Stuck. Stiff. Glued together. Painful. - How can manual therapy help?

Stuck. Stiff. Glued together. Painful.

Those are pretty typical words for the sensation that your body just isn’t moving as easily as it should. That’s about the time most of us look for help to get back to our normal comfort. Make no mistake, moving easily is normal.

What can be done to improve the way you feel at rest and in movement? There are a few parts to the best answer:

1) Education: It’s important to understand the context of what is limiting you from moving or being comfortable. That is what a well-constructed evaluation and some specific pain and biology education will do. We will work together to determine what you need and come up with a plan to get you to your goals and a life without limits.

2) Movement Therapy: You will need to move. This can be so much fun, and needs to be something you enjoy. We can help you explore high quality movement options like Yoga, Tai Chi, Dance, BIG exercises, Eric Franklin imagery/movement, Walking, Running, Swimming… you get the idea? It’s movement. The type that works best for you is individual. We will find something you like.

3) Manual Therapy: Sometimes we need someone else to nudge the stuck spots and help to carefully get us back to moving. There is a place for well-trained and carefully selected manual therapy.

Manual therapy is a general term for any therapy applied with the hands. How are you supposed to figure out what is best, among all of the different types of manual therapy that are marketed under specific names?

• It’s comfortable and you move better/more when you are finished. • You aren’t bracing or guarding or in pain while it is happening. Really. You don’t have to hurt to get better and experiencing pain doesn’t make you more tough. There are easier ways to achieve your goals than paying for someone to help you practice protective responses! • You can measure progress. By how you feel, by how you move, by how long you can sit, by having sex without pain – if what you are doing is helping, you should be able to see change. We aim for measurable change that you can see somehow in the first few visits!

What do we have to offer at Entropy along the lines of specific techniques we have been trained in? • Myofascial Release: Find the stuck spots and apply gentle pressure until the stuck spot changes. It’s a non-forceful technique that means it isn’t a test of your endurance or pain tolerance. This technique is not terribly different than what some people would call craniosacral mobilization. • Visceral Mobilization: Find the stuck spot theory applies here too – also non-forceful and no more mysterious than the movement that happens when you breath. • McKenzie Technique: Looks at movement patterns and limitations, uses a common sense and rational approach to correcting stuck spots. • Self-treatment Techniques. This is the most important of all. It is likely that what we do with our hands is not as important as the opportunity that it creates – so that you learn how to move with ease again, with less fear of the movement or activity, with less pain, with more comfort. And most importantly, just like brushing your own teeth or hair, we want you to be able to learn to do this for yourself.

When do you need Manual Therapy? When moving is stiff, stuck or difficult and you need some well-trained hands to help you get back to your own comfort. We think that’s important.