Manual therapy for iliotibial band friction syndrome is directed toward reducing the inflammation of the condition and correcting its underlying cause.
How do we treat spasmed low back muscles with manual therapy?
Manual therapy treatment for low back muscle tightness involves hot and cold hydrotherapy, soft tissue manipulation, stretching, and joint mobilization.
How do we treat frozen shoulder with manual therapy?
Manual therapy stretching and joint mobilization are two essential treatment modalities when working on a client with frozen shoulder.
How do we treat hamstring strain with manual therapy?
The goal of manual therapy for a chronic hamstring strain is to decrease hamstring hypertonicity and help promote healthy scar formation.
How do we treat spasmed neck muscles with manual therapy?
Manual therapy treatment: Manual therapy treatment for spasmed muscles of the neck (tightness of neck musculature) includes all the major soft tissue technique tools. Heat hydrotherapy, soft tissue manipulation, stretching, and joint mobilization (also known as arthrofascial stretching/AFS). It is …
Self-care and medical approaches to iliotibial band friction syndrome
Self-care for iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS) begins with RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. And offending activities should be avoided.
Key Strategies to Improve Your Manual Therapy Skills
In this blog, we will share key strategies to help you enhance your manual therapy skills and build confidence in your practice.
How do we treat low back strains and sprains with manual therapy?
For a low back strain / sprain, because the muscles of the low back are so large and powerful, the first goal of manual therapy is to reduce the spasming.
How do we treat an ankle sprain with manual therapy?
Manual therapy treatment for an acute inversion ankle sprain is aimed at decreasing swelling and inflammation and relieving associated muscle spasming.
What are the self-care and medical approaches to meralgia paresthetica?
Self-care for meralgia paresthetica: heat and stretching of the involved muscles, and removing the physical stress factors that contribute to the condition.
How do we treat De Quervain’s syndrome with manual therapy?
Once present, De Quervain’s syndrome (De Quervain’s disease) can be challenging to resolve, but manual therapy treatment can be very beneficial.
How do we treat adductor strain with manual therapy?
Once chronic, manual therapy for an adductor strain is geared toward decreasing muscle tightness, myofascial trigger points, and fascial adhesions.
Pin and Stretch Technique
Pin and stretch technique focuses the force of the stretch on the region of the muscle that is between the pinned point and the attachment that is moved.
How do we treat Tennis Elbow with manual therapy?
A good manual therapy protocol for tennis elbow is fascial spreading, longitudinal and cross fiber strokes, and pin and stretch to the posterior forearm.
How do we treat Golfer’s Elbow with manual therapy?
A good protocol for manual therapy for golfer’s elbow involves fascial spreading, longitudinal and cross fiber strokes, and pin and stretch technique.
The Science Behind Physiotherapy’s Role in Muscle Recovery
Let’s discuss why and how physiotherapy works and how it is crucial in proper muscle recovery.
ASK Dr. Joe – “Ask Me Anything”
I am creating a new blog post feature to my content called Ask Dr. Joe, or perhaps better put, Ask Me Anything*. With Ask Me Anything, you can write to me by email (joseph.e.muscolino@gmail.com) and ask me any question about: …
Infant Touch Lessens Pain in Infants
The major take-home points regarding infant touch from this study are: 1. Touch can be beneficial toward lessening pain; and 2. The quality of touch matters.
Manual Therapy as a Treatment for Overuse Injures
Regarding overuse injuroies, the authors suggested that if manual therapy were administered early, before pathological changes occur…
More Frequent Massage Sessions are More Effective for Neck Pain
Multiple 60-minute massages per week were more effective than fewer or shorter sessions for individuals with chronic neck pain.
The Effect of Manual Therapy on COPD
Soft tissue manipulation produced immediate clinically meaningful improvements in lung function in patients with severe and very severe COPD.
Massage Therapy Continuing Education
The value of massage therapy continuing education is often dependent on learning how to apply fundamental skill sets of manual therapy.
Myofascial Trigger Point Treatment and Lactate Levels
Massage therapy might reduce a myofascial trigger point by increasing lactate levels, not by directly increasing arterial blood flow.
Massage Therapy Reduces Pain in Mothers After Caesarean Birth
Mothers who had massage therapy after caesarean birth had increased relaxation, decreased pain, decreased stress, and decreased opioid use.
Altered Pelvic Bone Motion and Sacroiliac Pain
These findings of altered movement and glide support the concept that altered mechanics of the sacroiliac joint are correlated with the presence of pain.
Massage Improves Children’s Surgical Postoperative Recovery
Children receiving postoperative massage therapy had significantly lower anxiety and lower exposure to benzodiazepines than the standard of care group.
Massage Therapy is an Effective Post-Exercise Recovery Technique to Reduce DOMS
The authors concluded that massage appears to be the most effective method that was studied for reducing DOMS and perceived fatigue.
Ten Massage Therapy “Dos and Don’ts”
This is not a list of precautions or contraindications for massage therapy. Rather it is list of miscellaneous, somewhat random, “dos and don’ts” that I believe would improve massage therapy sessions with clients.
Deep Pressure Massage to the Low Back – Deep Strokes
To transition to perform deep strokes and maintain proper body mechanics, it is necessary to transition from being perpendicular to be slightly horizontal to glide along the client’s body. However, minimize the horizontal direction or pressure into the client’s tissues will be lost.
Deep Pressure Massage to the Low Back – Use Stacked Joints
Stacked joints are aligned in a straight line; in other words, the joints are extended as in anatomic position. This allows for the force from your core to travel through your upper extremity and into the client with little or no loss of strength.
