What to Expect from Manual Therapy

Many times we rubbed our temples to attain relief from a headache, press our shoulders and point at the lower back to relieve from the cramps or pain. In medical term, we describe it as a form of manual therapy.

Humans have instinctively used the power of touch to assist the healing process. Now take those natural actions and include knowledge of the musculoskeletal system with the experts of XL physical therapy. It will help you to understand what manual therapy is and what it can do for you.

What is Manual Therapy?

Manual therapy or manipulative therapy is a physical treatment that is normally used in combination with traditional physical therapy techniques. In this process, the physical therapist uses his hands to apply pressure on muscle tissue and/or manipulate joints of the body, instead of using a machine or device. Manual therapy considers as an effective method for treating both chronic and acute pain.

The manual therapy techniques are used to ease tense muscles and confined joints with the motive to reduce pain and enhance the scope of movement. In short, manual therapy techniques allude to “hands-on” work that is performed by physical therapists experts, and ordinarily incorporates the utilization of three types of movements:

Soft tissue mobilization

• Put on the pressure to the soft tissues of the body which includes the ligaments, muscles, and tendons
• This pressure benefits to relax muscles, increase circulation, break up scar tissue adhesions, and release pain.

Joint Mobilization

• Can either be a muscular pressure or a periodic swaying applied to the affected joints
• Helps to reduce pain and develop mobility and joint movement

Joint Manipulation

• Applied when joint mobilization is stopped being effective
• Often there is cavitation, or a cracking sound when gas is released from the joint space

How manual therapy and physical therapy work together

Traditional physical therapy commonly focuses on treating the symptom of a problem. Manual physical therapy aims at finding the root cause of the problem. Through specific evaluation techniques intended to detach the original cause of the condition, your manual physical therapist will build up a program to address all the contributing variables.

Where traditional physical therapy regularly utilizes exercise and modalities as the type of treatment, manual physical therapy incorporates work out, neuromuscular re-instruction, and explicit manual strategies to enhance the issue.

Ailments that Mostly Benefit from Manual Therapy

At the most essential dimension, an ailment identified with either soft tissues or joints is a possibility for treatment utilizing manual therapy. This is only a few lists of health problems that professionals like XL physical therapy can treat you for, from head to toe:

• Headaches and facial pain
• Jaw pain
• Shoulder, shoulder blade, Neck
• Intervertebral disc, back, pelvic, sacroiliac
• Upper arm, lower arm, elbow, wrist, and hand, finger
• Hip, buttock, thigh, lower leg, knee, ankle, toe, foot,
• Sternum, Ribcage,
• Ligament, muscle, visceral (internal organ) pain, tendon, scarring

Final Words

In other words, if you are dealing with any kind of pain, you can easily attain relief through manual therapy techniques. You can get a free evaluation and second opinion at XL physical therapy, where therapists will evaluate your specific issue(s) to decide whether your condition can be improved by manual therapy.