Manual Therapy is the use of "hands-on" techniques to maximize the body's own self-healing potential. Manual Therapy is used to diagnose and treat injured or unhealthy tissue.
How Manual Therapy is Different from Physical Therapy.
In addition to reducing symptoms, manual therapy differs from many conventional physical therapies by identifying and healing the ultimate source of the pain.
Manual therapy uses mechanical stimulus to create improvement in the function and structure of injured cells, which causes healing of damaged tissue and reduces pain. Deep healing occurs over time with improved circulation and mechanical function of your body. Manual therapy facilitates this healing process.
Manual therapy techniques include (but are not limited to):
- gentle spinal mobilization
- peripheral joint mobilization
- massage and soft tissue mobilization
- neural mobilization
- craniosacral mobilization
- lymphatic drainage
- Scientific Therapeutic Exercise Progression (S.T.E.P.)
Manual Therapist Training.
In order to provide the most effective manual therapy, our therapists are trained in comprehensive musculoskeltal evaluations, as well as:
- Biomechanics (movement and motion of parts of the body)
- Histology (the study of tissue)
- Neurophysiology (the study of physiology within the nervous system)
- Traumatology (the study of trauma and its effect on healing connective tissue)
- Exercise physiology (the study of exercise to enhance healing)
Our therapists use knowledge from each of these disciplines to create a unique and effective manual therapy program for your specific needs.
A degree in manual therapy requires 2-4 years of graduate training that provides advanced academic and clinical education and mentorship. Advanced training is necessary for harnessing the power of manual therapy techniques in the most appropriate manner for your injury.