Hands-on Healing: Effective Techniques Used in Manual Therapy
Learn how effective hands-on healing techniques could transform your recovery
Manual therapy is a specialized hands-on approach physical therapists use to assess, treat, and manage musculoskeletal conditions. It involves skilled manipulation and mobilization of muscles, joints, and soft tissues to alleviate pain, improve mobility, promote healing, and facilitate recovery. Our effective hands-on healing techniques are often used with other treatments, such as strengthening exercises or active stretching.
Depending on your condition, symptoms, mobility, and other health factors, our physical therapists at MMA & Sports Rehab use manual therapy alone or in conjunction with other techniques.
The ultimate goal of treatment is to restore your functions, reduce your pain, and help you achieve an overall healthier life. If you’ve experienced a recent injury, are suffering from symptoms of an underlying condition, or aren’t sure where your pain stems from, our physiotherapists could help you make a safe and comfortable recovery!
Call our clinic today to learn more about manual therapy and schedule your first appointment.
What Conditions Is Manual Therapy Used For?
Our VA physical therapists address various conditions with manual therapy techniques to improve your mobility and discomfort. Common conditions treated with effective hands-on healing techniques include:
- Chronic pain syndromes: Conditions like back and neck pain, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and osteoarthritis can benefit from our hands-on techniques. Fortunately, with manual therapy, you can see a significant improvement in symptoms. Specific techniques such as therapeutic massage or joint mobilizations have been shown to reduce pain, relieve stiffness, and increase function.
- Headaches and Migraines: Headaches can be incredibly frustrating, often making it difficult to perform even the simplest tasks. Our physical therapists can improve headache and migraine pain with methods like trigger point release, myofascial release, and joint mobilizations, which help to reduce discomfort and tension.
- Sports injuries: If you’ve suffered a sports injury, our manual techniques can help you recover strongly! Whether you’ve suffered a sprain/strain, tendinitis, or overuse-type injury, we offer a range of hands-on therapies so you can get back in the game.
- Pelvic floor dysfunction: Pelvic floor dysfunction includes symptoms like incontinence, constipation, and muscle spasms in the pelvic area. Manual therapy can restore pelvic floor function by improving blood flow to the affected muscles and helping pelvic muscles relax.
Our physical therapists will create a treatment plan, including manual techniques customized to your unique needs.
Effective Hands-on Healing Techniques
Our approach to healing encompasses a range of effective hands-on techniques. We employ manual therapy techniques based on a thorough assessment of each individual’s musculoskeletal condition, considering factors such as the type and severity of the injury, the patient’s overall health, and their specific treatment goals.
By tailoring manual therapy techniques to each unique situation, we aim to optimize outcomes, alleviate pain, improve mobility, restore function, and promote the body’s natural healing processes. Some effective hands-on healing techniques that we use include:
- Soft tissue mobilization: Soft tissue mobilization relieves pain and tension by targeting the body’s soft tissues. Your physical therapist will target specific muscles, tendons, and fascia to restore movement and reduce tension.
- Joint mobilization and manipulation: Our therapists use joint mobilization and manipulation methods to ease pain, restore your range of motion, and improve joint function. This technique involves guiding the joints and tissues with varying forces and speeds.
- Myofascial release: As evidenced by the name, this treatment “releases” tightness, and pain in your myofascial tissues. Your physical therapist will apply gentle, sustained pressure to the connective tissues to release restrictions and alleviate muscle tension.
- Trigger point therapy: Trigger point therapy is a specialized technique in which your therapist uses their hands and applies pressure to specific areas of tightness or “knots” within muscles. This is an effective way to reduce pain and improve muscle function.
How Do I Know if Hands-on Healing Techniques Are Effective for Me?
At MMA & Sports Rehab, we’ll determine if manual therapy is right for you based on a comprehensive assessment of your condition, symptoms, medical history, and recovery goals. If you’ve been suffering from pain, restricted movement, or loss of function, our physical therapists will use manual therapy techniques that may be able to help you find the relief you’ve been hoping for.
Call us today to learn more about our effective hands-on healing techniques!