The Difference Between Hands-On Therapy and Traditional Physical Therapy
Have you ever heard the term "physical therapy"? It's a global term for various modalities and techniques used to get you back on your feet if you're injured, in pain with chronic conditions, or experiencing range of motion issues. Thankfully, physical therapy can help you heal and feel like yourself again. But to understand the nuanced differences that can ultimately enhance or derail your experience, it's crucial to note that not all physical therapy is created equal.
For example, people often differentiate between hands-on therapy and "traditional physical therapy" or exercise-based physical therapy. The truth is that both are effective and an essential part of a comprehensive physical therapy approach, but they differ in application and advantages.
Here are the distinctions and why our integrative Ashburn experience may just mean better results for you.
What is "Traditional" Physical Therapy?
When people think of "physical therapy", more often than not, they think of exercise. From therapeutic exercises with bands or light weights to using physical therapy equipment in a gym-like environment, the concept of physical therapy with an "exercise" based approach is essentially what most people have in mind. And they would be correct, as this is the "traditional" approach to physical therapy.
The basic principles of this modality tend to be:
- Therapeutic Exercise: This is the cornerstone. Prescribed movements or exercises specifically designed to develop strength, range of motion, endurance, and kinesthetic patterns.
- Modalities: Therapeutic agents such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation (TENS), ice, or heat applied to reduce pain and inflammation.
- Patient education: Teaching proper home exercise performance, body mechanics, and self-care options.
While everything above is incredibly beneficial and required for strength and stability, treatment based solely on exercise can hit a plateau. This tends to happen when there is excessive stiffness, extreme levels of pain, or tissue restrictions. When these mechanical issues are not directly addressed, exercise cannot be as effective, can hurt too much or be done incorrectly. And this, is where manual therapy comes in.
So What Is Hands-On Therapy?
Hands-on therapy, or manual therapy, is the broad term for specific, trained, and skilled techniques that only a trained, experienced physical therapist can employ with their hands to evaluate and treat your soft tissue and joint structures. Essentially, it's "old-school" physical therapy; the inherent ability of human touch to feel your body, guide your body, promote movement, reduce pain, and facilitate healing in ways that exercise cannot.
Thus, hands-on physical therapy is an integral component of your customized therapy program here at State of the Art Physical Therapy. It's additive and necessary. The following are some hands-on techniques that we may utilize with you during therapy, each with very specific purposes:
1. Soft Tissue Mobilization
Your therapist uses hands-on massage strokes, pressures, and techniques (from light effleurage to more aggressive friction massage) applied directly to your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia. The purpose of this technique is to melt muscle tension and spasms away, break up adhesions (sticky scar tissue) that limit range of motion. This technique also improves blood flow to areas of injury, reduces inflammation, and encourages relaxation.
2. Joint Mobilization
These are controlled, rhythmic movements applied solely via your therapist's hands to a joint. We create movements within the normal range of motion of your joint, ensuring that we never exceed the joint capsule's capacity at that moment.
Joint Mobilization increases range of motion and decreases joint stiffness and joint pain due to optimal joint mechanics and joint nutrition.
3. Joint Manipulation
Joint manipulation is a specific controlled thrust to a stiff joint, which is given rapidly to restore normal joint motion. It may create an audible pop (cavitation). This is done only when clinically appropriate by our trained experts.
4. Myofascial Release (MFR)
MFR is gentle, sustained pressure applied to fascial restrictions. The fascia is the dense connective tissue surrounding all muscles, bones, and organs. MFR allows this tissue to release tension and lengthen.
This is a powerful intervention for tightness and restrictions in your fascial web that can create pain and limited motion in your body, especially in regions not associated with your reported area of concern.
5. Muscle Energy Techniques (METs)
You will actively contract a muscle segment against therapist-facilitated resistance, and then a stretch will follow. METs are used for effective muscle lengthening and joint restriction mobilization, strengthening of weak muscles, and improved muscle coordination through proprioceptive principles.
These techniques are always chosen and adjusted based on evaluation of your symptoms, treatment response, and extensive clinical experience of your therapist.
Conclusion
Understanding how to determine the best physical therapy in Ashburn is critical to your recovery. If you're seeking something that offers personalized treatment that focuses on the right manual skills and skilled exercise programs, State of the Art Physical Therapy is the best option to put you on the right track for amazing results. We take great pride in providing only the best so that you not only overcome what's bothering you now but have the skills necessary to prevent a recurrence.
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