Manual Therapy in Langley, BC

Are you tired of living with pain and flexibility issues?

If so, you’re not alone. Millions of people suffer from conditions like chronic pain and limited mobility, which can significantly impact their quality of life. Fortunately, there is a natural and safe solution to help you overcome these issues: Manual Therapy.

So what is manual therapy?

Manual therapy, also known as manipulative therapy, is a physical treatment primarily aimed at treating musculoskeletal pain and disability through kneading and manipulation of muscles, joint mobilization, and joint manipulation.

It is a specialized form of hands-on treatment used by physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. It involves skilled manipulation of soft tissues, joints, and muscles using various techniques such as joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization, muscle energy techniques, and trigger point therapy.

The primary goals of manual therapy are to reduce pain, improve mobility, restore function, and promote healing in patients suffering from conditions like back pain, neck pain, headaches, sports injuries, and joint stiffness.

By applying targeted pressure and movement to affected areas, manual therapists aim to release tension, increase the range of motion, and stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, often as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that may include exercise and other therapeutic modalities.

Manual Therapy

Manual physiotherapy in Langley: A non-invasive and effective treatment option

At Opal Physio, we incorporate manual therapy as part of our treatment plan. Our manual therapists in Langley use their hands-on techniques to identify and treat regions of your body that are tight or restricted. Our therapists employ a variety of manual treatment approaches to address issues using procedures they acquired over years of continuing education and practical training.

Hands-on manual therapist services

The Foundation of our hands-on approach to efficient physiotherapy treatment is manual therapy. Our highly skilled hand-on manual therapists in Langley can help enhance your range of motion and quickly minimize your pain. As a result of their therapy, individuals may be able to achieve increased mobility, strength, and therapeutic recovery.

Our manual physiotherapists are committed to providing our patients with the best possible care. If you are experiencing musculoskeletal pain, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced physiotherapists. We look forward to helping you on your road to recovery.

Manual Hands-on Physiotherapy
Manual Hands-on Physiotherapy

Benefits of manual therapy

  • To help control pain.
  • Improve flexibility and range of motion by reducing joint stiffness and muscle tension.
  • Help improve the healing of injured tissues.
  • Improve the extensibility of tissues.
  • Reduce soft tissue inflammation.
  • Increased blood flow and enhanced ability to move.
  • Posture re-training.

Conditions commonly treated with hand’s-on manual therapy.

  • Ankle sprains
  • Myofascial pain syndrome
  • Frozen Shoulder
  • Lower back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Shoulder conditions (Rotator Cuff injury, impingement/bursitis)
  • Headaches
  • Knee conditions 
  • Hip conditions
  • Thoracic pain
  • Elbow pain (Golfer’s elbow, Tennis elbow etc.)

Our manual therapy techniques include:

Joint mobilization

Joint mobilization can increase circulation, improve joint mobility, and help with pain and range of motion. These are controlled movements applied to a joint with different intensities and amplitudes and are thought to target the connective tissues in the surrounding area.

Physiotherapists frequently use joint mobilization, which involves passively moving a joint to have a therapeutic effect. By allowing supplementary glides, manual therapy can help to mobilize scar tissue, improve muscle recovery, and increase joint mobility.

Manual soft tissue mobilization

Soft tissue mobilization helps alleviate pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This is done through manual pressure on myofascial structures. Common manual techniques for soft tissue injuries include:

  • Deep tissue massages, remedial massage, and lymphatic drainage help improve blood flow and get rid of toxins.
  • Myofascial release therapy to address restrictions in the Fascia.
  • Muscle Energy techniques.
  • Trigger point release targets the sore spots in the muscle that could refer pain to other parts of the body.
  • Neural mobilization.
  • Visceral Fascial Mobilization encourages normal mobility and tone and reduces any tissue restrictions.

About manual therapy

Manual Therapy is an evolved form of physiotherapy that treats the roots of the problem rather than the symptoms. It uses a very gentle, hands-on approach to relieve pain and stiffness in muscles, joints, and connective tissue using manual techniques. It is an effective treatment based on scientific evidence in which physical therapists use their hands to manually mobilize and reduce areas of muscle spasm, release tight muscles and stiff joints, or stimulate nerves.

Manual Physiotherapy

Manual Physiotherapy is an increasingly popular pain management approach. It includes both treatment and prevention of injuries and helping with the rehabilitation of chronic pain. Manual therapy is successful in various situations and conditions for patient management. This form of physiotherapy treatment targets muscles, ligaments and joints and helps recover from a variety of injuries such as back and knee pain, herniated disc, arthritis, and soft tissue injury, among others and helps restore function.

The techniques are performed by a qualified physiotherapist through myofascial release, mobilizations and, in some situations, manipulations to treat the pain-causing structures. The therapist will also augment the effect of manual physiotherapy through active exercises program to help reduce pain and as home management.

Manual therapy – treatment approach

Manual therapy is an essential part of physiotherapy treatment that helps to alleviate musculoskeletal pain and restore movement in the body. At our physiotherapy clinic in Langley, we offer manual therapy techniques that are tailored to meet the specific needs of each patient. Our experienced physiotherapists use hands-on approaches to assess and treat musculoskeletal and neuromuscular problems.

