What is Soft Tissue Therapy
Using tools (tool-assisted) or by hand, soft tissue therapy allows our Chiropractors to diagnose and treat soft-tissue injuries. Soft tissue refers primarily to muscle, tendon, fascia, and nerves. Restoring mobility and relative motion to the soft-tissue layers, this promotes circulatory function and increases neurological function by breaking and releasing restrictive adhesion’s
Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved with Soft Tissue Therapy. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they often result from injury to over-used muscles.
How do overuse injuries occur?
Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
- Acute Injuries. (Pulls, Tears, Collisions, etc.)
- Accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
- Not Getting Enough Oxygen (hypoxia)
Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped, you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.
What is a Soft Tissue treatment like?
Every treatment session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific movements
A treatment session typically last about 10-15 minutes. The problem should be fixed within 4-5 treatments. If a change has not been seen within this time, further evaluation may be necessary.
Along with the soft tissue therapy, chiropractic manipulation and rehabilitative exercise to improve strength and flexibility are usually advised.
Every treatment session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific movements.
A treatment session typically last about 10-15 minutes. The problem should be fixed within 4-5 treatments. If a change has not been seen within this time, further evaluation may be necessary.
Along with soft tissue therapy, chiropractic manipulation and rehabilitative exercise to improve strength and flexibility are usually advised.
Sports Taping
Sports Taping involves taping over and around muscles in order to assist and give support or to prevent over-contraction. The first technique gives the practitioner the opportunity to actually give support while maintaining the full range of motion. This enables the individual to participate in their normal physical activity with functional assistance. The second technique, which is most commonly used in the acute stage of rehabilitation, helps prevent overuse or over-contraction and helps provide facilitation of lymph flow for an entire 24 hour period.