Our Approach
Manual Therapy is the clinical approach utilizing skilled/specific hands on techniques to assess and treat the area of the body affected by an injury. A hands on approach is particularly effective for your therapy as it allows the therapist firsthand to guide your body to recovery.
Manual Therapy techniques include soft tissue mobilization/massage, joint manipulation and joint mobilization. Manual intervention can also be used to facilitate strength return and stability through a joint/region by a variety of techniques. Our therapists have extensive background training in a variety of hands on techniques. Your treatment may vary as you progresses in your recovery from a hands on approach to exercise and self management.
Mobilization
The term “mobilization” deals with the manipulation of soft tissue encapsulating a joint, called fascia, and muscles over joints that have restricted range of motion or are guarded (muscle spasm) following and injury. Techniques are used for increasing movement, facilitation relaxation or treating trigger points within the muscle tissue.
Joint Mobilization/manipulation is a hands-on manual therapy designed to restore joint movement and range of motion. Each joint within the body has it’s own passive movements that contribute to the motion of the joint/body region as a whole. Through mobilization the therapist gently coaxes joint motion by passive movement within or to the limit of a joint’s restricted range of motion. The overall goal of mobilization is to restore normal joint function including the surrounding soft tissue (e.g. muscle, ligaments, fascia). Manipulation or HVLAT (High velocity/low amplitude thrust) is the technique that restores joint motion via the quick movement into and beyond the restricted barrier of an involved joint. Both mobilization and manipulation are used in both the spine and extremities.