Applied Movement Neurology (AMN)

WHAT IS APPLIED MOVEMENT NEUROLOGY (AMN)?

Applied Movement Neurology (AMN) is a holistic, brain-centred approach to movement, pain relief, and performance enhancement that integrates principles from neuroscience, functional neurology, biophysics, and integrative medicine.

It focuses on identifying and correcting neurological dysfunctions - such as impaired sensory-motor integration, reflex imbalances, and poor nervous system regulation - that underlie pain, movement inefficiencies, and injury.

In practice, AMN is less about diagnosing what is structurally broken and more about identifying what the nervous system is no longer accessing or organising effectively.

EXPERIENCE

I am a Level Three and Mastermind level Applied Movement Neurology practitioner and have been working within this paradigm for over ten years.

During that time, I have used neurological assessment and muscle testing across a wide range of contexts - from resolving persistent pain complaints to improving movement quality, coordination, and performance, both in everyday individuals and athletes.

My work has involved integrating AMN principles into bike fitting, rehabilitation contexts, and standalone neurological sessions, particularly in cases where conventional approaches have failed to provide lasting answers. This long-term, applied experience has shaped how I use AMN in practice - not as a theoretical model, but as a practical tool for understanding how the nervous system influences movement, pain, and function in real people.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, BIOELECTRICITY, AND MOVEMENT

The human body is a bioelectrical signalling system. All physiological processes, including movement, perception, healing and regulation, are mediated by electrical currents and the electromagnetic fields associated with them.

At a cellular level, this signalling is conducted through the extracellular matrix (ECM), a continuous connective tissue network derived largely from collagen. Fascia forms the structural and conductive framework of this matrix and exhibits piezoelectric properties, meaning mechanical input can alter electrical charge within the system.

When the body is exposed to injury, physical or psychological trauma, illness, or sustained stress, a current of injury (COI) can develop. This represents a localised alteration in direct current flow and is associated with increased bioelectrical charge within affected tissues. Heightened charge alters afferent input to the brain and nervous system and changes how sensory information is received and processed.

These changes do not imply structural damage. Rather, they reflect a functional shift in neurological signalling. Common consequences include reduced proprioceptive accuracy, altered muscle recruitment, asymmetric compensatory patterns, reduced range of motion and pain.

Within the AMN framework, these findings are understood as bioelectrical and neurological adaptations rather than mechanical failures

HOW AMN WORKS IN PRACTICE

AMN uses specific assessment and calibration procedures to identify and address how bioelectrical charge is influencing neurological function.

Sessions typically begin with assessment of balance and cerebellar integration, followed by orthopaedic manual muscle testing (OMMT). OMMT assesses whether the nervous system can voluntarily and coherently recruit a muscle. The muscle is placed in a shortened position and the client is asked to contract it. The response is assessed as strong or weak.

This is not a test of muscular strength or conditioning. A muscle may be strong under load yet test weak if neurological access to that muscle is reduced. OMMT serves as an entry point for identifying areas of inhibited motor output.

When a muscle tests weak or inhibited, global manual muscle testing (GMMT) is then used to explore what is contributing to that inhibition. GMMT commonly utilises a shoulder flexion test with the arm outstretched. In this context, changes in muscle response are used as neurological feedback to specific sensory, positional or tactile inputs applied during testing.

The global response reflects how the nervous system is reacting to those inputs, allowing patterns to emerge that indicate where heightened bioelectrical charge is influencing signalling. Contributing factors may include joint position, altered sensory input, visual or vestibular load, fascial tension, visceral or autonomic influences, or emotional stressors.

Once relevant contributors are identified, piezoelectric calibration is applied. Tapping on specific bony structures introduces a low-amplitude mechanical stimulus that generates a bioelectrical and biomagnetic effect within the extracellular matrix. This alters the charge characteristics of the associated tissues and reduces interference within the signalling pathways.

The aim is not to force a correction, but to reduce the bioelectrical conditions that are limiting normal afferent input. When charge is normalised, the nervous system is able to reorganise motor output and sensory processing more effectively.

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WHO IS AMN FOR?

AMN is for everyone.

Although I use AMN extensively within my bike fitting practice, its relevance extends far beyond cycling. We all face similar challenges in modern life - chronic stress, unresolved trauma, immune and gut stressors, poor sleep, disrupted circadian biology, and constant environmental load.

Virtually no one is living in a way that truly protects their nervous system. When physiological systems carry excessive bioelectrical charge or unresolved stress, there is a direct and often negative impact on mood, performance, recovery, and overall function.

AMN is relevant for cyclists and athletes seeking optimal performance, but it is equally applicable for individuals struggling with balance, coordination, restricted movement, or persistent pain complaints.

Standard imaging excels at identifying structural pathology. AMN addresses functional changes in neurological signalling that do not appear on scans, yet can have a significant impact on movement, stability and pain. This is why individuals are often told that everything looks “normal” despite ongoing symptoms.

Often, when mainstream avenues have been exhausted and no clear structural cause can be identified, AMN can provide an effective route forward.

AMN AND BIKE FITTING

Most people have preconceived ideas about what a bike fit involves, and AMN is not traditionally part of that process. However, if you have functional issues affecting your position, or if you have been attempting to resolve problems through physiotherapy or chiropractic care without success, AMN can be highly beneficial prior to your fit.

When muscles are weak or inhibited, the brain is forced to develop compensatory movement strategies. These strategies may work in the short term, but they limit efficiency and often increase and shift stress elsewhere in the system.

By restoring neurological access to inhibited muscles before a fit, the brain has a complete, rather than a partial, toolbox to work with. This improves neural feedback and allows us to format more efficient motor patterns. Improved stability, coordination, and proprioception in turn reduce the neurological challenges associated with holding and sustaining a well-adjusted bike position.

My recommendation is to book an AMN sessions prior to your bike fit, during that session we will work out whether or not any further sessions are required before your fit. Typically 1-3 sessions (maximum) are required and then book the bike fitting 1 week after the last session.  This allows sufficient time - typically 3-7 days - for neurological changes to integrate before positioning work is carried out.

In simple terms, you arrive for your bike fit functioning better than you otherwise would have done.

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD I BOOK AN AMN SESSION?

This depends on your goals.

For individuals seeking to resolve ongoing pain or persistent functional issues, one session per week is usually appropriate until things stabilise.

For those who are functioning well and wish to be preventative rather than reactive, monthly or quarterly sessions are often sufficient.

For people attending specifically with pain complaints and not as part of a bike fit, I recommend an initial course of three sessions. If there has been no meaningful improvement by that point, it is likely that AMN is not the appropriate modality for that issue. My intention is never to establish ongoing sessions that are not delivering clear value.

If AMN is not booked before or during a bike fit, it can always be accessed later as a standalone service.

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