0 0 0 0 0 0

Orthopaedic Manual Therapy

Manual Physical Therapy for Pain Relief

Physiotherapists use specifically tailored exercise to treat pain and stiffness.  In addition to this, Manual Physiotherapists are highly trained, via extensive post-graduate education, at using their hands to diagnose and treat restrictions of movement in the SPINE, ARMS and LEGS.  Manually applied treatments, such as joint manipulations or mobilizations, myofascial release and soft tissue or neural release, are highly effective in treating restricted or excessive movement in the body.

Manual therapy can be helpful for the treatment of joints that lack adequate mobility and range of motion in certain musculo-skeletal conditions  This limitation can cause discomfort, pain, and an alteration in function, posture, and movement.  Manual physical therapy involves restoring mobility to stiff joints and reducing muscle tension in order to return the patient to more natural movement without pain. 

As a group, manual physical therapy techniques are aimed at relaxing tense muscles and creating movement in restricted joints, in order to decrease pain and increase flexibility.  In general, manual physical therapy techniques employ the following types of movement:

Soft tissue work - This includes massage, which applies pressure to the soft tissues of the body such as the muscles.  This pressure can help relax muscles, increase circulation, break up scar tissue, and ease pain in the soft tissues.

Mobilization / Manipulation - This uses measured movements of varying speed (slow to fast), force (gentle to forceful), and distances (called 'amplitude') to twist, pull, or push bones and joints into position.  This can help loosen tight tissues around a joint, reduce pain in a joint and surrounding tissue, and help with flexibility and alignment.