Manual therapy is just one tool in a clinician’s kit that allows them to manipulate joints and soft tissue with nothing more than their hands. This specialized form of treatment helps in reducing swelling, decreasing restriction, mobilizing joints, and increasing your range of motion. To achieve this, our practitioners manipulate different parts of your body through soft tissue work, massage and stretching. Physical therapy techniques may include:

Manual Traction

Gentle force is applied to a certain area of the body, in order to stretch it out. The most common area that manual traction is performed on the neck. While the neck is the most common area for manual traction, it can also be performed on other parts of the body, including the arms, legs, and back.

Massage

Physical therapy massage treatments are a little different than those you might see at a spa. These are meant to be more therapeutic in nature, rather than relaxing. Our physical therapists use massage treatments to manipulate the soft tissues, working to break up scar tissue and adhesions caused by inflammation or injury. This is done through deep pressure and rhythmic stretching, allowing them to find and mobilize areas of your body that are heavily restricted.

Mobilization/Manipulation

When you experience severe pain after sustaining an injury, it is usually the result of a restricted joint. Our physical therapists are trained in loosening restricted joints by applying pressure at a low velocity. Mobilization and manipulation techniques are safe, effective, and painless, allowing for an increase in your range of motion, and the breakdown of the joint’s barrier.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release is a safe and very effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. As part of a comprehensive program this is an effective treatment for chronic pain, post-surgery, fibromyalgia and sciatica.

Our practitioners are highly trained in diagnosing and treating movement disorders. These disorders often occur following surgery, especially if a patient has undergone total joint replacement, however, many physicians will also prescribe physical therapy treatments for injuries, accidents, or illnesses – essentially, anything that makes you feel weak and unable to function at your normal physical levels.

Your treatment plan will likely include several complementary therapies, all aimed at helping a specific function of your body. Some exercises may focus on improving your balance and strength, while others may focus on increasing your range of motion. Manual therapy is a crucial part of a treatment plan, as it helps to reduce pain and swelling, minimize inflammation, and increase range of motion.

For more information, contact Vineyard Complementary Medicine.