Manual Therapy Physiotherapists Bondi Junction, Sydney NSW

What is Manual Therapy?

Manual Therapy can be described as an advanced specialty area of physical therapy practice that is based on manual examination and treatment techniques integrated with exercise, patient education, and other therapy modalities. This therapy is used to address pain, loss of function, and general wellness, and is commonly referred to as ‘massage‘.

With Manual Therapy our physios can treat a variety of musculoskeletal pains, injuries and disabilities. The intent is to restore your optimal motion, function, and/or reduce your pain.

What are the Effects?

1. Biomechanical and Physical: it facilitates tissue repair and modelling.
2. Psychological: it can reduce pain which improves an individual’s psychological state. This pain reduction is achieved by stimulating the pain-gate mechanism, muscle inhibition, reduction of nociceptive activity, and reduced intraarticular or periarticular pressure
3. Physiological: it can produce a positive placebo response.

Manual Therapy Techniques

At JW Physical Health our practitioners encompass a variety of hands-on techniques and styles to adapt to your presenting condition.  Treatments typically target soft tissue, joint structures and skeletal-muscle areas.

Some of the techniques we use include, but are not limited to:

• Soft Tissue Massage: massage of the affected and associated areas including kneading and soft tissue releases
• Joint Mobilisation & Manipulation: this involves the light moving of joints in specific directions and at different speeds within their anatomical limit, depending on the type of injury and affected area.
• Muscle Stretching: usually involving assisted stretching and education, including tools to reproduce the movements on your own.
• Passive Movements: assisted movements of your body parts whilst you relax your muscles and allow the physio to move the affected areas.
• Resistance Techniques: movements of the affected body part produced by you against the physiotherapist’s resistance.

What Conditions can we treat with Manual Therapy?

Our practitioners use Manual Therapy Techniques to treat a variety of new injuries and ongoing chronic conditions. We listed below some of the most common we have seen over the years:

• Lower Back & Thoracic Spine Pain
• Headaches & Neck Pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Tendinopathies
• Acute Injuries such as ligament sprains and muscle strains.
• Long-term & Chronic Conditions caused from repetitive movement such as tendinitis (e.g. as ‘golfer’s elbow’ or ‘tennis elbow’)

Treatment Outcomes

Outcomes of this treatment can be very effective in reducing general pain and stiffness and for the treatment of repetitive strain and chronic ongoing physical ailments. This treatment can significantly speed up your recovery time and it can also help to get you to move in a more efficient manner. Main outcomes of Manual Therapy Treatments are:

• Improve Tissue Extensibility
• Increase Range of Motion
• Increase Mobility
• Relaxation of the injured muscles and surrounding areas
• Change Muscle Function
• Feeling of ‘Good’ Pain
• Reduce Swelling and Inflammation of the soft tissue