Neurodynamic Mobilization

Neurodynamic mobilization is a group of movement-based techniques that influence nerves and their relationship with surrounding tissues. Also called neural mobilization, it uses selected movements or positions to alter neural movement and mechanical loading. The target is the nervous system and its tissue interfaces, rather than simply the length of a nearby muscle .¹

Two common approaches are sliders and tensioners. Sliding techniques emphasize movement of a nerve along its surrounding pathway with relatively little change in strain. Tensioning techniques place greater emphasis on increasing strain, meaning a change in length relative to the nerve's starting length. Experimental comparisons show that the two approaches can produce substantially different mechanical effects, so the labels should not be treated as interchangeable .²

The effects of neurodynamic mobilization may involve nerve physiology and immune or chemical signaling as well as mechanics. Responses also depend on loading and the condition of the nervous system. A movement tolerated by healthy nerves can aggravate symptoms in another setting, and greater tension is not automatically a better stimulus .¹