Soft Tissue Mobilization In Knoxville
If you are an athlete, you probably know how hard it is to excel in your chosen sport. It doesn’t matter if you are training for a marathon or competing in a recital, big game, or any other event, it takes a lot of preparation and effort. It is important to train your muscles to function in the way you want. This can lead to soreness and pain. Although this is a minor setback it does not change the fact it can temporarily slow down your training.
People who have suffered from prolonged overuse of their muscles often use soft tissue mobilization. It can help loosen up tight areas, make recovery faster and easier, so you can get back to your goal.
Soft tissue mobilization, a type of manual physical therapy, is where your licensed physical therapist uses hands-on techniques to your muscles and ligaments with the aim of breaking adhesions. It also optimizes your muscle function.
Adhesions occur when your body attempts to heal a soft tissue trauma with long-term inflammation. This results in collagenous scar tissue and long strands. These new tissues pull together, creating trigger points for pain.
Goals of soft tissue mobilization:
- Reduce adhesions or break them down
- Increase range of motion
- Strengthen muscles and tendons
- Reducing swelling and edema
- Reduce pain
- Restore functionality
Soft Tissue Mobilization Techniques Used in Knoxville
Your licensed PT has been specially trained to manipulate your muscles, ligaments and nerves in precise ways that will provide pain relief and help you get back to normal.
There are specific techniques that can be used to mobilize soft tissue.
Sustained pressure – pushing directly on the restricted tissue.
Locking the spiral – Push on the restrained tissue in an alternating clockwise/counterclockwise rotating motions
Direct oscillations – rhythmic pushing on the restricted tissues
Perpendicular mobilization: Pushing on the myofascial tissue from right angles.
Parallel mobilization – Pushing along the muscle seams
Perpendicular strumming is rhythmic pushing along the muscle border, followed with rubber of the top of the muscle
Friction massage: Pushing across the grain of muscles, tendons, and ligaments
To be able to use soft tissue mobilization techniques, you need to have a solid understanding of anatomy and physiology. You also need to understand the effects on physical function that manipulating tissues can have. Physical therapists are trained in the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of movement dysfunction disorders. We use many strategies to help patients achieve their functional goals, including soft tissue mobilization.
Benefits of Soft Tissue Mobilization in Knoxville
Physical therapists have a wealth of resources to help them treat patients with soft tissue mobilization. It can reduce pain, restore soft tissue, increase mobility, improve function, and speed up recovery. Soft tissue mobilization can be used to treat the following conditions:
- Ankle sprains
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Chronic back pain
- Chronic neck pain
- Hip pain
- Knee pain
- Muscle strains and sprains
- Plantar fasciitis
- Scar tissue
- Shoulder pain
- Shin splints
- Tendinitis
- Scarring after surgery
- Epicondylitis
- De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
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Jessica S.
“Simply PT is incredible. They have the sweetest, most caring staff. As someone who has worked in this field, Dr. Stephen and Dr. John Mark genuinely care about their patients. It’s hard to come across a group of health care providers who listens and cares for you in their best way. They spend one on one time with you, create a plan, and work as hard as they can to get you back to where you’d like to be. I’ve been seen by several doctors for TMJ (including surgery) and Simply PT had me feeling better within just a few weeks. I would recommend Dr. Stephen to anyone and everyone for PT!”
Pam A.
“I was very pleased with my experience at Simply Physio. Dr. Stephen was always very positive and encouraging, and he explained the rationale behind everything he did. The entire office staff made every visit a positive experience”