. Obviously a newly strained muscle can benefit from a few treatments to help it heal properly and help it to avoid continuing problems like those listed above. Still, it's those problems that won't go away, or that are recurring, that people think about most. What about the groin strain, hamstring, or shin splints that keep coming back? Or the chronic shoulder pain / rotator cuff, or chronic neck pain?

Those scar tissues mentioned above, tend to cause swelling or inflammation due to the friction created when using the affected muscles. Naturally if you "take time off", or rest that muscle, the inflammation is reduced and the symptoms fade. When the situation is beyond the initial stages of injury, resuming activity will likely cause inflammation to recur and the problem flares again. -Weeks later, or months later. The work performed at Zemper Restorative Therapy provides an explanation and answer to these age-old problems.

Not only does this method provide an answer for injury relief, it does so in a very short time. Most injuries that haven't been a problem for over a year may be resolved in six sessions or less. Older, and more significant problems may take longer to resolve, but they do respond. In case you're wondering, yes, in order to clear up these problems, my main emphasis is breaking up the scar tissue.

As my method continues to evolve and my experience with differing issues grows, my practice inevitably evolves into a more comprehensive form of treatment. I am always looking forward to what the next client will teach me.