The intricate system that is the body, formed by our skeleton, muscles, soft tissue, organs, skin, tendons, ligaments, nerves and joints, needs to be kept in top condition to function at its best.
Sometimes, through injury, poor upkeep, or just day-to-day living, our bodies start to feel pain which disrupts our daily activities. Musculoskeletal therapy may help in keeping pain at bay and treating injuries and functional problems.
Musculoskeletal therapy treats the skeletal and muscular system using a variety of soft tissue and mobilisation techniques. Musculoskeletal therapists use mobilisation over manipulation, mobilisation being movement to increase range of movement, rather than the more sudden movements of manipulation.
How Can Musculoskeletal Therapy Help?
An effective hands-on approach to pain relief, musculoskeletal therapy can lead to a significant reduction of pain in the back, neck or any kind of joint pain. If you suffer from chronic conditions, such as fibromyalgia or frozen shoulder, you will benefit massively from consulting a musculoskeletal therapist.
Musculoskeletal therapy may help prevent and alleviate pain, enhance movement and function and help in maintaining the functional alignment of the skeletal system.
A musculoskeletal therapist will assess your condition and treat you in a holistic way with a combination of passive therapies and muscle energy techniques. You may also be prescribed an exercise plan which you can do at home to expedite your recovery and restore your range of motion and body's normal function. The hands-on techniques themselves are varied and can include:
- Muscle energy and neuromuscular techniques
- Neural stretching
- Dry needling
- Cupping
- Lymphatic drainage
Other holistic measures could include:
- A program of gentle exercise or stretching
- Looking at your diet and nutrition
- Making you aware of your posture
What is Involved in a Treatment Session?
To come up with an effective treatment plan, conducting a thorough physical examination of the client is crucial for a musculoskeletal therapist. They will spend 45 minutes or so analysing the level of your musculoskeletal pain in addition to looking at your health history. They may ask you to perform certain movement patterns like bending forward, backward and sideways, to determine whether you're suffering from a musculoskeletal condition or something else that may have developed from some neurological conditions.
There are different causes of musculoskeletal disorders. They can stem from genetic factors, sports injuries, a joint dislocation, repetitive movements, a disease of the connective tissue or an acute injury resulting in chronic nerve pain.
Conducting a thorough assessment of your physical health status will enable your therapist to not only relieve your muscle pain and regain your optimal health but also lower your risk of injury in the future. Musculoskeletal therapy can be performed by any trained health professional, so it doesn't matter if they are a physical therapist, remedial massage therapist or chiropractor by profession, so long as they have obtained the necessary qualifications to practise this modality.
Musculoskeletal therapy offers a range of opportunities for your body to heal itself with the help of a qualified therapist. By paying close attention to the techniques that they use during therapy, you will be able to address a muscle pain should it dare attack you in the future. Also, your therapist can help you increase awareness of your body and develop healthy lifestyle habits to improve the quality of your life. Feel free to look through the Natural Therapy Pages' comprehensive list of Australia's top musculoskeletal therapists to find one in your local area.
Originally published on Jan 12, 2011
