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Manual Therapy – what is it?
Manual therapy is a hands-on technique that involves performing soft tissue massage and/or joint mobilization to increase or restore flexibility, function, and range of motion. This is very similar to massage therapy. Our physical therapists have thousands of combined hours of experience with manual therapy techniques. This type of therapy allows us to feel the difference between joints and how they move, tissue quality, and if there is any presence of edema or swelling. We then have a better ability to diagnose injuries and understand what is happening beneath the skin and surrounding areas. We can work to improve flexibility, reduce inflammation, and restore motion so that our bodies can move in optimal patterns and motions. We also have instruments that can provide a more vibration type of massage as an option as well.
There are many types of massage we can apply depending on what is needed, level of tolerability, and what is comfortable for you. The most common types are:
1. Effleurage (light or deep stroking)
2. Petrissage (kneading)
3. Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization
4. Friction
5. Vibration
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Is this manual therapy beneficial for me?
Just because there are many options doesn’t mean each one is appropriate for each patient. For example, if someone is coming in who recently had a knee replacement surgery, a deep massage technique wouldn’t be the most comfortable or appropriate choice for them. We would start with more of a gentle massage like effleurage in order to decrease swelling in the area, and eventually move towards light friction massage to reduce scar tissue build up under the incision and progress towards a kneading technique in order to maintain proper mobility. The beauty of manual therapy is the ability to adjust the pressure, type, and time it is performed depending on how comfortable the patient is and what would be most beneficial for them. Joint distraction is also a type of manual therapy that can help provide pain relief due to taking pressure off each bone involved and any nerves that could be involved and causing some pain. The manual therapy Bellevue has to offer can also be used to “wake up a muscle” that may have been affected by injury, surgery, or other causes that just needs some help with reactivation in order to get stronger. Manual therapy should never be super painful and will oftentimes be very pleasurable.
Is this manual therapy beneficial for me?
Just because there are many options doesn’t mean each one is appropriate for each patient. For example, if someone is coming in who recently had a knee replacement surgery, a deep massage technique wouldn’t be the most comfortable or appropriate choice for them. We would start with more of a gentle massage like effleurage in order to decrease swelling in the area, and eventually move towards light friction massage to reduce scar tissue build up under the incision and progress towards a kneading technique in order to maintain proper mobility. The beauty of manual therapy is the ability to adjust the pressure, type, and time it is performed depending on how comfortable the patient is and what would be most beneficial for them. Joint distraction is also a type of manual therapy that can help provide pain relief due to taking pressure off each bone involved and any nerves that could be involved and causing some pain. The manual therapy Bellevue has to offer can also be used to “wake up a muscle” that may have been affected by injury, surgery, or other causes that just needs some help with reactivation in order to get stronger. Manual therapy should never be super painful and will oftentimes be very pleasurable.
