Energy and Current Flow In Nerves
The action potential is the most important discharge of energy or current released in the neuron. It allows the transmission of this current to proceed along the axon of the neuron to the next synapse and is the normal function of the neuronal cell body and its axon. When the current reaches the next synapses, it also creates depolarization and this energy proceeds along the whole neuron like a chain of dominoes. The next synapse along the neuron may be another gland or muscle and this then releases the bodies natural substances, such as neurotransmitters to the local area, spinal and supraspinal levels or neurohormones into the blood stream, or contraction of muscles may occur according to the locality of the neuron.

The substances and reactions released as a result of the neuronal discharge allows the body to react normally to the constant changes occurring during the activities of homeostasis of the organism. Injury or disease causes edema, inflammation, neuronal dysfunction, circulatory disturbances and lack of oxygen supply to the tissues or organ systems.

If there is poor transmission or even cessation of activity along the neuron, as a result of an injury or disease process, the system cannot conduct its action potentials along the neurons and the homeostatic and regenerative mechanisms are disturbed.

Inflammation in the tissue promotes the build up of chemical wastes, which may also interfere with neural transmission. This may be caused by mechanical, chemical or electrical disturbance to the neuronal complex.

If the action potential mechanism can be restored to normal, injury and disease can be affected at a cellular level and the health or normal nerve conduction of the organism can be improved and in certain circumstances, regained. This is possible with the use of Acutouch therapy.

Acutouch Therapy is therefore multifaceted

• It increases circulation to damaged tissue but is also able to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.

• It facilitates the restoration of normal nerve function, which in itself has numerous beneficial effects in the body.

• Through the stimulation of A delta and C fiber it plays a significant role in pain control.

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Transduction
Toxic stimuli are detected by free nerve endings in the bodily or human tissues. Their transduction involves either mechanical or chemical processes. Mechanical nociception occurs whenever collagenous tissues are excessively stretched. Chemical nociception occurs when nerve endings are exposed to allgogenic chemicals such as hydrogen ions, or potassium ions, serotonin, histamine, bradykinin and adenosine diphosphate. Such chemicals are liberated in inflammatory responses or from injured cells or accumulate as a result of ischemia.

It should be noted that in some conditions both mechanical and chemical processes might be active. In infection, the inflammatory process invokes chemical nociception while the tissue swelling causes mechanical nociception. In trauma the injured tissue liberates intracellular potassium and lysosomal enzymes, but adjacent uninjured tissues may be subjected to excessive mechanical stress.

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Pain transmission
Toxic stimuli are not transmitted by any particular modality specific nerve fibers but by a variety of fibers that belong to A delta and C classes of fibers. Delta fibers are small diameter, slow conducting myelinated axons that respond differently to mechanical or thermal stimuli. C fibers are slow conducting, unmyelinated axons and in humans are all polymodal; in that they respond to mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli. A delta and C fibers have in common their small diameter and are referred to collectively as small diameter afferents to distinguish them from large diameter afferents (A beta fibers) that carry the innocuous sensations of touch, vibration and proprioception.

Central Transmission - Upon reaching the spinal cord, small diameter afferents are segregated from large diameter afferents in the dorsal root entry zone. Large diameter afferents pass medial to the dorsal horn with collateral dividing in tissue V of the dorsal gray matter and other branches ascending into the dorsal gray column.

Small diameter afferent conveying nociceptive information divide into collateral branches that ascend and descend in the dorsolateral tract with branches entering superficial layers of the dorsal horn at multiple segments above and below their level of entry into the cord.

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Segments and segmental symptoms
An increased often nociceptive, activity in one part of a segment can affect all the other parts of the same segment, resulting in segmental symptoms like: referred pain, hyperalgesia, hypertonic muscles, activated myofacial trigger points. Autonomic symptoms such as vasomotor and trophic changes also result. Segmental symptoms can occur in any part of a disturbed segment including dermatome, myotome, sclerotome, or viscerotome.

The extent to which these segmental symptoms occur is dependent on the duration and severity of the existing pathology, the amount of central inhibition, the state of general arousal and the existence of other pathology in the same segment.

Types of Segmental Symptoms
1) pain and hyperalgesia -via the sensory posterior horn and the ascending tracts
2) hypertonic muscles -via the motor anterior horn
3) autonomic symptoms -via the autonomic lateral horn

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