Services - Manual Therapy - Florida
Manual Therapy
What is Manual Therapy?
Manual Therapy is a specific physical therapy method that implements hands-on techniques without using devices and machines. Therapy comes with a long history within the profession of physical therapy and physical therapists.
The International Federation of Orthopedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) defines manual therapy as skilled, professional hand movements to enhance tissue flexibility, quicken the range of motion of joints, manipulate soft tissues and joints, better muscle function, prompt relaxation, reduce inflammation or swelling at soft tissues, and change the muscle function. Manual therapy comes with a long history within the physical therapy segment, and physical therapists had a greater contribution to the current diversity in manual therapy approaches and techniques. Recent research has revealed that subtle neurophysiologic mechanisms are also at play and proven the practical psychological effects of providing direct examination and intervention.
American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists’ Description of Advanced Specialty Practice has defined manual Therapy as an advanced area of physical therapy practice that includes manual examination and treatment techniques with exercise, patient education, and other therapy modalities to address pain and loss of functions. Physical therapists and hand therapists use manual Therapy to treat a patient while recovering mobility, boosting motor control, reducing pain, and improving movement efficiency. Manual Therapy refers to soft tissue massage, joint mobilization, lymphatic drainage, and passive functional movement. Manual therapy benefits beyond skilled treatment with the qualities of physical touch and ensures a close bond with the patient for a better result.
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F.A.Q.
Manual therapy or “hands on” therapy is a clinical method that decreases pain and smoothens the mobility of joints, nerves, and tissues.
Some important therapy techniques include stroking, kneading, friction, vibration, compression, range of movement, and percussion.
Manual therapy reduces pain, improves joint mobility, quantity and quality of movement, flexibility, dynamic balance, and decreases muscle spasms.
What Are the Issues Manual Therapy Treat?
Manual therapy usually cures acute spine issues, including chronic back pain. The technique treats a wide variety of health issues, including neck pain, neck injuries, wrist, shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle, work-related injuries, accident-caused injuries, muscle tension, etc.
How Does Manual Therapy Treat Patients?
Manual Therapy is a customized form of treatment that takes care of every patient based on the individual medical needs and requirements. The medical experts carefully examine the patient’s condition and design the treatment plan based on the particular need.
There are several kinds of techniques that manual therapists apply while treating patients, and remember; every technique is equally beneficial. Massages might reduce inflammation, improve facial and muscular flexibility and mobility between soft tissues, or provide muscle extensibility depending on the patient and condition. On the other hand, joint mobilization and manipulation modulate pain and better mobility. Manual therapy and physical exercise recover functionality in the treated area.
Manual therapy is hands-on, allowing a combination of art and science to treat the patient in the best possible way. The use of a variety of techniques enables every patient to achieve fast recovery and progress toward the individual’s personal health goals.
Specific Manual Therapy Techniques
The section emphasizes various therapeutic methods. Before beginning with any manual therapy techniques, the doctor will perform a complete checkup of the patient’s bones, muscles, blood, and nerve supply to ensure that further complications won’t happen. Based on the measuring results, the physical therapist might choose platform techniques.
1.Soft Tissue Therapy
Verified physical therapists apply for soft tissue work. Soft tissues in our bodies include muscles, nerves, and tendons. The gentle tissue therapy technique involves applying pressure to soft tissues to relax muscle tension, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, break scar tissues, or ease the pain with the best potential outcome. Manual Therapy includes joint mobilization and manipulation to lessen pain and help smooth blood circulation.
2.Joint Mobilization or Manipulation
Manual Therapy refers to joint mobilization and manipulation to lessen pain and help the body regain regular functioning. The technique leverages measured movements with varying speed, force, and distance to pull and push bones and joints to the previous positions. It helps loosen the tight tissues around the joint, reducing joint pain.
