Manual therapy (as we have seen in previous articles) is defined in the most varied way. Its definition is, in fact, easy to find in some textbooks or Internet sites and the description varies according to schools of thought, associations and, above all, the professions that take place through manual therapy, such as osteopathic physiotherapists.
This therapeutic practice includes all kinds of techniques, provided it is done with the help of the hands: in this context, it also includes cranio-sacral therapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, manipulations, mobilizations and various massage techniques
Manual therapy and orthopedic manual therapy
Manual therapy, however, is sometimes mistakenly associated with all the movements performed with the hands.
Therefore, it was necessary to explain the location of a specific discipline, such as physiotherapy, which follows the principles of the physiopathology of traditional medicine and, in particular, orthopedic manual therapy.
This type of manual therapy has never had a concise and definitive definition until the IFOMPT, the International Federation of Orthopedic Manipulative Physiotherapists, tried to define this practice in 2004, concluding that:
This therapy is based on clinical reasoning and uses, within highly specific treatments, manual techniques and therapeutic exercises.
This therapy also includes clinical evidence available scientific experience is that the biopsychosocial framework of each individual patient”
What is orthopedic therapy?
The definition is not only useful to understand the usefulness of this practice.
This branch of physiotherapy, in fact, is used in physiotherapy centers for the treatment of discomfort in the cervical spine such as torticollis, as well as problems related to the inflammation of the lumbar area of the back that can occur while you are in a sitting position or when performing the anterior flexion of the trunk.
Similarly, orthopedic manual therapy has proven to be an effective therapy for back problems, ailments that can be accurately identified after the joints are mobilized and treated.
It is also effective even for the care and treatment of pain and improvement of mobility in other joints such as the hip, knee and shoulder.
Manual Orthopedic Therapy is a very useful tool also for the taking of mobility of the joints after surgical interventions or sports injuries.
In any work environment, as well as in certain types of sports activity, the doctor may be able to perform an analysis on ‘the tendency of the movements and choose the intervention measures considered most appropriate, in such a way that not only to return to acquire the original movement but also reduces the risk of injury.
orthopedic manual therapy and exams
As with all procedures of manual therapy, also for the orthopedist, it is necessary to carry out before the control treatment tests to check if the patient actually has the problems that can be solved by this therapy.
The first part, therefore, manual therapy consists of the detailed history that analyzes the problem and its influence on daily life.
Understanding the problem is very important for the physiotherapist who can then identify the cause of the musculoskeletal problem through a thorough physical examination.
The techniques used to perform these preliminary tests are guided by clinical efficacy trials and follow the guidelines of evidence-based medicine (EBM), which is the set of valid practices, such as scientific research, the experience of the therapist, as well as the appearance of the patient biopsychosocial.
The results obtained from the interview, from the tests performed on the patient / client, as well as the personalized clinical examination will be transformed into the basis of the therapeutic treatment that could be done, by treating the problem with the most appropriate therapeutic method.
orthopedic manual therapy and methods
Este tipo de terapia de manua
It can be persecuted through various manipulations, as well as various therapeutic methods:
- Manual mobilization of the joints. Manual mobilization is a particular type of therapy that is usually performed by the physiotherapist. This practice involves mobilizing one or more joints and allowing the patient to expand the articulation angles that are involved in the pathology. It starts from an initial position and then reaches an achievable maximum at the end of the cycle. The technique aims to preserve physiological movement in the various spatial planes, which provides initially limited normal joint mobility;
- Manual techniques. The different methods of massage improve the mobility and function of the nervous system also known as the central nervous system. The system of the nerves, in fact, is particularly important to define the nature and stereotyped universal nervous impulse and the synaptic plasticity underlying the ability to move and learning of the brain;
- Orthopedic manual therapy is also characterized by stretching and strengthening muscles that allow muscles to consolidate, thus avoiding other diseases and problems after treatment;
- The correction of posture is also considered a therapeutic type, the prevention of unnecessary tension in the area of the lumbar spine and both in the daily movements that during sports activity.
In addition to the purely practical exercises, the physiotherapist must, as the cycle progresses, to clarify the various types of movement in the mechanism that triggers the problem, thus taking advantage of the various concerns of the patient / client, as well as tips dosing machines to maintain the continuation of the treatment.
In addition, throughout the therapy, the physiotherapist can check the progress obtained constantly to make sure that he did everything possible in order to solve the problem, using the most effective methodology to improve the patient’s condition in the least possible time
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