Manual therapy is a very general way to say we are using our hands to provide a treatment. In a traditional sense, manual therapy means joint mobilizations and manipulations (see below) but in reality it means just about any form of hands-on soft tissue manipulation. There are SO MANY manual therapy techniques, too many to name. This article will hopefully provide you with a general idea of what it is.
Basically, we are using our hands to move your joints in a specific way. Think of a joint mobilization as “wiggling” your joint around in a particular direction, speed and amplitude. A joint manipulation is a small, high velocity (very fast) movement of the joint, at the very end of the joint’s available movement. Joint manipulations usually create an audible popping sound!
We use mobilizations and manipulations to restore movement and reduce pain and to ultimately get you back to your daily activities. When combined with therapeutic exercise, joint mobilizations/manipulations have a much better effect.
Joint mobilizations/manipulations can:
Muscle release techniques (MRT) is another broad category of techniques we use to reduce muscle tone and relieve pain. We use different combinations of these techniques all of the time! Here are a couple of examples:
Manual therapy is a very fast way to relieve pain (body pain, chronic back pain, chronic injuries pain, muscle pain, etc.) and improve mobility with the end goal of getting you back to your daily activities. We also use manual therapy as a diagnostic tool to help us understand your problem and provide you with the best possible therapeutic exercises.
All of our clinicians technically perform manual therapy. Our massage therapists, acupuncturist and physiotherapists all perform various techniques.
Vivian graduated with a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy from Queen’s University in 2010. She moved to Calgary and has worked with PT Health since January of 2011. Vivian has a large focus on assessing and treating the body as a whole. She has advanced training in Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS), therapeutic taping, fire-glass cupping,…
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January graduated from University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Physical Education. After a year working as a kinesiologist, she completed her Masters of Science in Physical Therapy from McMaster University in 2013. Having realized that being able to see and experience the mountains were an integral part of her well-being, she returned to Alberta….
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Jessica came to Physiotherapy by way of Veterinary Sciences. As a Veterinary Nurse (Animal Health Technician), she was inspired by the remarkable outcomes she was seeing in my four-legged patients who received physiotherapy. Her desire to learn more motivated me to return to school. She graduated with a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy from…
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Matt graduated with a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Alberta after completing an undergraduate degree in kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Originally from the Okanagan, Matt was drawn to the mountains in Alberta to pursue competitive cross-country skiing, staying in Alberta to pursue his education. Matt grew up playing…
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Selena is trained in myofascial deep tissue, prenatal, relaxation, orthopedic assessment and treatment of over 20 conditions including a focus on TMJ extra/intra oral massage. She is experienced in Swedish and non Swedish techniques, hydrotherapy, manual lymphatic drainage, joint play and remedial exercise. She will further develop and specialize through continuing education programs and other…
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Cameron graduated with a Bachelor’s of Kinesiology from the University of Calgary and joined the Maximum Potential team. Inspired by his time working at the clinic, he went back to school and completed his Master’s of Physical Therapy at the University of Alberta. Originally being from the Okanagan, Cameron has developed a love of the…
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Stephanie has been a RMT for 10 years. She graduated her remedial massage therapy course at Mh Vicars in 2011. Stephanie has treated many array of injuries and conditions in the 10 years she’s been a RMT. Some of which are, scoliosis, TMJD, carpel tunnel syndrome, tennis and golfers elbow, plantar fasciitis, MVA’s and many…
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Tina Marie graduated from Mount Royal University in 2015 as a registered massage therapist. With over 15 years working in the Spa and wellness industry, Tina finds her passion in healing and providing hands-on therapy to clients with various injuries and chronic pain conditions. As someone who has experienced chronic pain on a personal level…
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Gloria graduated from the University of Calgary with a BSc in Kinesiology before completing her MSc in Physiotherapy at the University of Alberta. Since graduating, Gloria has completed additional training in a variety of manual therapy techniques and is level 2 certified in functional dry needling/IMS. In addition, Gloria has a special interest in prevention…
Read More...The risks are very low and all of our therapists are highly trained to make sure they're as safe as possible when performing a treatment. If you have any specific questions, please contact us us or make sure to ask your therapist.
Every technique and situation is different. Manual therapy can be both painful and pain free and when pain is involved, it is usually a "good pain" as described by many patients. Communication between you and the therapist is vital for the best possible individualized treatment plans. Your therapist will gauge pressure and their technique by the status of your injury and your feedback. There is sort of a "sweet zone" for manual therapy techniques. We don't want it to be too painful but sometimes a little bit of the "good pain" is okay.
Our goal at Maximum Potential NW Calgary University Heights is to provide our clients with the best customized treatment and health care management to help them achieve their health ambitions/recovery in the shortest time possible.
Our complete package is an all inclusive one-on-one treatment, using multiple different techniques and approaches together which is delivered at the highest standards of care.
We take team-based approach and patient centred approach, which ensures that the patient receives the best physiotherapy, manual therapy, massage therapy, cupping therapy, strength exercises / exercise therapy, sports therapy or IMS therapy possible.
We also provide Direct Billing which means we direct bill most of the major insurance companies.
Maximum Potential can be your one stop shop for multitude of services, our practitioners have vast clinical experience and we truly work hard to help our patients reach their desired health goals. Proudly serving NW Calgary and University Heights community in Calgary Alberta.
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