3.Muscle Energy Techniques (METs)
The technique leverages voluntary contraction of the muscles against a counterforce to mobilize joints and stretch shortened muscles. As Robert Daul, MPT, (Master of Physical Therapy) explains, the therapy is how the operator takes the joint to its new point after 3-5 seconds of contraction. Hence, the patient undergoes muscle contraction again. The medical expert might repeat the process two or more times. The technique goes somehow opposite to the joint mobilization. Patients do not have to suffer from much pain while the experts apply the muscle energy techniques, and it does not stress the joint.
4.Strain Counterstrain
The manual therapy technique corrects structural and postural issues stemming from abnormal neuromuscular reflexes. The method is extremely gentle and delicate. Thus, therapists might prefer the technique in place of other procedures which are way more painful to treat acute joint problems.
5.Relief from Chronic Joint Pain
Manual Therapy is highly beneficial for relief from acute and chronic back pain. Musculoskeletal conditions cause discomfort, frustration, and the inability to complete daily tasks. Manual therapy techniques focus on restoring mobility and reducing muscular tension. Joint manipulation and mobilization can cure chronic pains originating from joint problems. Manual Therapy helps relieve severe and chronic back pain.
When to Try Hands-On Physical Therapy
Manual Therapy is a valuable version of Physical Therapy with various concerns. Different manipulations and mobilizations are ideal for treating a more critical injury, like a back or neck strain. In these cases, surgery or procedure, joint mobilizations, and passive stretching often play a crucial role in recovering your range of motion in the affected part. Moreover, soft tissue massage is beneficial in treating long-term pain. Different specific diagnoses benefit from manual physical Therapy. For instance, several studies have shown improvements in patients suffering from knee or back osteoarthritis after availing of soft tissue massage treatment. People with shoulder pain respond favorably to joint mobilizations and manipulations. The same is true for people suffering from neck pain.
Choose the Professionals
Manual Therapy includes several hands-on treatment techniques to treat various physical pains, including neck pain, back pain, knee pain, and so forth. Manual therapists use the methods together or separately, especially during the acute rehabilitation phase. Our manual therapist receives education and training on performing manual physical therapy techniques. Our medical experts are skilled and efficient enough to treat and cure your ailment. Stark is a one-stop solution to provide you with a manual therapist who has excelled in firsthand skills.
Our Services
There are many different structures in the anatomy of the back that work together to support your body. Problems with any one of these structures can cause back pain.
Headaches
Headache is a discomfort in the head. Headaches vary based on the severity and frequency of pain. The extended nervous network system over the scalp, specific facial and throat nerves; head, neck, and shoulder muscles; blood vessels in the brain might cause headaches. Different types of headaches include migraine, tension headaches, cluster headaches, sinus, etc. Major contributing factors to headaches include muscle tension, exposure to a particular food, certain medicines, dehydration, and hormonal changes. It can also be an underlying medical condition where the issue occurs due to neck injury, eye problem, teeth, or sinus infection. You may feel pain at both sides of your head, dull pain around the head, or pain at the back part of the head or neck. Initially, the pain might seem moderate, but specific factors can trigger the intensity of the headache with time. Come to Stark Rehabilitation to diagnose the root cause of the pain and treat it under the supervision of expert medical professionals.
Learn MoreNeck Pain
Neck pain is a common health issue in today’s busy schedule. Poor postures, like leaning over a computer, can strain neck muscles and cause pain. Osteoarthritis is one of the critical reasons for neck pain. Neck pain symptoms include tightness or spasms in muscles, headache, lesser ability to move the head, etc. Significant causes of neck pain include muscle strains, nerve compression, worn joints, diseases, and injuries. Minor activities such as reading in bed can put pressure on your neck muscles. Neck joints become fragile with age. Herniated disks or bone stimulation in the neck vertebrae can press the nerves branching out from the spinal cord. Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis, or cancer can cause neck pain. Look for immediate care if your neck pain results from an injury. It is necessary to seek medical care from experienced healthcare providers if your neck pain is severe, lasts for days without relief, brings in a headache, creates numbness and weakness, or spreads down your arms and legs.
