IN ITALY DAVID CREATED THE INNOVATIVE CONCEPT OF DECOMPRESSION TAPING CALLED

“NEUROMUSCULAR TAPING”

WIDELY KNOWN IN MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION.

David Leonard Blow is the creator of the NMT decompression concept and the founder/president of the NeuroMuscular Taping Institute. Established in Rome in 2003, the Institute expanded to New York in 2012, Jakarta, Indonesia for the Asian region in 2015, Argentina and South America in 2016 and in Australasia in 2022.

He is an international instructor of NeuroMuscular Taping and DermoTaping, teaching across Europe, the United States, Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. With over 35 years of therapeutic experience in rehabilitation, David has received extensive training in Australia, China, Japan, and Italy.

David developed the innovative concept of Neuromuscular Taping (NMTConcept) in 2003 and later introduced the DermoTaping methodology in 2005. These advancements have brought significant changes to the field of medical rehabilitation. The NeuroMuscular Taping Institute stems from David Blow’s dedication to sharing “NMT KNOW-HOW,” training doctors and rehabilitation professionals with taping protocols that enhance treatment outcomes and improve patient quality of life.

David’s journey with bandaging techniques and taping began in 1998. He studied these techniques, focusing on their limitations from a rehabilitation perspective. With a background in Traditional Chinese Medicine, he explored the idea of decompression taping as a therapeutic approach. Clinical observations revealed that an eccentric application of tape on the skin surface could influence muscle contraction and extension, leading to the development of the decompression taping methodology.

Since then, David has refined the NMTConcept, which involves a dilation exteroceptive stimulation created by elastic decompressive taping. This approach, opposite to compressive methods, has been clinically validated to reduce symptoms and improve treatment outcomes. NMT is widely used in Italy for neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation in both public and private healthcare settings. It has become a mainstream system for protocol treatment, integrated into many university undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

In 2003, it became evident that a dilation taping system could improve oxygenation and fluid exchange at skin, vascular, and lymphatic levels. Initial treatments focused on improving scarring skin quality and reducing scar tissue adhesion after surgery, burn scarring, and post-treatment for conditions like radiotherapy.

Specific applications in skin health led to the creation of the DermoTaping concept in 2005, offering specialized training in body, face, and décolleté treatments in collaboration with medical surgical interventions and oncological skin healthcare programs.

David has published numerous research studies, case studies, and articles evaluating the clinical efficacy of NMT. He is actively involved in various research projects, including those on Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, oncological rehabilitation, post-surgical rehabilitation, innovative speech therapy treatments, pediatric conditions, and neurological conditions.

Recent studies include treatments for diabetic ulcers, burn scar treatment, and skin regeneration procedures. Other research covers NMT’s application in autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dementia. David is the author of several medical publications available worldwide, including:

“Neuromuscular Taping – From Concepts to Practice”
“Neuromuscular Taping – Treatment of Edema, Hematoma, and Scars”
“Neuromuscular Taping – Treatment Compendium of the Upper Limb” (available in 2022)
“Voice T – Treatment of Speech Therapy and Facial Paralysis” (available in 2022)
“Esthetic DermoTaping – Esthetic Compendium in Elastic Decompression Taping” (available in 2022)
“Neuromuscular Taping – Treatment Compendium of the Lower Limb” (available in 2023)

David’s primary objective is professional education in medical and physical rehabilitation. He has developed numerous training programs and specialization courses, creating specialized teacher groups in various countries. He is a scientific committee referee, professional consultant, and internationally recognized authority in continuing education, acknowledged by many hospitals and private clinics.

In Italy, he is a visiting professor in post-specialization Master programs in Sport Traumatology at the University of Pisa, the University Hospital Gemelli, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Rome, the Neuro-rehabilitation Master program at Università La Sapienza of Rome, the Speech Therapy Master program in swallowing disorders at Turin University, and the Speech Therapy Master program in vocal rehabilitation at Bologna University.

David has led many volunteer training projects in underserved areas, including Serbia, Sarajevo, Congo, Ethiopia, Central America, Argentina, and recently in Indonesia following the 2018/2019 earthquake.

These volunteer projects provide free training to healthcare professionals, offering updated medical rehabilitation therapies in needy areas. The aim is to foster cross-country, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural collaboration and research development in orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation. Future projects will extend to other Asian countries and the Indian subcontinent.

The NeuroMuscular Taping Institute was created to continue the work David Blow started in 2000. The NMT rehabilitation system has evolved over the years, creating human skills and application protocols to facilitate rehabilitation and the healing process. The Institute offers specific training in various health areas, including medicine, physiotherapy, motor rehabilitation, occupational therapy, nursing, speech therapy, neuro-rehabilitation, pediatric psychomotor development, sports sciences, and medical care.

