Manual Therapy Can Provide Holistic Relief For Your Pain
Are you suffering from pain as a result of injury, illness, or surgical procedure?
It can be difficult to determine what the best course of treatment can be for your needs, but manual therapy may be able to help. If you are worried about receiving manual therapy treatments, let us ease your mind a bit:
Our Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Dauphin, Shrewsbury, and Hershey, PA physical therapists have several tools in their arsenal that are meant to relieve your pain, while simultaneously improving your body’s function.
We receive many first-time physical therapy patients who come in thinking their treatments will be painful, uncomfortable, or even agonizing due to the condition they are in. However, that is not the case at all!
You may benefit from manual physical therapy if you’re dealing with a chronic nagging pain. Contact Madden & Gilbert Physical Therapy today to get started.
What is manual therapy?
Our physical therapists have received extensive training in specialized manual therapy techniques from a wide variety of schools and instructors.
Manual therapy is just one tool in a physical therapist’s kit that allows them to mobilize stiff joints and soft tissue.
This specialized form of treatment helps in reducing swelling, decreasing restriction, mobilizing joints, and increasing your range of motion.
Is manual therapy safe? Does it hurt?
Manual therapy is safe, and no, it does not hurt!
One of the greatest aspects of manual therapy is that it is non-invasive. It also doesn’t require any harmful medications. Our Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Dauphin, Shrewsbury, and Hershey, PA physical therapists are highly trained medical professionals who understand the limitations of your body, as well as its capabilities.
In fact, many patients notice improvement after just one session of manual therapy! Instead, our physical therapists use a variety of techniques that help move your tendons, ligaments, and joints in ways that relieve pain and promote healing. They also help in reducing scar tissue and minimizing swelling.
How can manual therapy benefit me?
Manual therapy is a vital aspect of a successful physical therapy treatment plan, as it helps to reduce pain and swelling, minimize inflammation, and increase range of motion.
Our Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Dauphin, Shrewsbury, and Hershey, PA physical therapists are highly trained in diagnosing and treating movement disorders, so rest assured you can find the relief you need at our clinic.
Movement disorders often occur following surgery, especially if a patient has undergone total joint replacement. Many primary care 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.
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.
Techniques used in manual therapy
Manual therapy techniques may include, but are not limited to:
Manual traction
Your therapist will apply gentle force to a certain region of the body during manual traction, in order to gently stretch the soft tissues and restore regular, natural movement.
This method can also be done on other parts of the body, including the arms, legs and back, but the neck is the most commonplace for manual traction.
Mobilization
Mobilization techniques are safe, effective, and painless, allowing for an increase in your range of motion, and the improvement of the restricted joint’s mobility.
When you experience severe pain after sustaining an injury, it is usually the result of a restricted joint.
Our physical therapists are specially trained in mobilizations to restricted joints by applying pressure at a low velocity.
Soft Tissue Massage
Massage therapies for physical therapy are a bit different from what you would find at a spa. These are of a more therapeutic nature, with a medical function.
As a means of manipulating the soft tissues, our Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Dauphin, Shrewsbury, and Hershey, PA physical therapists use massage therapies to break up scar tissue and adhesions induced by inflammation or injury.
This is achieved through deep pressure and rhythmic stretching, helping them to find and mobilize highly restricted areas of the body.
These strategies also help to increase the blood supply and circulation of the muscles and soft tissues affected.
Manual therapy can help you!
Ready to get started? Our dedicated physical therapists will be happy to meet with you to get you moving once again.
If you are interested in gaining the many benefits of manual therapy, contact Madden & Gilbert Physical Therapy today at Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Dauphin, Shrewsbury & Hershey, PA Centers!