Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is hands-on physical therapy: your therapist uses their hands to move stiff joints and work on tight muscles and soft tissue, to relieve pain and help you move and function better. PAR Physical Therapy provides manual physical therapy in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and you get hands-on treatment from your own therapist at every visit.
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Joint mobilization, manipulation and soft tissue work
Joint pain is a very common problem we treat every day. Joint mobilization is one of the techniques physical therapists are trained to use to relieve joint pain, improve mobility and improve physical function, which means the ability to walk and move.
Orthopedic manual therapy also includes soft tissue mobilization, where the therapist works on muscle and the connective tissue around it. Spinal manipulation is part of what our physical therapists do as well. This page is the overview; the tool-based version of soft tissue work has its own page, instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization.
Four ways your therapist moves a joint
Mobilization techniques often carry the names of the clinicians who developed and tested them. Your therapist chooses the one that suits what your joint is doing.
Graded mobilization
Low-velocity movement techniques at different amplitudes, from small and gentle to larger.
Mobilization with movement
The therapist guides the joint while you move it yourself.
Neural tension mobilization
Specialized techniques to move nerves that have become stuck or sensitive.
Manipulation
A high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust at or near the end of the joint’s range of motion.
What spinal manipulation feels like and what comes after
Our physical therapists use their hands, or a device, to apply a controlled force to a joint of the spine. The amount of force depends on the form of manipulation used, and the goal is to relieve pain and improve physical function.
Reviews have concluded that spinal manipulation for low back pain is relatively safe when a trained and licensed practitioner performs it. The most common side effects are minor: feeling tired, or having temporary soreness. Tell all of your health care providers about any complementary health practices you use, so your care stays coordinated and safe.
How hands-on care fits into your plan
Alongside exercise
Hands-on treatment is one part of a plan, and your therapist usually pairs it with therapeutic exercise so the movement you gain gets used.
With other tools
Your plan may also include Dry Needling or cupping when your therapist thinks they fit.
Same therapist each visit
You are evaluated and treated by the same licensed physical therapist, so the person doing the hands-on work knows your history.
Where we use hands-on care, and who does it
Our therapists use manual therapy as part of care for back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, headaches and jaw pain.
Chris Garavito (Owner, MSPT, TPIMP) lists osteopathic manual therapy techniques for the neck and lower back among his advanced training. Our physical therapists see patients in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet.
Before your first hands-on visit
Do I need a referral?
You do not need a physician’s referral to be evaluated by a physical therapist in South Carolina. PAR accepts most insurance plans, and we make every effort to verify your benefits before your first visit. Same-day appointments are possible.
How long is a visit?
Treatment sessions typically last 30 to 60 minutes per visit. How many visits you need depends on your diagnosis and how your body responds, and we re-evaluate you on a monthly basis.
What should I wear?
Loose-fitting clothing that lets us reach the area we are evaluating and treating, such as shorts for a knee or a tank top for a shoulder.
Manual therapy in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet
Call either clinic or request an appointment. We see patients in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
We see patients in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Request an Appointment Call Myrtle Beach Call Murrells Inlet