What is Manual Therapy?

Manual Therapy is made up of many different hands-on techniques that we use in the clinic. Each offer their own benefits and are implemented for many reasons. We use manual therapy to help restore mobility, restore joint movement, decrease nerve tension, and improve nerve mobility and help reduce pain.
There are many different techniques that fall into the category of manual therapy. Some of these categories include but are not limited to:

Soft Tissue Mobilization
Joint Mobilizations
Muscle Energy Techniques
Passive Range of Motion
Neural Mobilizations

Soft Tissue Mobilization:

Soft Tissue Mobilization helps to reduce soft tissue adhesions and help promote muscle, ligament, and tendon mobility. There are many different techniques that make up soft tissue mobilizations including: soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage, retrograde massage, and active release.

Joint Mobilizations:

Joint Mobilizations help to regain join mobility and reduce pain. This allows the synovial fluid within the joint space to lubricate the joint and promote improved joint movement. Joint mobilizations can also help create space within the joint to allow for improved mobility.

Muscle Energy Techniques:

These techniques are used to promote muscle activation to help correct shortened or weakened muscles that are restricting the movement of a joint. They can be performed at any joint but are most used in the pelvis and neck.

Passive range of motion:

This is used to allow the joint and tissues to be relaxed while the therapist moves the joint. This allows the joint capsule and tissues surrounding the joint to be moved and stretched without resistance, allowing for less painful mobility.

Neural Mobilizations:

These are targeted for those with nerve tension that is limiting movement or causing pain or numbness and tingling. Nerve mobilizations help to allow the nerves to move and prevent getting bound down or pinched as our bodies move.

Your Plan of Care at LSTC

Depending on your needs regarding physical therapy, you will most likely receive some form of manual therapy during your plan of care. Each plan of care is specific to each patient and is implemented to target what symptoms or limitations you may have. At LSTC, we identify what your limitations are and utilize manual therapy techniques in conjunction with stretching and strengthening exercises to get you back to your daily activities without limitations and give you the tools to prevent re-injury!