Manual Therapy

What is Manual Therapy?

Manual therapy is a form of physical therapy that is applied only by hand without the use of any device or machine. In manual therapy, practitioners use only their hands to manipulate the joints in the area and put pressure on the muscle tissue to reduce pain caused by muscle spasm, muscle tension, and joint dysfunction.

To Whom Can Manual Therapy Be Applied?

Manual therapy can help treat people with joint disorders that lack adequate mobility and room for movement in some musculoskeletal structures. These disorders can cause pain and change in function, posture and movement in the person. Manual physical therapy is used to strengthen the mobility of the joints and reduce muscle tension to allow the patient to move more naturally without pain. Manual therapy; sacroiliac joint dysfunction, chronic back pain, acute back pain caused by soft tissue injuries, joint problems such as back muscle tension and ligament withdrawals can provide relief to people. It seems to be effective in treating patients with chronic low back and back pain following manual therapy. Manual physical therapy techniques include several applications:

• Pressure is applied to soft tissues and muscles, including massage. This pressure relaxes the muscles, improves circulation, helps to break down damaged tissue and reduces pain in soft tissues.
• The mobilization/manipulation method, which involves movements at different speeds (from slow to fast), is used to bend, pull, or push force (from light to force) and stretch (called 'amplitude') bones and joints.

Things to Consider Before Manual Therapy

Before starting manual therapy or any physiotherapy, your therapist will perform a thorough evaluation to detect muscle, bone, and nerve damage to the area where therapy will be applied to prevent any risks. He then applies a treatment that includes one or more of the types of physical therapy specific to the patient's condition.

Soft Tissue Mobilization

It is applied to activate the joints and the muscles around it. When joint movements improve, the tension of the muscles decreases. Manual therapy is carried out to relieve muscle tension and eliminate joint disorders. Soft tissue mobilization reduces muscle tension by activating tissue fluids to treat myofascial adhesions that arise from various causes. This procedure is applied to all of the muscles surrounding the spine and consists of rhythmic stretching and strong pressure.

Ger and Say

This technique focuses on correcting abnormal neuromuscular reflexes that cause structural and postural problems and is applied to the points that trigger pain. The therapist finds the most comfortable position of the patient by asking at what point the sensitivity decreases. The patient is held in this comfortable position for about 90 seconds. During this period, asymptomatic tension occurs with slight stretching and is gradually removed from this position. Then the body muscles are allowed to return to a normal level of tension. Natural strain on the muscles determines the stage of recovery. This technique is preferred in the treatment of back problems that are too acute or too sensitive to be treated with other procedures.

Joint Mobilization

Patients often complain that the backs involve a certain muscle, rest, ice and massage application reduce pain. But back pain usually recurs. With joint mobilization, the joints that have been involved are relaxed and the speed of movement is increased.

What are the advantages of manual therapy?

• The recovery process with manual treatment is very fast. The duration of treatment is also quite short compared to other techniques.
• In manual therapy, very effective results can be obtained from the first session. Pain and tension are reduced, while the ability to move increases greatly.
• The success rate of manual therapy is much higher than other techniques. Thanks to its high success rate, it is the most frequently requested physical therapy method.
• In manual therapy, the damaged area is treated directly by hand. No tools and devices are used in any way.
• The fact that manual therapy has no side effects is one of its most important advantages.

For Which Diseases Is Manual Therapy Suitable?

Manual therapy has been successfully applied for many years in the treatment of many diseases related to the muscular and joint system. Manual therapy is especially:

• Herniated disc
• Waist shift
• Cervical hernia
• Flattening of the neck
• Joint problems
• Muscle tearing
• Dull shoulder
• Elbow and wrist disorders
• Hip dislocation
• Pain after hip replacement
• Heel spur
• It offers a very effective treatment in the treatment of problems such as foot disorders.