Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is hands-on physical therapy: your therapist uses their hands to move stiff joints and loosen tight muscles and soft tissue, then pairs it with exercise so the relief lasts. Logos Physical Therapy uses manual therapy in Perth Amboy and Somerville, New Jersey, alongside corrective exercise and movement analysis.
What manual therapy includes
Hands-on care covers more than one technique. Your therapist picks what fits what the evaluation finds.
Joint mobilization
Gentle, graded movements of a stiff joint to restore motion and ease pain.
Soft tissue mobilization
Pressure and stretch along tight muscles and the tissue around them. Orthopedic manual therapy of this kind is the usual starting point for back and neck pain.
Muscle energy technique
You push gently against your therapist’s hand to reset a tight muscle or a stuck joint.
Spinal manipulation, when it fits
A quick, controlled movement can make a “pop.” It is used only when your evaluation says it will help.
What it feels like and why exercise comes with it
Most patients feel pressure or a stretch, and some soreness afterward, like after a workout. Manual therapy changes how a joint or muscle feels so you can move better, and exercise teaches your body to keep that change. Alone, hands-on care fades; paired with exercise it builds on itself.
Helped by manual therapy: back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain and knee pain. Related hands-on care: manual lymphatic drainage. You can come to Logos with a physician’s referral or ask for care directly.
Questions we hear about manual therapy
Manual physical therapy is the same hands-on care described above, and it is usually part of a plan with exercise.
Manual therapy in Perth Amboy and Somerville
Request an appointment at Logos Physical Therapy and a physical therapist will call you to find a time.
We see patients in Perth Amboy and Somerville, New Jersey.