Soft Tissue Mobilization Therapy and Why It Is So Effective for Recovering From Injury

When a soft tissue injury causes inflammation for a prolonged period, the body forms collagenous scar tissue in long strands as part of the healing process. These strands of scar tissue are called adhesions because they stick together. Adhesions can limit the range of motion of the affected joint or limb, and pulling on them can cause pain. Soft tissue mobilization therapy is a technique that works to break up adhesions, increasing the range of motion and reducing pain.

What Is Soft Tissue Mobilisation Therapy

Soft tissue mobilization is a type of manual therapy. That means that the therapist uses his or her hands to mobilize the soft tissues to break up the adhesions. A therapist can also mobilize the soft tissues using a special metal tool, which is referred to as instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization.

Soft tissue mobilization may bear a superficial resemblance to massage, which is another type of manual therapy. However, there are important differences, particularly that soft tissue mobilization involves several specific patterns of motion. For example, friction massage is a soft tissue mobilization technique that involves specifically pushing across the muscles’ natural grain. Parallel mobilization involves finding the seams of the muscles and pushing along them. Direct oscillations involve locating the restricted tissue and then pushing on it in a rhythmic fashion, while an unlocking spiral uses rotating motions alternating in clockwise and counterclockwise motions when pushing on restricted tissues. Physical therapists need specialized training to be able to perform soft tissue mobilization correctly.

Soft tissue mobilization is used to treat conditions such as tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, and frozen shoulder. It can treat pain in the hips, knees, neck, and back. The best back pain specialist midtown OKC is likely trained in performing soft tissue mobilizations for patients’ benefit.

How PT Can Help You Recover From Injury

Physical therapy is a noninvasive treatment, meaning that it does not involve injection with needles or surgically cutting into the flesh. Compared to more invasive treatments, the risks involved in soft tissue mobilization are low, so long as you work with a trained and qualified therapist.

Soft tissue therapy may also offer an outcome as good or better than what you would receive from more invasive treatments. In one study, patients who received soft tissue mobilization from tennis elbow had a better outcome than those who received no treatment and those who received injections of corticosteroids.

You may be asking yourself, “What other benefits may I receive from soft tissue mobilization at a physical therapy clinic near me?” Possible benefits of soft tissue mobilization after an injury include the following:

  • Improved blood flow
  • Restored functionality
  • Reduced pain
  • Decreased swelling
  • Reduced inflammation

By improving the flow of blood and other fluids to the affected area, soft tissue mobilization can help to stimulate the recovery process. steroids for sale

It is important that you only receive soft tissue mobilization from someone who is trained to perform it. Before choosing a physical therapy clinic, ask whether the therapists have training in soft tissue mobilization and about their experience in performing it.

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