Good evening and thank you for joining us for another nightly podcast. I am Dr. Harrison Campbell main chiropractor for Restoration Health a premier sugar land chiropractors office. I do these nightly podcasts in an effort to educate patients about various aspects in their lives. For tonightÃs podcast I figured we could discuss manual therapy.
Manual therapy as may sugar land chiropractors can tell you is a broad term used to classify most techniques which revolve around soft tissue work. It does not mean only hands as instruments or tools can be used to work the muscles and other soft tissues. To start we will discuss the benefits of manual therapy then progress into more information on the techniques for manual therapy.
The fist benefit of manual therapy we will discuss is in regards to muscle tension. As sugar land chiropractors will be able to palpate and discover the different tonicities or tensions in the muscle fibers and pinpoint which muscle fibers are in a constant state of contraction more commonly referred to as trigger points or knots. Manual therapy can be used to either apply pressure to this trigger point in order to have the muscle release or more active techniques can be utilized where motion is brought into the picture. With either of these techniques the goal is to decrease the tonicity of the muscle or as most people know the term, get the muscle to release meaning relax.
The reason there is importance placed on having this muscle relaxed has been discussed in previous podcasts but we will touch on the highlights again. These knots or trigger points as most people call them have decreased blood flow to the muscle supply. What this means to sugar land chiropractors is that the muscle cannot eliminate the cellular waste it produces. Have you ever had a massage where afterwards you felt like you had a minor cold? The reason for this is once the knots or trigger points are released these toxins flood the blood stream and your body has to process them out. Depending on how long the trigger points or knots were present will determine the level of toxin build up in the system.
A second reason for manual therapy being important is for proper tissue healing. A popular therapy for sugar land chiropractors to utilize for patient healing is instrument assisted soft tissue work. There are several techniques which use this method with the most common name being graston among athletes. What these techniques do is properly align the soft tissue during the healing process.
The reason I say properly aligned is because the body is very good at healing itself when given the opportunity but it does not structure the fibers correctly. To provide an example of this is imaging a straight line. This line the what a normal health muscle fiber or ligament looks like. This is the proper alignment for this soft tissue. Should an injury occur and the body is healing this ligament or tendon the scar tissue created does not form along that straight line. The body simply lays the scar tissue down with no pattern what so ever. This is where instrument assisted soft tissue work comes into play. This manual therapy technique breaks up the scar tissue which was not aligned properly and ensure the only scar tissue which is there is aligned in the straight line we envisioned earlier.
Now let us switch to discussing the various techniques for manual therapy. We covered them briefly with our topics of benefits but there are many out there. Firstly there is manual therapy which is true trigger point therapy. Pressure is applied to the trigger point with the goal of having the muscle release. As sugar land chiropractors can tell you, trigger point therapy is not the most comfortable therapy in the world. Most would describe it as the good hurt. The pain or more apply put the discomfort from the trigger point is tolerated because the patient knows the benefits and the outcome will be worth the brief discomfort.
Secondly there is the instrument assisted soft tissue which was discussed with proper tissue alignment. In my office this technique is done with a tool allowing us to break apart the improperly aligned fibers and strengthen the correctly aligned fibers. This technique is also uncomfortable but well worth the brief discomfort in terms of benefits.
Lastly we will discuss a broad technique known as muscle stripping. This technique can be very uncomfortable based on the patient but very beneficial to them. For sugar land chiropractors muscle stripping is a technique where the muscle is shortened pressure is applied then the muscle is elongated. This allows for multiple adhesions or knots to be targeted at a time. I personally use this technique on muscles which are commonly overworked such as the musculature of the forearms. This area commonly has multiple adhesions or knots and responds well to this type of therapy.
It is important to note that following manual therapy much like a massage it is important to hydrate. By drinking plenty of water you help the body flush the build up of toxins released from the knots. This will allow you to overcome these toxins at a quicker pace and ensure you stay healthy. I do hope you found this topic of manual therapy educational and you feel better equipped to understand your treatment plans. If you would like to see if manual therapy is what would help you return to optimal health please call Restoration Health today.
Thank you one again for joining us for this podcast. It is my hope that you will continue to join us as these prove educational and informative for you. As always should you or someone you know require the services of sugar land chiropractors please contact Restoration Health today. This way we can establish your treatment plan and get you on the path to better health today. Thank you once again for joining us. Have a good night.