•Physical Therapy•
Physical Therapy at INTEGRATIVE Manual Therapy & Wellness consists of a thorough evaluation to determine each patient’s underlying cause or causes of dysfunction. A comprehensive “systems approach” is then utilized to address dysfunction in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, joints, connective tissue, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and vascular/lymph systems. Our manual therapies include osteopathic manipulation, muscle energy technique, strain-counterstrain and advanced strain-counterstrain, craniosacral therapy, neural tension techniques, myofascial and neurofascial release, and visceral mobilization. With this detailed approach, we are able to treat the underlying dysfunction – not just symptoms – and treat each individual as a unique structural, functional whole.
Therapists will perform a systems review, use appropriate examination tools and quality-of-life instruments as well as the patient’s physical activity history, current exercise regimen, nutritional intake, sleep patterns, work activities, and stress level in order to make their assessment.
Physical therapy and the combination of Pilates and other postural re-education has tremendous potential to reverse the trend of inactivity and faulty body mechanics by helping establish age-appropriate fitness and wellness programs for life.
Hands On Physical Therapy
Manual Therapy
MOBILIZATION - The principle objective is to restore range of motion to a joint with altered motion and restricted function, improve joint positions or alignment, and distribute mechanical stress to a joint more evenly. The result is improvement of joint function, which often leads to a reduction in pain, increased joint adaptivity to mechanical stress, and reduction of the possibility of reinjury.
MUSCLE ENERGY TECHNIQUES - A form of manipulative treatment using active muscle contraction at varying intensities from a precisely controlled position in a specific direction against a distinctly executed counter-force. Muscle energy techniques are used to mobilize joint restrictions, restore physiologic joint motion, strengthen weak musculature, stretch tight myofascia, reduce muscle tone and improve local circulation. The underlying principle is that muscular activity can be utilized to restore physiologic joint motion. Flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation movements are used to identify passive physiological vertebral and joint positions. Therapist-directed maneuvers are precisely applied against abnormal vertebral motion barriers as the patient isometrically resists.
STRAIN/COUNTERSTRAIN - The passive placement of the body in a position of greatest comfort to reduce pain. This is a positional release therapy in which pain release is achieved by the reduction and arrest of continuing appropriate proprioceptive activity, which maintains the motion of dysfunction. The principle is spontaneous release, resulting in pain reduction that is typically away form the motion restriction or in the direction of motion ease or comfort. This allows gamma motor neuron activity to the intrafusal fibers of the shortened muscle to decrease, which allows the spindle to reset to normal activity status. Advanced strain/counterstrain addresses autonomically innervated tissues.
NAGS (Natural Apophyseal Glides) - Mid range to end range facet joint mobilizations that are applied anterosuperiorly along the treatment planes of the joint selected. These are oscillary mobilizations which can be applied to the facet joint between the second cervical vertebra and the third thoracic vertebra, which are used to increase spinal movement and decrease the pain associated with it.
MWM (Mobilizations with Movement) - This si the combination of mobilization and movment of the joint to be treated. MWM's are applied to the extremities, and are very similar to SNAGS, which are applied to the spine. The main difference between the spinal techniques and those for the extremities is: with the spinal techniques the facet mobilizations are normally in the direction of the active movement taking place; with the extremities the sustained mobilization to correct a positional fault are applied in a different direction to the movement glide taking place. With many joints the correction can be maintained with taping.
MYOFASCIAL RELEASE - A form of joint tissue therapy which is based upon neuroreflexive responses that reduce tissue tension. The appropriate application of manual contact requires the determination of the best point of entry into the musculoskeletal system, selection of the most suitable types of strees induced inhibitory effect, and the sensitivity and palpation to react properly to tissue response. The net result is the relaxation of tissue tension and subsequent decrease in myofascial tightness. Positional and function symmetries improve as a result of balancing myofascial tension in the involved area.
CRANIOSACRAL TECHNIQUES -The objective is to restore functional symmetries to distorted cranial bone positioning and movement with the use of the palpating hand. Specifically directed gentle pressures are applied to the cranium or sacrum to redirect cerebral and spinal blood flow, as well as cerebrospinal fluid fluctuation. Congestion or retardation of venous drainage or cerebral spine fliud within the cranium and the spinal column is hypothesized to be the cause of local biomechanical changes which lead to tissue irritability. Treatment would then prevent statis and help to lubricate inflamed irritable nerves or membranes.
Excerpts taken from "Ration Manual Therapy," by John Basmajian and Rich Nyberg.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
INTEGRATIVEManual Therapy & Wellness
350 W. 22nd Street, Suite 108
Norfolk, Virginia 23517
(757) 216.4151
