Manual Therapy is a specialization within physical therapy in which a therapist uses specific hands-on techniques to isolate treatment to a specific area and/or structure. Depending on the evaluation findings, a therapist develops a plan of care to directly mobilize, use muscle energy techniques or manipulate structures. The goal is to decrease pain, tension, and joint dysfunction by returning to proper joint biomechanics, range of motion, and soft tissue quality/mobility. These techniques have been developed through research for specific hand placement, patient/therapist positioning, force direction, and grade of pressure to assure effective results. Manual therapy is often followed by specific exercises or movements for increased neuromuscular re-education.
· Soft tissue work: manual pressure applied to the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, etc). This pressure can help relax muscles, increase circulation, oxygenation, break up scar tissue, and ease pain.
· Mobilization/Manipulation: uses specific movements of varying speed (slow to fast), force (gentle to forceful ), and distances (grade of pressure called ‘amplitude’) to twist, pull, or push bones and joints. This can help decrease tension in tissues around a joint, decrease pain, and improve mobility and alignment.
Manual Therapy can be helpful for the treatment of joints that lack adequate mobility and range of motion in many musculo-skeletal conditions. This limitation can cause discomfort, pain, and an alteration in function, posture, and movement. Manual Physical Therapy involves restoring mobility to stiff joints and reducing muscle tension in order to return the patient to more natural movement without pain
This Post Has 0 Comments