Manual Therapy and Manipulation

What Is Manual Therapy?

Manual therapy is the term used to describe hands on physiotherapy treatment. It is a cornerstone of rehabilitation and has been used by physio’s for years to speed up and optimise recovery from injury. A number of treatment techniques come under the umbrella of manual therapy:

• joint mobilisation

• soft tissue release

• muscle energy techniques

• manipulation

What Is Manipulation?

Manipulation is a highly skilled form of manual therapy where the physio performs a short, sharp thrust to a stiff joint in order to release it and allow it to move more efficiently. You can often hear an audible click and feel a release of pressure immediately when a manipulation is performed well.

What Is Manual Therapy Used to Treat?

Some form of manual therapy will be used to treat almost any injury you have. Whether it is a tight muscle that needs to be released, a stiff joint that need manipulated to free it up, or an arthritic painful knee that needs to be mobilised to ease the pain, manual therapy will have an important role to play. Some common conditions that benefit from manual therapy and manipulation are:

• chronic back pain

• stiff or sore neck

• frozen shoulder

• knee and hip arthritis

What Should I Expect?

Manual therapy is hands on treatment so the physio will need access to the body part being treated. The area being treated might be moved, stretched, or massaged by the physio in order to achieve the intended result. In most cases people report that they feel a positive improvement after having manual therapy treatment.

Will It Hurt?

In almost all cases manual therapy should not be painful. That isn’t to say that there might be some mild discomfort or what we regularly hear described as ‘good pain’! If there is more significant pain then the manual therapy technique will be adjusted accordingly so that it is more comfortable. As with most physiotherapy treatments, later that day you will likely know that you have been worked on but again it should feel quite good, like the ache you feel after exercising.

How Many Sessions Will I Need And How Much Will It Cost?

Manual therapy will be included as part of a regular physiotherapy session. The number of sessions needed varies depending on the injury being treated.