Almost everybody has heard about physical therapy, but not as many people have heard of manual therapy. This is unfortunate because studies have found that manual therapy can actually be significantly more effective. For example, one study found that the success rates for manual therapy were about 68%, but the success rates for physical therapy were only about 50%!
With those kinds of numbers, more people should know about manual therapy. It can be a go-to option when some kind of therapy is needed, and it can be a second option when other kinds of therapy have already failed.
So what exactly is manual therapy and what can it do for you?
Read on to learn all about the benefits of manual therapy and how you might be able to enjoy them!
What Is Manual Physical Therapy?
Many people wonder, “What is manual therapy?” Unfortunately, the nature of functional manual therapy is not common knowledge. Fortunately, it is easy to understand.
Manual therapy focuses on treating soft tissue. This can often help reduce joint inflammation and increase flexibility and movement function. Manual therapy gets its name from the important role that the hands of practitioners play in the therapy.
In manual therapy, skilled practitioners use their hands to feel how a patient’s soft tissue feels different throughout their body. They can identify tension and “catches” in the body. They can then use this information to learn more about what kind of therapy might be best for that individual patient.
Done correctly, soft tissue mobilization can be a powerful application of manual therapy. These techniques are mainly intended to release tension, increase flexibility, and relieve pain and inflammation.
What Are Manual Therapy Techniques Good For?
So exactly which ailments is manual therapy good to treat? Manual therapy is a good choice whenever you have some kind of joint pain. That can include joint pain in the shoulder, back, hip, knee, or elsewhere.
Manual therapy is good for other ailments as well. If you have frequent, recurring headaches, then manual therapy might be able to help you eliminate or reduce them. In some cases, headaches can be caused by tension in the soft tissue of the neck, shoulders, spine, or trapezius muscles.
Fortunately, manual therapy has been tested on its ability to treat conditions of the spine. Studies have found that manual therapy can both decrease pain and increase functionality in patients suffering from cervical radiculopathy.
Finding the right manual therapist is a huge part of how successful your manual therapy will be. Googling “manual therapy near me” may not be the most successful method.
Our team of experienced physical therapists and manual therapists have the expertise and advanced education. Check out our team page to learn more about the qualifications of our therapists!
Enjoy All of the Benefits of Manual Therapy
We hope that you were able to take something helpful away from this brief article on just some of the benefits of manual therapy techniques. Everybody has a different situation and response to different kinds of treatment. When other treatments have not succeeded, manual therapy may be able to do so.
To learn more about manual therapy and how it might be able to benefit you, you can reach out and get in touch with us at any time here!