Learn MoreChest Pain
Chest pain feels in different forms, ranging from sharp pain to dull ache to crushing to burning. In specific cases, the pain goes up the neck into the jaw and spreads to the back or down one of both arms. Chest pain is different depending on what triggers the symptom. Chest pain is often related to heart disease. The common discomfort due to chest pain includes pressure, shortness of breath, cold sweats, dizziness, lightheadedness and weakness, racing heartbeats, nausea, crushing pain, and tightness in the chest. The pain can spread to your back and arms. You should take chest pain seriously and seek immediate medical attention. Chest pain can range from heartburn to pneumonia to heart attack. Your chest pain can indicate your heart and vascular problems, digestive issues, lung issues, or musculoskeletal issues. If you feel chest pain, you must seek medical professionals’ help to prevent further problems.
Learn MoreElbow
Our elbow joint allows us to throw, lift, and swing our hands. Our elbow joint is not a simple joint, and there are many ways things can go wrong. Your elbow is a joint where three bones come together - the upper arm bone and the two bones that form your forearm. Each bone has cartilage on the end, enabling them to slide against each other and absorb shocks. Your tendons connect your bones to muscles, allowing you to move your arms to various directions. One of the most familiar types of elbow pain is tennis elbow. Injuries can occur due to a range of physical activities - racquet sports, rowing, weightlifting, hockey, swimming, wrestling, and a range of repetitive tasks. A common cause of elbow pain in adults is tendinitis. It causes inflammation and injury to the tendons. You can get elbow strains when you put much pressure on your elbow muscles, like lifting heavy objects or overdoing them. Even if you have less pain in your elbow parts, you must not ignore it and see your doctor to get fast treatment.
Learn MoreShoulder
The shoulder joint is the most mobile body joint. It helps the shoulder move forward and backward and allows the arm to move in a circular motion. The inability to impingement of the soft tissue or bony structures in your shoulder results in pain. You might feel the pain only when you move your shoulder or always. The pain can be temporary, or it may require further medical diagnosis and treatment. The major problems causing shoulder pain include tendon inflammation, instability, arthritis, fracture, bone spurs, fractures, shoulder impingement, tendon tears, etc. Sometimes, neck problems can make your shoulder blade or outer arm painful. This pain is known as radiated pain. Sometimes, the problem in your shoulder can be a part of a broader, long-term physical condition such as osteoarthritis or polymyalgia rheumatica. People with rheumatoid arthritis suffer from shoulder pain and swelling. Initially, the pain might feel lighter, but with time the pain might become severe. Hence, it is highly advisable to visit experienced medical experts shortly.
Learn MoreBack Pain
Back pain is one of the most everyday issues one seeks medical help for in today’s busy world. Back pain is a significant cause of disability worldwide. The pain can include shooting, burning, or stabbing sensations. It radiates down the leg. Above this, bending, twisting, lifting, standing, or walking can make it worse. You must consult your doctor for your back pain if it lasts longer for weeks, does not improve with time, spreads down the knee, causes numbness or weakness, creates a sense of tingling in both your legs, or results in weight loss. Back pain becomes chronic if it lasts for more than three months. Medical professionals treat back pain depending on what kind of pain you have and what the causes are. At the very initial stage, you must take note of your symptoms, times, frequencies, and which activities enhance the pain or make it better. Take this information to your family physician to diagnose the cause and treat the issue faster.
