Manual therapy is a branch of physiotherapy. However, it requires the therapist to complete additional training. Manual therapy has a long history, reaching back to the ancient world and specifically ancient China, where certain manual techniques were already used to treat back pain.
Indeed, chiropractic and osteopathy arose from this early form of manual therapy. The major focus of manual therapy is the treatment of functional diseases of the locomotor apparatus. Therefore, it is limited to muscles, joints and nerves.
However, manual therapy is not only a specialized form of therapy but also serves diagnostic purposes. After the cause for discomfort is identified, therapy is usually performed by means of mobilisation to restore unrestricted movement and to ease pain. In order achieve this the therapist applies special manual techniques using different approaches of mobilisation. A distinction is made between traction, translatoric gliding and soft tissue treatment.
Traction means the joint is being stretched to relieve it from pressure. This eases the pain and also increases the mobility of the joint. Translatoric gliding is used to restore the joint to its former state of mobility and to extend its range of movement. Soft tissue treatment consists of various stretching and relaxation techniques.
Gentle stretching is used to lengthen the muscles in order to adapt them as well as possible to the improved range of movement of the joint.
