NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT) is a hands-on assessment and treatment method used to restore proper movement and function in the body. It is a specialized approach that is integrated into your physiotherapy rehabilitation when appropriate.
At Triada Health Ottawa, Physiotherapist Veronica Rogovsky is trained in NeuroKinetic Therapy and incorporates it into treatment plans to help patients identify the root cause of pain—not just the symptoms.
What Is NeuroKinetic Therapy?
NKT helps determine why your pain is happening. While it’s easy to identify the area where pain, stiffness, or lack of mobility is felt, that doesn’t always mean it’s the source of the problem. The real issue may lie elsewhere in the body—often in a muscle that’s underworking while another muscle tries to “help out” by overworking.
Every movement pattern is stored and organized in the brain’s motor control center. When injuries, surgeries, poor postures, stress, or repetitive movements alter these patterns, the body learns compensations. At first, these new patterns may work. But eventually, the system breaks down and pain appears.
NKT allows your therapist to act like a detective—using muscle testing to determine which structures are doing too much, which ones are not doing enough, and how these imbalances are contributing to your pain. Once the pattern is identified, treatment becomes much more targeted and effective.
Why Do We Get Pain?
Pain often begins when certain muscles are overworking, and others are underworking. This creates a mismatch in strength, stability, and movement coordination. Old injuries, poor posture, repetitive strain, or post-surgical changes all contribute to altered movement patterns.
During an NKT assessment, your therapist tests the strength of different muscles to see which ones are compensating and which ones are inhibited. By identifying these imbalances, we can address the real underlying issue—helping relieve your pain more quickly and reducing the risk of the problem returning.
How NKT Helps Identify the Root Cause of Pain
NKT does more than simply treat the painful area. It uncovers why that area is struggling by:
- Identifying dysfunctional movement patterns
- Revealing which muscles are compensating
- Locating underactive or inhibited structures
- Correcting activation timing
- Reorganizing the brain’s stored “movement map.”
This is especially useful when traditional treatment helps temporarily, but symptoms come back.
What Does a Physiotherapy Session With NKT Look Like?
Your session begins with an assessment of your movement, posture, and range of motion. Based on these findings, your therapist performs a series of gentle muscle tests to determine which muscles are strong and which are inhibited.
Once the pattern is identified:
- Strong, overworking muscles are released
to decrease tension and restore balance. - Weak, underactive muscles are strengthened
to improve functional control. - Hands-on treatment is performed
to support more efficient movement. - Corrective home exercises are prescribed
so you can reinforce the new movement pattern between sessions.
Every session is individualized and hands-on, ensuring that your treatment addresses the exact compensation pattern contributing to your pain.
Conditions That Can Be Treated With NKT
NKT can help with a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, including:
- Poor posture
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Low back pain
- Tendonitis
- Sciatica
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Plantar fasciitis
- Post-surgical recovery
- Movement instability
Meet Your NKT Practitioner — Veronica Rogovsky
Veronica Rogovsky, Registered Physiotherapist, integrates NeuroKinetic Therapy into her rehabilitation approach to help patients discover the root cause of pain and restore healthy movement patterns. Veronica’s background in functional movement, hands-on therapy, and corrective exercise allows her to create personalized treatment plans that support long-lasting recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions About NKT
Q: How many NKT sessions do I need?
Most patients experience improvement within 1–3 sessions, depending on the complexity of movement compensations.
Q: Does NKT replace physiotherapy or chiropractic?
No — it complements them by identifying the underlying cause of pain.
Q: Is NKT painful?
Most testing and treatment is gentle and based on functional movement assessment.
Book NeuroKinetic Therapy in Ottawa
If you’re curious about NeuroKinetic Therapy or feel like there’s a deeper reason behind your pain, Veronica would be happy to assess you and guide your rehab journey. NKT is available as part of your physiotherapy session at Triada Health Ottawa.
Ready to get started? Book an assessment online with Physiotherapist Veronica Rogovsky.
