Chiropractic Manual Therapy: Relieving Tension and Mental Fatigue by Hand

When you’re in pain or have stiff joints, you often think of the chiropractor as your saving grace. One of the key components to alleviating your pain and discomfort is through chiropractic manual therapy, or the practice of providing chiropractic care with hands-on techniques. While many chiropractic practices utilize the latest technology to help reduce your suffering, sometimes the best solution is through manual application. 

What is Chiropractic Manual Therapy

Chiropractic manual therapy encompasses hands-on procedures where direct bodily contact is used to treat soft tissues and articulations. Essentially, it's a drug-free, technology-free approach that uses a chiropractor's hands to manipulate and remobilize the body. This helps achieve a range of beneficial results, including:

• Improving tissue stability and extensibility

• Increasing range of motion

• Mobilizing soft tissues and joints

• Encouraging relaxation

• Changing muscle function

• Relieving pain

• Reducing soft tissue swelling or movement restriction
  

When your chiropractor uses manual therapy, they apply precise pressure to muscle tissue and skillfully maneuver joints to reduce pain caused by tension, muscle spasms, and joint dysfunction.

The Movements Behind Manual Therapy

There's a wide array of manual therapy techniques, all designed to relax tense muscles and free up restricted joints. Most of these techniques rely on three core types of movement:

• Manipulation: This involves a rapid, often direct or rotational force that may result in an audible popping sound. This sound is caused by the release of gas bubbles that form during joint cavitation, helping to restore movement.

• Mobilization: A slower, more controlled process that involves stretching soft tissues to improve flexibility and range of motion.

• Massaging: Kneading and rubbing of soft tissues to redistribute fluid, relax muscles, increase circulation, break up scar tissue, reduce pain, and ease muscle tension.
  

Often, manipulation and mobilization are discussed together as they frequently complement each other. These movements involve calculated forces and speeds, spanning various distances, all aimed at relieving stiff tissues, minimizing joint pain, enhancing flexibility, and realigning joints.

What to Expect: Types of Manual Therapy Techniques During Your Chiropractic Visit

During your initial chiropractic visit, your chiropractor will perform a thorough assessment of your condition. This involves checking nerve and blood supply in the affected area, as well as examining bones and muscles. This comprehensive evaluation helps them determine the most appropriate manual therapy technique, which might include:

• Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT): IMT employs various manual therapy methods to pinpoint and clear blockages within body systems, restoring proper function.
  

• Myofascial Release: This technique focuses on releasing and loosening areas of fascia—the connective tissue that surrounds muscles and organs—that may be stuck. It uses gentle, consistent pressure to mobilize these fibrous tissues, relax contracted muscles, and boost blood and oxygen flow.
  

• Muscle Energy Techniques (MET): MET targets stiff joints. You'll be asked to gently contract and relax specific muscle groups, using the muscle's own energy to release tension, lengthen the muscle, and make stretching more effective.
  

• Neural Tissue Tension Techniques: Sometimes nerves can adhere to nearby structures, sending pain signals. These techniques work to release nerves that have become "stuck."
  

• Strain and Counter-Strain (Positional Release Therapy): Used for muscle spasms or overly tight, short, or overactive muscles. Your chiropractor will position your body to optimize the muscle, then guide you through a relaxation process to soften, relax, and lengthen it.
  

• Joint Mobilization: Your chiropractor may use joint mobilization to reduce pain and restore proper joint function. This technique involves applying passive movements to the joint with varying levels of pressure, speed, and amplitude.
  

• Passive and Active Assistive Range of Motion: If your range of motion is limited due to pain, stiffness, scar tissue, or other reasons, your chiropractor can perform passive (they do the movement for you) or active assistive (you both perform the movement) techniques. This helps reduce pain and increase joint mobility.
  

• Manual Stretching: Your chiropractor may use various stretching techniques, such as static, dynamic, or pre-contraction stretching, to improve your range of motion and flexibility.
  

• High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude Thrusting: This more assertive technique restores joint motion by moving a joint to (but not beyond) its restrictive barrier, allowing it to open and close more effectively.
  

Your chiropractor will evaluate your condition and make an assessment based on their determination. They will then work with you over time, using the customized manual therapy approach best suited for your unique situation, guiding you towards improved health and reduced chiropractic back pain.

Finding the Ideal Chiropractic Therapy Solution

Whether you’re looking for the latest in chiropractic technology or manual chiropractic therapy, we’ve got you covered. Chiropractic Memphis Downtown focuses on providing chiropractic solutions that determine the cause of your pain and relieve it as quickly and painlessly as possible. We use a combination of the latest technology and hands-on application to reduce your pain and eliminate discomfort so you can get your full range of motion back. For safe, effective chiropractic care, Chiropractic Memphis Downtown is here to help.