Manual Therapy In Tarrytown

What is Manual Therapy?

Manual therapy is a safe, effective and non-invasive treatment method that is used by physical therapists. Typically, patients visit a manual therapist when they are experiencing musculoskeletal pain. During treatment, your physical therapist may work to relieve pain with joint manipulation, manipulation of the muscles, joint mobilization and soft tissue massage. Through this type of physical therapy, our highly-trained and experienced manual therapists are able to implement a hands-on approach to healing that is designed to help manage chronic pain, increase your range of motion, reduce inflammation, treat joint structures, improve range of motion, and promote faster healing. If you or a loved one is experiencing musculoskeletal pain, contact our offices today to learn more about the benefits of manual therapy.

Types of Manual Therapy Used in Tarrytown

Joint Mobilization
One of the most common reasons for a physical therapy visit includes pulled muscles. Although many people rely on lots of rest to temporarily relieve the pain associated with a pulled muscle, it is likely that the pain will return without the help of targeted manual therapy. This is because the actual injury is most often caused by a restricted joint. With joint mobilization, your physical therapist works to loosen up restricted joints with increased amplitude and the application of slow velocity. This safe, effective and painless manual therapy treatment also helps to apply movement to the barrier of the joint and increase range of motion.

Soft Tissue Mobilization
This technique is used by manual therapists to break up fibrous muscle tissue. Utilizing deep pressure movements and targeted rhythmic stretching, our experienced manual therapists are able to localize areas in the body that have the greatest tissue restriction and mobilize the area using specific techniques, including the Graston technique.

High Velocity, Low Amplitude
This is generally considered to be a more aggressive approach to manual therapy joint manipulation that is designed to relieve chronic pain and restore range of motion by bringing a joint to the restrictive barrier and thrusting it. The high velocity, low amplitude thrusting technique is ideal for restoring joint motion without pushing the joint beyond its normal anatomical limit. This technique is safe and pain-free but may produce an audible pop at times.  This sound comes from the release of gasses from within the joint much like a soda can pops when opening.

Strain-Counterstrain
This manual therapy method is designed to address abnormal neuromuscular reflexes in the body that may result in both postural and structural tightness. During treatment, our physical therapists work to locate the area of dysfunction and hold that position for around 60 seconds. While in this position, your physical therapist with your help introduces a counterstrain through muscle activation in order to reset the muscle length.  This gentle technique is useful for knee, hip, and back pain issues, among other applications.

Muscle Energy Techniques (METs)
This popular treatment method is used to help lengthen any muscles in the body that are shortened and mobilize any restricted joints that are causing pain. During treatment, the muscles are safely contracted using a controlled counterforce that your physical therapist works to apply in a specific direction. Once contracted, the joint is taken to its new barrier, resulting in almost instant pain relief. This active procedure is not painful.  It does require patient participation to get the best results.

How is Manual Therapy an Effective Part of Physical Therapy?

Before your physical therapist begins manual therapy treatment, a full assessment of your body is completed in addition to a comprehensive movement, muscle, and joint assessment. From there, the best type of treatment to fit your individual needs will be implemented in the hopes of achieving fast and lasting pain-relief. Manual therapy is ideal to help increase blood flow, reduce chronic pain, restore full range of motion, and achieve an optimal level of overall wellness. This integral part of physical therapy treatment is safe, non-invasive and ideal for treating patients of all ages.

Our physical therapists 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.  You do not need a physician to recommend manual therapy, you can come to our clinic without a referral.

Your treatment plan will likely include several different 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.

See Our Manual Therapy Specialists in Tarrytown

Our physical therapists have extensive training beyond the standard physical therapy degrees in manual therapy techniques.  Manual therapy is a specialized practice in physical therapy with excellent results and patients report pain relief and improved movement after treatment.  If you think you could benefit from manual therapy, schedule an appointment with us today!