MANUAL THERAPY
Manual therapy can include any technique performed by a skilled professional using their hands or tools. Typically the goal is to reduce pain and improve range of motion. These techniques should only be performed when clinically indicated based on a thorough examination. These are passive techniques and their effects can be quick, but usually temporary. It's so important to support these techniques with appropriate movement interventions to maintain gains.
JOINT MOBILIZATION & MANIPULATION
Sometimes joints get stiff and need a little extra push to pick up some movement. Sometimes joints aren't doing a great job at giving the brain some feedback about their positioning, leading to stability issues. Mobilizations/manipulations can help to improve joint movement and the sensory feedback given to the central nervous system. We use the term mobilizations to describe slow joint stretching while manipulations are fast stretching techniques, also called high-velocity low-amplitude thrust manipulations. These are great techniques for spinal and extremity joints.
SOFT TISSUE MOBILIZATION
This includes a wide range of techniques to address muscle, fascia, and ligaments. Ranging from light to deep pressure. These techniques don't really "loosen up" muscles, rather they are influence the electrical activity within the muscle, or the tone. Problematic muscles tend to have increased tone (due to overuse/misuse) or decreased tone (due to lack of use). Our soft tissue techniques can help to restore the normal resting tone.
Rather than treating just the painful areas, we use the concept of myofascial chains to guide soft tissue mobilizations. Fascia is a thin connective tissue that is continuous throughout the body. It's role is help distribute force so one area doesn't get beat up too much. We want the fascia to allow for muscles to slide smoothly and sometimes injury, illness, and even dehydration can impair this function. Following myofascial chains, we can address areas above and below your area of pain to encourage healthy whole-body movement.
CUPPING
Cupping creates a negative pressure to tug on the superficial tissues of skin, fascia and muscle to encourage more freedom of movement. Combining this with some active stretching maximizes the range of motion benefits.
MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE
The lymphatic system is often forgotten about but is so crucial for maintaining homeostasis. After blood is transported from the heart and lungs to downstream tissues, like muscles, most of that blood is picked up by the venous system and sent back upstream. But some of the fluid gets picked by the lymphatic system which serves a major role in our immune system. Injuries and poor soft tissue extensibility can sometimes disrupt this fluid flow. Manual lymphatic drainage is a very light technique performed in a progressive manner to encourage optimal flow.