Manual Therapy Services In Langley

About Manual Therapy

Manual therapy involves the application of specific techniques by our physiotherapists to the affected areas, including joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Our team of physiotherapists are highly trained and experienced in a variety of manual therapy techniques, such as joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, trigger point release, and muscle energy techniques. These techniques are designed to reduce pain, increase mobility, and improve the function of the affected areas.

Manual therapy is an effective treatment option for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, neck pain, sports injuries, and post-operative rehabilitation. We believe in providing our patients with the highest quality of care, which is why we use evidence-based practice to ensure that our treatment methods are safe and effective.

At our clinic, we believe in an integrated approach to treatment, which means that we take into account the patient’s overall health and well-being. Our manual therapists will help in identifying the root cause of your musculoskeletal problem and develop a personalized treatment plan that meets your individual needs and goals.

The McKenzie Approach- MDT(Manual diagnosis and therapy)

The McKenzie approach to treatment is a therapeutic technique that focuses on diagnosing and treating mechanical pain – in the back, neck, and extremities. It was developed by Robin McKenzie, a New Zealand physiotherapist. The McKenzie approach is based on the idea that problems in the spine and pelvis cause mechanical back pain. McKenzie believed this pain could be relieved by identifying and correcting these problems with exercises and manual therapy.

The focus of the McKenzie Therapeutic Technique

The main focus is on identifying and classifying the condition based on the symptomatic and mechanical response, directional preference, self-treatment and patient education. In addition, the emphasis is on reducing patient dependency with minimal interventions as possible and combining exercise with therapeutic intervention as necessary for pain relief.

This treatment technique is applied to most conditions, including acute or chronic low back pain, herniated discs, sciatic pain, stiff neck, whiplash, knee pain, shoulder pain etc.

At Opal physiotherapy, we utilize McKenzie’s MDT-based approach and treatment. Following assessment, your physiotherapist will offer the appropriate treatment, guidance on home exercises, postural corrections, and modifications to help improve your chronic pain and progress with strength and flexibility exercises training routine. Our physiotherapists can help you reduce pain and return to your normal self in a few sessions.

Frequently asked questions:

Manual therapy is a type of physical therapy that involves using hands-on techniques to treat various musculoskeletal conditions. It is scientifically proven to be more effective than conventional modality-based physiotherapy methods as it can often help long-standing issues. Manual Therapy Techniques can include myofascial release therapy, joint mobilization, and manipulation.

Orthopedic manual therapy treatment (OMT )is a form of physical therapy that involves manual techniques for the musculoskeletal system. The goal of manual therapy is to increase mobility and flexibility, reduce pain and muscle spasms, improve strength and endurance, and increase joint function in the body. Manual therapy can be used along with other types of physical therapy or as part of an integrated treatment plan for patients with orthopedic injuries or disorders.

Orthopedic manual therapists work with patients to develop exercises to help them recover from injuries and to prevent future ones. OMT includes joint mobilization and manipulation, passive stretches, myofascial release, muscle energy technique, lifestyle modification(LM) and soft tissue massage.

Depending on the condition at hand, manual therapy treatments range from restorative exercises to active release techniques that help ease pain or restore range of motion. The goal is always to restore function to the patient’s musculoskeletal system so they can return to doing the things they enjoy.

Manual therapy is utilized to treat muscle or joint dysfunction. It is best suited for those with acute and chronic pain or injuries that have not healed on their own

Manual physiotherapy treatment techniques are used to reduce joint and muscle stiffness, alleviate pain, improve range of motion, and optimize functional mobility.

Manipulation is a part of the manual therapy technique used by physiotherapists or chiropractors. Manipulation is a specific technique that uses thrusting motions with quick movements to push a joint beyond its normal range of movement for manual adjustments of the spine or extremities to provide pain relief and improve joint mobility.

We do not use manipulation techniques. However, we use other major manual hands-on techniques that include Muscle release, joint and soft tissue mobilization, and corrective exercises to help alleviate pain and restore flexibility. Studies have shown that manipulation alone has no superior long-term benefits compared to other treatment methods.

Every person will need different amounts of treatment time. It depends on your day-to-day activities and how your body reacts to therapy procedures.

Manual therapy can be used alone or as part of a combined conservative approach to injury rehabilitation. Manual therapy is commonly used in conjunction with other treatment modalities like exercise prescription or performance training. In addition to treating acute injuries, manual therapy can be used as part of a long-term plan to prevent injury recurrence and improve overall health.

Manual therapy requires hands-on learning and skill. Becoming proficient in this kind of therapy takes a lot of time and effort to be able to assess problems with joints, muscles, and nerves. In addition, this skill takes time and practice to master, which not every therapist may be able to practice or want to pursue.

Get help today

Need help with your pain and mobility? To get more information on manual therapy services in Langley, contact us by calling 604-532-7887 today. You can also call us to schedule an appointment session with our manual therapist in the Langley location now.