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Our blog will feature our Healthy Lifestyle article on Ang Peryodiko Newspaper: Rehab and Exercise Tips. This will also be a guide to our Rehab and Therapy clients.
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4/26/2020 0 Comments Manual TherapyWritten by: Navreen Sidhu BSc. CAT(C), Athletic Therapist Athletic Therapists specialize in treating musculoskeletal related injuries whether it’s acute, chronic or post-operative. Injuries involving the bone, muscle, tendon or ligaments do not only cause pain, but also dysfunction to the boney and soft tissue structures of the body. Impairments to these structures often leads to hypomobility (decreased joint movement), and prevents patients from taking part in activities they enjoy doing. While the utilization of hot packs and electrical modalities help patients to a certain extent; however, treatment in the form of manual therapy has shown to restore, normalize, and optimize the functionality of your body in a more effective manner. During an appointment with me, you will often find me utilizing some form of manual therapy coupled with exercises. These exercises will help maintain whatever was achieved via manual therapy. For example, if a patient came in with decreased ankle dorsiflexion (pointing the foot towards the shin). I would start off by performing posterior glides of the talocrural joint to help the patient gain some ankle dorsiflexion, and then prescribe at-home exercises that will help maintain and further increase ankle mobility.  What is Manual Therapy?Manual Therapy involves proficient hands-on movements as well as skillful passive movements of joints and soft tissue. Common Joint and Soft tissue techniques used by ATs:
What can manual therapy help with?
Examples of common injuries and conditions that can be treated using manual therapy:
How Can You Benefit from Manual Therapy?Whether it’s your initial or subsequent appointment with me, you will find that any manual therapy technique utilized is based off an extensive examination of your injury. After gaining a better understanding of your condition, a form of manual therapy is incorporated into the treatment plan. Since there are a wide variety of manual therapy techniques used, each technique is uniquely beneficial and catered to your body’s need. For instance, the usage of myofascial release (a form of massage), cupping, or graston on an injury site can help reduce inflammation, improve tissue extensibility, and break down scar tissue. On the other hand, the application of joint mobilizations can help improve mobility and aid in decreasing pain.
After reading this article, I hope this provides some insight on the value of manual therapy, what athletic therapists do, and most importantly what to expect when booking an appointment with me.
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Written by: Jan Earl de Chavez BSc-Kin. CAT(C) Athletic Therapist
HistoryBefore an athletic therapist begins physically testing joints and muscles, they need to ask the patient questions about what they are coming in for. These questions cover topics such as general health, occupation, sports or fitness, injury specifics, and pain sensations. By receiving answers to these questions, the athletic therapist better understands why their patient is here. ObservationThere are two parts to observation, standing and walking. Standing observation is where the AT observes the alignment of various structures of your body from the front, sides and behind. The walking observation is how the AT determines whether movement is being affected, or just how the patient walks in general. These two are important in giving the AT insight on how the body is compensating due to the injury or condition. Joint Rule-Out and Functional TestThe joint rule-out quickly tests the joint above and below the affected area to ensure that there are no issues with them. The functional test is a simple movement test to determine whether daily tasks are affected by the injury. Range of Motion Testing
Muscle TestingAlso called isometric resisted testing as there is no movement occurring in the joint but the muscles are contracting. Different than the active range of motion, muscle testing is conducted with the AT holding the joint at an angle that stresses a muscle group while the patient performs a muscle contraction. Different resistances are performed to test all the muscles groups that act on the joint. The AT determine the strength level of the contraction and compares between affected and unaffected parts. Special TestsThese are unique tests for a specific joint that confirms or eliminates the presence of an injury or condition. The shoulder is a great example as it has numerous tests for ligamentous sprains, impingements, joint laxity and capsule issues, muscle strains or tightness, and nerve compression. To narrow down which tests to perform, the AT uses all the informed gained from all the previous components of the assessment, especially the history. Palpation Palpation can also be done after the observation is conducted, or it can be used to conclude the assessment. This is where the AT feels for palpable bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons to confirm which structures they believe are affected by the injury or condition. They can also feel for swelling, or determine sensory changes of the area.
Once the orthopaedic physical assessment concludes, the AT presents their differential diagnosis where they present what they think is injured or affected and why. After this, the AT will educate the patient on the rehabilitation program they will undergo and the appointment moves on to the treatment. The assessment usually takes about 25-minutes which leaves plenty of time in the appointment for any manual treatment and rehabilitative exercises. Now that you know what to expect on your initial assessment, come visit me at Insahyu Training + Therapy located at 250 Saulteaux Crescent, or you can visit our website at www.insahyu.com and book online. |
AuthorTeam Insahyu: Certified Athletic Therapists. CategoriesAll Anatomy Arms Athletic Tape Athletic Therapy Back Pain Conditions Elbows Exercises Healthy Lifestyle Hips Knees Orthotics Pregnancy Rehab Tips Running Shoulders Stretching Tips Treatments Winter Wrists |
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