Understanding Clinical Soft Tissue Therapy

As a result of accidents or the daily and emotional stresses of life, many people suffer from injury to the soft tissues of their body. The soft tissues are the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other tissues that are not bone. This is the tissue that holds you together and moves you around. It is the muscles that cramp and spasm in pain, not bones. In fact, bones do not hurt unless they are broken, infected, or malignant. Soft tissue is the most common source of chronic pain and is virtually ignored and untreated by conventional medicine.

What is good soft tissue therapy? Soft tissue therapy is the use of the hands to massage, stretch, and mobilize the musculoskeletal system of the body. Soft tissue therapy includes compressing, squeezing, shaking. pulling, and twisting the muscles and limbs. It may involve deep tissue treatment, acupressure, or passive range of motion of joints. Moist heat, cold packs, topical liniments, and other forms of natural manual therapy are often used during treatment. Exercise, both assisted and home activities, is nationally board certified by the American Manual Medicine Association. Just like there are different kinds of nurses and training for nurses, there are different there are different levels of professional practice in massage therapy as well.

The clinical massage therapist will treat you in accordance with your medical doctor's diagnosis and will provide you with an ongoing therapeutic program. The therapeutic and physiological effects of clinical massage are well documented and many chiropractic and medical physicians work directly with clinical massage therapists. Clinical massage therapy is effective for both acute and chronic problems and it can be performed right along with your chiropractic, medical, or physical therapy treatments. The clinical massage therapist is a specialist in soft tissue injury and disease.

An important benefit of clinical massage therapy is the correction and prevention of chronic progressive physical deterioration, the kind of deterioration that injures the joints and becomes arthritis and joint degeneration. How does clinical massage therapy do this? The two most important elements to musculoskeletal health are elimination of inflammation and restoration of normal movement. Clinical massage therapy combined with your therapeutic exercise program will accomplish these important goals. If you have joints that are sore or painful, if you have lost the ability to turn your neck or open a jar, then you may already have joint degeneration and it is very important that you receive clinical massage therapy in order to prevent the further deterioration that occurs with progressive disorders.

The best therapy for musculoskeletal conditions is clinical massage therapy because no other form of therapy is as detailed in addressing musculoskeletal degeneration or assisting your recovery from an accident. Clinical massage therapy, therapeutic exercises, and the use of gentle rehabilitation modalities like therapeutic heat, cold, hydrotherapy, and percussive devises combine to create an effective treatment program. Clinical massage therapy is a natural alternative and works to assist your chiropractor and medical physician in their role in helping you get better. Clinical massage therapy, chiropractic, and medical care can work together for you and your musculoskeletal good health.