NMTConcept and Differentiation

While Kinesiology taping, Kinesio Taping, and NeuroMuscular Taping may seem similar, NeuroMuscular Taping’s concept of decompression and dilation methodology differentiates it from other types. Created by David Blow in 2003 in Italy, this innovative taping method enhances clinical reasoning and employs specific decompression applications. Correct application reduces pain, addresses sports injuries, alleviates muscle tension, and improves athletic performance, rehabilitation, and outcomes in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

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REFERENCE SITES

NeuroMuscular Taping Institute Europe. The NeuroMuscular Taping Institute was created to develop training programs, support research and development and continue the work that David Blow started in 2000. The NMT rehabilitation system, is not simply a technique and has evolved over the years creating new skills and treatment protocols to facilitate healing and rehabilitation processes. To date, the NMT Institute offers specific training in various health service areas such as medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, speech therapy, podiatry, physical education, sport medicine, and medical care in general.

NMT Teaching Core Group. Neuromuscular Taping ® is a registered trademark linked to a specific and codified procedures and protocols, which is linked to specific training and a NMT certification process. Only professionals trained in official courses by qualified teachers can guarantee high-level results and proficiency in NeuroMuscular Taping methodology. Make sure that the therapist or teacher is qualified and authorized by the NeuroMuscular Taping Institute.

NeuroMuscular Taping Institute International. In 2012 David Blow founded the NeuroMuscular Taping Institute in New York to offer the best resources and proper training to all rehabilitation professionals in the United States. Later, in 2014, the SAVA was created to provide specialization face to face training and online introductory training on NMT taping. The purpose of the Institute is to provide professionals who work in the rehabilitation field innovative and effective skills together with treatment protocols that can improve results during rehabilitation processes. Like all those who work in the field of medicine, your goal is to improve results of patients and improve their quality of life. Our primary goal is to provide high levels of excellence in training to maintain high quality standards to improve short and long-term rehabilitation care.

NeuroMuscular Taping Institute Asia Region. Three-fifths of the world’s population lives in Asia and consequently managing the different health needs is become a real medical and rehabilitation concern for all governments. The NMT rehabilitation system and training services has been introduced into various Asean countries with the scope of offering treatment protocols that are effective, low cost, patient friendly and are easily introduced into the existing university training and health systems.

NeuroMuscular Taping – Volunteer projects. The NeuroMuscular Taping Institute from 2011 supports training programs to prepare health care professionals to meet their specific health care needs at the international level. The project “NMT Volunteer Project” is now in its seventh year and over the years it has elaborated specific programs for the treatment of neurologic and orthopedic disorders, congenital pediatric clubfoot, stroke, facial paralysis, rehabilitation of burn scars, amputation, phantom pain, neuropathological pain, breast reconstruction, autism, ADHD, pediatric stroke and treatment of traumas and injuries of various entities. Some the collaborating countries include: Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, India, Sri Lanka. Countries where the NMT Institute has started and planned training, research clinical trials and follow-up projects.

SporTape International. The SporTape Concept was created from the NMT Concept. A biomechanical and sensory corrective Taping technique that, based on the natural healing capabilities of the body, promotes improved blood circulation and lymphatic drainage in the treated area. In physiotherapy or more extensively in rehabilitation is used to treat various problems.

The use of NeuroMuscular Taping offers a new, innovative and non-pharmacological approach to treatment. While in the sport area the Sportape concept uses the same biomechanical action to assist during sport training and improve performance reducing fatigue and the risk of trauma.

The NADA ACUDETOX. NADA Group Italy offers training and consultancy for addiction treatment programs in public and private healthcare facilities, communities and prisons, to ensure the highest ethical and clinical standards for specialists in Acudetox. It is an organisation that brings together experts in the field of substance addiction and those of Traditional Chinese Medicine (MTC).

Dr. Michael Smith, the driving energy behind the creation and sharing of the Acudetox unique concept of substance abuse treatment has made a significant mark on how drug abuse is seen and treated. Programmes have assisted family and drug abusers for over 40 years in the USA, where they are present among the major services offered for the treatment of drug addiction, and for over 30 years in Europe.

There are currently approx. 1000 programs in Europe, are currently 2800 programs worldwide. Acudetox treatments also exist in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Australia, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Nepal, Holland, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, South America, UK, Hungary, USA. Public or private services are trained with the Acudetox protocol and are certified by NADA Italia. Only with certified Acudetox training together with the annual NADA re-qualification you can guarantee proper continuous training.