David Leonard Blow – Founder of NeuroMuscular Taping (NMT)
International Rehabilitation Educator, Research Director and Developer of the Original Decompressive Taping Methodology
My name is David Leonard Blow, an Australian healthcare educator, researcher and founder of the NeuroMuscular Taping (NMT) Institute, established in Rome, Italy, in 2003. My professional career has developed through more than three decades of international clinical education, rehabilitation methodology, professional training and collaboration with healthcare institutions. I am the developer of the original NeuroMuscular Taping decompressive concept, a methodology based on the application of elastic adhesive tape with zero additional tension (0%), and the founder of DermoTaping, developed in 2005. As CEO and Research Director of the NMT Institute, I continue to coordinate international professional education, research initiatives, instructor development and collaborative projects involving rehabilitation professionals across different clinical disciplines. My objective has always been to connect clinical observation, functional anatomy, practical methodology and scientific investigation to develop accessible educational approaches that can be integrated responsibly into multidisciplinary rehabilitation.
Early Education and International Clinical Experience
I was born in Waratah, Australia, on 26 October 1958. My professional education began in Australia, where I completed my studies at the Sydney College of Acupuncture in 1989. My early clinical development included training at the Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China and extended periods of professional study in Japan. These experiences introduced me to different approaches to neurological rehabilitation, functional recovery and the relationship between clinical assessment and therapeutic intervention. The integration of Eastern and Western clinical perspectives became an important influence on my subsequent work in rehabilitation education and methodological development.
Development of the NeuroMuscular Taping Concept
In 2003, I formally established the NeuroMuscular Taping Concept (NMTConcept) in Rome, introducing a structured approach based primarily on decompression rather than mechanical tension or compression. The defining characteristic of the NMT methodology is the application of elastic adhesive tape without additional tension while the skin and underlying body region are positioned in functional elongation. When the patient returns to a neutral position, characteristic skin convolutions may become visible beneath the tape. This application methodology differs from conventional tension-based elastic taping techniques. My work has focused on developing reproducible application procedures, educational standards and clinical reasoning frameworks to support the use of decompressive taping in appropriate rehabilitation settings. Over time, NMT education has expanded into musculoskeletal rehabilitation, neurology, lymphatic and vascular rehabilitation, postoperative recovery, oncology-related rehabilitation, pediatrics, speech therapy, swallowing, voice and nursing care. The physiological mechanisms and clinical effects associated with these applications remain subjects of ongoing scientific investigation, with evidence varying according to the clinical condition and research design.
Founding the NeuroMuscular Taping Institute
I founded the NeuroMuscular Taping Institute in Rome in 2003 to develop a standardized international educational framework for the methodology. The Institute was established to support professional training, instructor development, research collaboration and the consistent teaching of decompressive NMT applications. Over the following years, international educational activities expanded through New York in 2012, Indonesia and Southeast Asia in 2015, and Buenos Aires in 2016, Australia in 2022, Rep. Korea in 2026. Today, the Institute collaborates with healthcare professionals, educational institutions and regional organizers to deliver training in different rehabilitation specializations. Its professional education programs combine theoretical instruction, supervised practical applications, clinical reasoning and competency assessment.
International University Teaching and Postgraduate Education
My teaching career has included contributions to postgraduate and specialist programs at Italian universities and healthcare institutions. These activities have involved sports traumatology, neurological rehabilitation, swallowing, voice, functional recovery and multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Selected educational collaborations include:
- University of Pisa – postgraduate education in sports traumatology, 2007–2025.
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli – sports-related master’s education, 2013–2015.
- Sapienza University of Rome – neurological rehabilitation education, 2015–2025.
- University of Turin – swallowing rehabilitation education, 2018–2025.
- University of Bologna – voice-related rehabilitation education, 2018–2025.
These collaborations have contributed to the development of specialized educational content for healthcare professionals working in different rehabilitation disciplines.
Clinical Research and Scientific Development
As Research Director of the NMT Institute, I support the development of clinical research protocols, professional scientific publications and collaborative investigations. Research interests include neurological rehabilitation, postoperative recovery, lymphatic management, musculoskeletal function, scar rehabilitation and selected speech-language rehabilitation applications. The Institute encourages research designs that accurately document the zero-tension decompressive methodology, define relevant clinical outcomes and distinguish proposed mechanisms from demonstrated treatment effects. Projects have involved clinical questions relating to stroke, Parkinson’s disease, chronic low back pain, postoperative rehabilitation, lymphatic management and other areas of functional recovery. I consider transparent methodology, reproducible application procedures and critical interpretation of research findings essential to the continuing development of NMT.
Books and Professional Publications
I am the author of professional educational textbooks addressing the theoretical foundations and clinical applications of NeuroMuscular Taping. My principal publications include:
NeuroMuscular Taping: From Theory to Practice – Edi Ermes, 2012.
Taping NeuroMuscolare: Edemi, Ematomi e Cicatrici – Edi Ermes, with editions published in 2014 and 2018.
These books present the methodology, anatomical principles, application techniques and selected rehabilitation considerations associated with NMT. Additional educational projects address specialized rehabilitation areas, including speech therapy, swallowing, voice, respiratory function, facial paralysis and functional movement.
Development of DermoTaping
In 2005, I developed DermoTaping, extending the principles of elastic decompressive taping into applications involving skin mobility and selected aesthetic and tissue-related concerns. DermoTaping education explores the interaction between skin positioning, elastic tape applications and superficial tissue response. It is taught as a distinct educational area within the broader development of decompressive taping methodology.
Acudetox and Addiction Rehabilitation
In 1994, I introduced the NADA Acudetox approach into Italy and subsequently contributed to professional education and service-based programs involving auricular acupuncture in addiction treatment. My work in this area has involved collaboration with healthcare services, addiction-treatment professionals and multidisciplinary teams. Acudetox is presented as a complementary intervention within structured addiction-treatment services, rather than a replacement for established medical, psychological or psychosocial care. The use of acupuncture needles remains subject to the professional regulations and legal requirements applicable in each country.
International Volunteer and Humanitarian Projects
Alongside professional education and research, I have participated in international volunteer initiatives intended to support access to rehabilitation knowledge and healthcare collaboration. These projects have included activities in Mekelle, Ethiopia, in 2015 and Mouda, Cameroon, in 2023. Such initiatives emphasize professional exchange, practical education and cooperation with local healthcare teams.
My Approach to Professional Education
I believe that a rehabilitation methodology must be taught through clear principles, precise practical instruction and responsible clinical reasoning. The objective of professional education is not simply to reproduce an application, but to understand why a technique is selected, how it should be adapted and when it may or may not be appropriate. For this reason, NMT training emphasizes anatomical knowledge, functional assessment, supervised practice, patient safety and continuing professional development. I also believe that scientific research and clinical education must develop together. Clinical experience can generate important questions, but those questions require appropriate investigation before conclusions about effectiveness can be established.
International Collaboration and Continuing Development
My work continues through international NMT education, instructor development, clinical research, scientific publications and collaboration with universities, hospitals and professional associations. I welcome opportunities for educational partnerships, research collaboration, professional congress presentations and projects that contribute to responsible rehabilitation development.
David Leonard Blow
Founder, CEO and Research Director
NeuroMuscular Taping Institute
Rome, Italy | Sydney, Australia
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.
