What is Manual Therapy?

When a joint or tissue mobility is limited, it can affect the movement of all the structures in the region or the kinetic chain. This means that tightness in Glenohumeral joint of the shoulder can affect the neck, upper back, elbow, wrist, and hand or this means that tightness in the calf muscles can affect the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and back.

Manual therapy is a treatment that consists of passive movement of joints and soft tissue structures such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Manual therapy is a common and effective technique to help improve pain, restore motion, and teach proper movement. Manual therapy is typically divided into to types of mobilization, soft tissue mobilization and joint mobilization.

Manual therapy is also shown to be effective in helping decrease pain, by not only restoring motion, but also by decreasing the sensitivity of the tissues surrounding a injury by providing a unique physiological and neurological input.