- Manual therapy is “hands on” and consists of moving stiff joints in certain directions at different speeds to help recover movement.
- Passive or active-assisted movements and stretching are also often used to optimize function.
Manual Therapy
Clinical Example
- Every joint in the body moves in a certain direction thereby allowing us to move freely.
- For example the tibia glides back when you flex your knee while the femur glides forward.
- A patient complains of a painful knee and an inability to kneel or go up and down stairs.
Treatment
- Manual therapy techniques such as traction and bony glides of the tibia on the femur will help to regain knee movement.
- A complimentary exercise program to avoid a recurrence of the problem would be prescribed.