Learn MoreHip
Hip pain is a joint body pain that can result from various physical problems. Your hip is your ball-and-socket joint. The joints withstand repeated motion and a fair amount of wear and tear. Damage in muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues can cause pain outside the hip, upper thigh, and outer buttocks. With aging, the hip joint can be a victim of overuse. Hip bones can break during a fall or other injury. The significant causes of hip pain include arthritis, bursitis, fractures, tendon strain, tendinitis, hip labral tear, avascular necrosis, and cancers. Any of these conditions might lead to hip pain. Your hip pain causes discomfort in your thigh, inside of the hip joint, groin, outside the hip joint, buttocks, and back. You might observe that your pain gets worse with pressure and activities. Call your healthcare provider as quickly as possible if your hip pain doesn’t fade or you see redness, warmth, or swelling around your hip joint.
Learn MoreKnee
Knee is the biggest body joint in the human body. Knee pain is a common body pain that affects individuals of different ages. Knee pain might result from an injury, such as a torn muscle, damaged ligament, or broken cartilage. Medical conditions such as arthritis, infections, and gout can result in knee pain. As one ages, it becomes common to grow knee pain. Knee pain might sometimes be the result of sports or other injuries. It is a vulnerable joint that endures a great deal of stress during everyday activities, such as lifting and kneeling, or from high-impact activities, including jogging and aerobics. The most common knee problems include strained ligaments, torn cartilage, arthritis, and tendonitis. Osteoarthritis is one common type of arthritis that can affect your knee. If you notice swelling and stiffness, redness and warmth, weakness or instability, crunching noises, and inability to straighten the knee, visit us at Stark Rehab immediately.
Learn MoreFoot
Foot pain can impact our daily lifestyle. Foot is one of the most complex human body parts. The organ comprises 26 bones, surrounded by joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Our feet daily receive a lot of stress. You can get sprains from sudden twisting, turning, and rolling movements. Walking or running can deteriorate the pain, especially with tight calf muscles. Foot pain results in improper foot function. You may not notice your foot until it hurts, and when it happens, you must consult a doctor to get the proper treatment. The primary causes of foot pain include Achilles tendinitis, avulsion fracture, Achilles tendon rupture, bone spurs, broken foot, broken toe, gout, Morton’s neuroma, osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, rheumatoid arthritis, stress fractures, tendinitis, etc. Don’t try to push the pain, no matter how much pain you're experiencing. If you experience foot pain after an injury or a fracture, visit your doctor immediately to prevent further deterioration.
Learn MoreOther Services we Provide
There are many different structures in the anatomy of the back that work together to support your body. Problems with any one of these structures can cause back pain.
Back Pain
Stenosis, Disc degeneration, Disc bulging, Disc herniation, Spondylosis, Spondylolisthesis, Facet arthritis, Sacroiliac joint pain (SIJ), radiculopathy, sciatica,
Knee Pain
OA, Meniscus tears, ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL, Patellofemoral pain, Patella tendinopathy, Patella luxation, cartilage injury
Shoulder Pain
Rotator cuff injuries, OA, labrum injury, luxation, instability/hypermobility
Neck Pain
Stenosis, Disc degeneration, Disc bulging, Disc herniation, Facet arthritis, Radiculopathies
Foot Pain
Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, Achilles rupture, bunions, hammer toes, ligament sprains, tendonitis around the ankle.
Hip Pain
Bursitis, OA, Greater Trochanteritis, Labrum tears, FAI, Snapping Hip
Sports Injuries
Muscle strain, Tendinopathy, Osgood Schlatters, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Syndrome, Groin strain, Avulsion Fractures
Founder
Kristin Hallberg
Previously, Kristin was a track and field athlete and continued with coaching at Uppsala Track and Field High school when injuries stopped her fromcontinuing to pursuit her own journey. During this time she also sought out new experiences and pursuit taking skydiving license and open water diving certificate. She enjoys the outdoors and grew upskiing and hiking. Seeking new adventures has always been a part of her life and relates to the importancefor people to stay active with the lifestyle that makes them happy.
Stark Rehabilitation Services
- Manual Therapy
- Exercise Therapy
- Pre-op and Post-op Rehab
- Biomechanic Analyses
- Kinesio Taping
- IASTM (Graston)
- One-on-one Treatments