How the Nervous System Influences Muscle Tone & Posture

1-day Online Seminar (7.5 hours of CPD)

The clinical benefit associated with manual therapy is not simply related to restoring movement to restricted joints and normalising local muscle tone through segmental reflex effects. A major therapeutic role is attributed to activation of the central nervous system (CNS) – in recent years the literature is saying this more and more. It is thought that many chronic or treatment-resistant musculoskeletal conditions are perpetuated by ongoing neurological dysfunctions or maladaptive post-injury changes in the CNS. Knowing how our treatment is likely to affect the nervous system and how to assess and rehabilitate neurological dysfunction can therefore help us restore and preserve good function within the musculoskeletal system. This seminar aims to enhance your understanding of the neurology that often underlies many of the musculoskeletal conditions commonly seen in clinical practice, especially those associated with muscle imbalances of the spine and/or limbs.

Course Content: 

• Fundamentals of neuronal function and dysfunction:
  • Principles of neuronal activation, inhibition and neuroplasticity.
  • Appropriate activation of neurons in order to produce neuroplasticity and avoid excitotoxicity.
  • Transneuronal degeneration.


• Activation of the nervous system through manual therapy:
  • Why mechanoreceptor-based afferent stimulation is so important for the health of the nervous system, for movement coordination and appropriate activation of postural and stabilising muscles.
  • Proprioceptive mechanoreceptors: their properties, how to activate them and how to optimise their function.
  • Spinal reflexes and their effects on muscle tone.
  • Addressing muscle tone imbalances through spinal reflex mechanisms.
  • Segmental and central neurological effects of spinal manipulation, mobilisation and soft tissue / myofascial therapies.
  • Clinical utilisation of spatial and temporal summation to increase neurological stimulation.
  • Overstimulation of the nervous system through manual therapy, adverse treatment responses and how to avoid these.
  • Brainstem and cerebellar influences on muscle tone and postural control.


• Assessment and treatment of the cerebellum and brainstem.


• Ocular examination – pursuits & saccades.


• Cranial nerves and their correlation to functional impairments in the brainstem; and how to examine for these deficits.


• Cerebellum: its function in motor control, motor adaptation, postural stabilisation and injury prevention.


• Neurological considerations for tendonitis and myofascial trigger points / tender points.


• Treatment of conditions influenced by neurologically mediated alterations in joint angulation and muscle tone, such as radiculopathy, peripheral entrapment neuropathy, rotator cuff impingement, IT band syndrome or tennis elbow.

Date: Sunday 4th December 2022
Time: 9:00am – 5:30pm (GMT) / 10:00am – 6:30pm (CET)
Online platform: Zoom
Registration fee: £135 (GBP) / €155 (EUR) / kr1600 (NOK)

Please contact nicole@neuroseminars.co.uk if you require any further information.

Seminar Instructor:
Nicole Oliver, DC, MChiro, BSc(Hons), PgDip(MSK Neuroscience)
Nicole graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) in 2005 and began studying functional neurology in 2006. She gained the Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Neurology Board (DACNB) qualification four years later. Alongside clinical practice she lectures for Neuroseminars, teaching functional neurology to chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and other health care professionals in the UK and Europe. Nicole has presented at several conferences and conventions, including the 2014 & 2016 European Chiropractors Union (ECU) Conventions, the 2019 World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Congress, and at the annual or biannual conferences/ meetings of the Swiss, German, Norwegian, Belgian, Finnish, Swedish, Irish and Scottish national associations.