Focusing on the Nervous System

The Nervous System is the Governing System

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 The nervous system controls everything that you do, and by determining which areas of it need help, we can provide targeted drills to make improvements in milliseconds. Additionally, because we focus on the nervous system and every nervous system is different, we assess and re-assess every step in the training process—indeed, the body will let us know immediately and without question if we are taking the right steps for improving your health and performance.

Finding the Weak Links

Z-Health 8 Levels Model

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Brain function is a delicate balance of excitation and inhibition, and at Custom NeuroSolutions, we investigate 8 different levels of the nervous system to find areas of underactivation and overactivation. Additionally, we seek to identify the areas whose lack of skill development or refinement may be holding our clients back. With the data from a thorough history-taking and assessment process, CNS is able to provide targeted stimulation, inhibition, and technical coaching to the nervous system's

8 Levels.

Z-Health Threat Neuromatrix

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Custom NeuroSolutions recognizes the role of the brain as a predictive survival organ whose number one priority is keeping us alive. In response to threatening stimuli or insufficient information to make quality predictions about safety, the brain will, among other things, limit our strength, speed, and flexibility and use alarm signals like pain, fatigue, and depression to put our brakes on and keep us from harm. With this neurological reflex in mind, CNS trains athletes by taking advantage of their individual 

Threat Neuromatrix.

Z-Health 8 Levels Model

Receptors

Receptors are responsible for sensing the external and internal environments as well as your movement and positioning. The brain's ability to know what's going on and what's coming next starts with receptors in the skin, joints, muscles, connective tissue, bones, eyes, outer ear, inner ear, tongue, nose, and

 internal organs. 

Peripheral Nerves

Peripheral nerves carry incoming information from receptors as well outgoing motor commands from the brain.  Immobility, compression, and inflammation in and around the nerves can all affect how well they function.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is the connection between the peripheral nerves and the brain, and it is responsible for multiple reflexes that are constantly occurring without higher order processing.  Proper function of the cord can be hindered by spinal immobility, compression between vertebrae, inflammation, and central sensitization.

Brain Stem

The brain stem houses the nerves and nuclei that control the movement of and process sensory information from your eyes, jaw, teeth, face, ears, tongue, throat, neck, shoulders, and internal organs, and it contains formations responsible for regulating blood pressure, respiration, sleep, attention, posture, global muscle tone, and descending inhibition of pain.

Cerebellum

The cerebellum is responsible for the accuracy and coordination of body and eye movements, balance, muscle tone, and inhibiting unwanted movements and thoughts. The cerebellum also plays an important role in cognition, learning, speech, emotions, and hormonal regulation. 

Thalamus

The thalamus is the switchboard operator that connects the more primitive parts of the nervous system to the higher-order processing centers. It determines what signals are important and then passes them on to the appropriate area 

of the cortex.

Insula

The insula is responsible for higher-order processing of vestibular, temperature, and taste information; contains the brain maps for the  gut; makes autonomic predictions so blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration can meet movement demands; contributes to decisions on the intensity and chronicity of your pain; assigns emotions to bodily sensations; and houses mirror neurons that allow us to mimic and learn movement, read social cues, and empathize with others.

Cortex

The cortex is the newest and most evolved part of the human brain, and its functions include: highest-order sensory processing; reward and avoidance calculations; determinations on pleasurablity; orienting of attention toward long-term goals; emotional control; inhibition of primitive reflexes and responses; rational thinking; memory storage and retrieval; planning future behaviors; organizing thoughts; and initiating voluntary movement of the body and eyes.  The cortex is also the seat of creativity, language, and 

math skills. 

Z-Health Threat Neuromatrix

To shift the nervous system’s focus from survival to performance, we first reduce the threats—both real and perceived—coming from the body’s internal and external environment, and then we gradually increase threat exposure to stimulate positive adaptation. Potential areas we examine in sessions include:

Observation Threats

Visual Threats

As the brain’s primary connection to the external environment, the visual system is at the top of the neural hierarchy. A deficit in any of the18 visual skills we assess could be causing movement dysfunction, decreased performance, and pain.


Vestibular Threats

Is the balance apparatus in your inner ears sending the brain good information regarding which way is up and in what direction and how fast your head is moving? Is it coordinating correctly with the eyes and spine?


Somatosensory Threats

Is a stimulus triggering alarm in the body’s temperature, pressure, chemical, electro-magnetic, tactile, or movement receptors? Is there a lack of information or a lack of detail coming from these receptors, or are they hypersensitive? Is the information being interpreted correctly?


Action Threats

Strength

Are certain movements too slow or causing pain because you lack the skill to contract or coordinate all the motor units in a muscle? Are you inflexible because you’re not strong enough to control the joint within that range of motion?


Suppleness

Do you lack a range of motion because the brain has an unclear map of that joint? Is there a large gap between your active and passive ranges of motion, exposing you to injury? Do you lack end range of motion strength? Are you flexible, but not at speed?


Speed

Is your visual or cognitive processing leaving you a step behind? Can your joints move fast without creating panic in the brain? Is there a balance issue causing your body to proceed with caution? Does your brain’s concept of time need to be reframed?


Stamina

Is your respiration getting your body the fuel you need? Is a lack of speed or strength endurance limiting performance or provoking pain? How about visual endurance?


Structure

Is faulty signaling from the ligaments sending up alarms? Do you have tissue barriers, scars, or tattoos? Is there impingement on the nerves? Has poor movement caused your structure to remodel to support even more inefficient movement? Are there specific sections or pathways of the brain that are lacking stimulation or overstimulated?


Skill

Are there movement errors in your skills or flaws in your skill practice? Is a lack of clarity in your brain maps making it harder to learn motor patterns? Does a lack of sport tactics and CHAOS training make athletics threateningly unpredictable?


Style

Are you training in a way that is not conducive to your individual style?


Sustenance

Are your nutritional habits creating problems for your hormonal balance; immune, digestive, and detoxification systems; energy production, and neural plasticity? Are you eating for your individual metabolism?


Spirit

Is your mental attitude holding you back or sensitizing you to pain?

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Identifying a deficit is only half the battle. Click below to learn more about the next component in getting you the solutions you need to reach your goals:

Maximizing Change