Manual therapy

Do you have frustrating problems like muscle pain or restricted movements? These are common problems for many people today — and there’s great news: manual physical therapy can help in a totally non-invasive way. Many patients who have tried to cope with their pain and motion problems through medication end up feeling frustrated. Medication can only make you feel better briefly — and it may trick your brain into making unsafe motions if you have an injury. Manual physical therapy helps you heal instead of covering up symptoms.

cupping

Cupping therapy may be the in thing now, but it’s not anything new. It was used by the ancient Middle Eastern, Chinese and Egyptian cultures. Cupping is actually an ancient form of alternative medicine where cups are put on the skin to create suction. In a way, these cultures were ahead of their time. Today, it’s used to help with relaxation, blood flow, pain, and inflammation. Some think of it as a deep-tissue massage.

Active Release Technique

We employ Active Release Techniques® (ART), which combines a massage-based procedure with specific movements that vary based on the affected area.

This patented procedure benefits all types of patients suffering from soft tissue injury, from the professional athlete to the “weekend warrior” to the office professional. Soft tissue injuries can produce dense scar tissue in the affected area reducing the range of motion and strength and can cause chronic pain.

During an ART session, our physical therapists evaluate the texture, tightness, and range of motion of the affected area. When a problem area is identified, the tissues are treated through the combination of precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. These specific moves are performed simultaneously as our therapists work their hands to loosen and free scar tissue. This combination helps to break up the scar tissue and reteach muscles the proper movements in order to prevent future injury.

joint mobilization

You have hundreds of joints in your body, which come in a variety of types and sizes (such as a “hinge joint” in your elbow, a “ball and socket joint” in your hip, or a “saddle joint” in your thumb). Joints, formed by the articulating surfaces of two or more bones, depend on a combination of both stability and mobility in order to help you function efficiently and comfortably. Importantly, joints are supported by a wide variety of physiological structures including capsules, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and muscle fibers, all of which can become injured and potentially benefit from physical therapy services, including a service known as joint mobilization.

Joint mobilization is a type of manual therapy performed here at our physical therapy clinic. It involves the passive movement of specific joints using the skilled application of force, direction, and technique. A physical therapist can use his or her hands to mobilize an affected joint or may elect to use certain tools, including straps, to help deliver the desired treatment effect.

Therapeutic Exercise

When you say the words “physical therapy” most people automatically assume you have had surgery. Yet physical therapy goes beyond post-surgical care restoring strength, endurance, flexibility and stability to people who have been injured, are in pain, or have experienced an illness. Through therapeutic exercise, it is possible to have your function restored and live a life that is pain-free. 

Massage therapy

When you consult with a physical therapist, you can expect to receive a combination of physical therapy services that are either active (where you, as the patient, perform specific tasks) or passive (where treatment focuses on you receiving care rather than you participating in it). Both have highly valuable benefits for acute or chronic health conditions, especially when provided in conjunction with each other.

One of the most beneficial types of passive treatment we offer at our physical therapy clinic is massage therapy. That’s right: physical therapists (not just massage therapists) are explicitly trained in therapeutic massage and can use it to your direct benefit.

Kinesio Taping

Kinesio taping has become much more visible in recent years. You have likely seen athletes, gym-goers, and even pregnant women using the colorful muscle tape in strategic positions as a way of easing pressure on their joints and alleviating pain. Kinesio tape is a union of old-school pain management strategies and state-of-the-art medical technology, utilizing aspects of acupressure and strategic physical therapy by placing elastic therapeutic tape around problematic areas. The tape exudes a pulling force, allowing for free range of motion while still providing a therapeutic pressure to the targeted area.