The essence of the method lies in the isometric tension of the muscle followed by stretching. The tense, painful knots and shortened muscles are stretched painlessly to their limits, and then the patient is asked to reduce that tension, overcoming the doctor’s resistance. After 5-10 seconds of muscle tension, the refractor phase begins (lack of protective reaction against mobilization), which allows the range of motion of the joint to increase. These exercises are repeated 4-5 times in succession for a particular exposure zone. The effect on a single zone (such as the cervical spine) lasts 5-10 minutes during one session.
The PIR consists of 2 exposure phases:
1. **Isometric muscle tension**, where the patient attempts to overcome moderate resistance to movement in the opposite direction (this is done during inhalation for 5-10 seconds). 2. **Muscle relaxation and passive gentle stretching** performed by the patient in the direction of the muscle’s longitudinal axis (done during exhalation for 10-20 seconds). Result:
The amplitude and mobility of the joints increase, muscle tone normalizes, and the pain subsides.