27/07/2026
Great post explaining ‘Emmett Touch’!
“So what is it exactly that you’re touching?”
This question comes up a lot so let’s talk about it. When you see me honing in on an area, measuring up precisely and placing my fingers in exact locations, it’s for a reason. Underneath my finger is a mechanoreceptor.
A mechano-what?!!
The scientific description for a mechano receptor is a specialized sensory neuron that detects physical forces and distortions, such as touch, pressure, vibration, and stretch, converting them into electrical signals the brain can interpret. They allow you to feel textures, grip objects, and maintain balance.
So basically I’m touching a tiny little nerve ending that is then relaying that touch back to the brain through the nervous system. Emmett is a neuromuscular therapy and uses particular mechano receptors to send signals to the brain to bring certain parts of the body into its focus and encourage healing.
When a part of the body is under stress say from a physical injury or mechanical overuse the brain will signal to the fascia (connective tissue) in that area to tighten to protect the soft tissue from further damage. When the stress resolves the signal should come through the sympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system to let that fascia return to its original state. These signals don’t always get connected correctly especially if the stress has been over a longer term and the area stays tight, restricting lymphatic drainage, blood flow and the soft tissue itself. This compounds over time with a build up of toxic substances, a lack of oxygen, water and nutrients getting to the area and dehydration of the fascia causing adhesions leaving the horse tight, sore and restricted.
When we touch the correct mechano receptors they send a signal to the brain effectively bringing this area back “online”. The brain is able to recognise the tight fascia and muscles and send the correct signals for these to release. This eases much of the tension instantly while also allowing for the movement of blood and lymph into/out of the area improving tissue health in the minutes to days to follow.
