Manual therapy
What is manual therapy?
Manual therapy is one of the approaches used in physiotherapy for various musculoskeletal conditions and for certain neurological problems. This approach consists of assessing the mobility of different areas of the body and treating joint stiffness and muscle tension to improve the patient’s range of motion. Techniques such as joint mobilizations and joint manipulations are used in conjunction with the development of a home exercise program to maintain the gains made in the clinic. In addition to maintaining good range of motion, the exercise program addresses the various causes of lack of mobility such as:
- Bad posture
- Trauma/inflammation
- Surgery
- Poor muscle control or weakness
- Prolonged immobilization
- Sedentary lifestyle habits
If these causes are not addressed, there is a greater risk of losing the gains made in the clinic. Manual therapy, a rather passive approach, must therefore be used in conjunction with an exercise-oriented approach to eliminate the origin of the problem.
Finally, the manual therapy approach is based on a complete evaluation of the problematic area, while examining the overlying and underlying area, which may also have a direct or indirect impact on the patient’s condition. This analytical approach promotes better clinical reasoning to optimize healing by occasionally integrating other complementary treatment approaches.
What are the benefits of manual therapy?
- Increased joint range of motion
- Decrease in pain
- Decrease in muscle tension
- Improvement of posture
- Improved sports performance
- Improvement of general function