Manual therapy known to people since ancient times. At that time, this method of influencing the spine and bones was called chiropractic, and people who knew how to perform such treatment were called chiropractors.
The name "manual therapy" comes from the word " manus", which means hand. Literal translation Sounds like hand treatment. The main thing is not to confuse manual therapy with regular massage, because it is also carried out using hands. The difference is that massage is an impact on muscles, and manual therapy involves impact on the vertebrae, intervertebral discs and bones.
Manual therapy is a system of techniques performed with the hands and aimed at eliminating or correcting pathologies of the joints, spine and musculo-ligamentous apparatus.
Who can be a “manipulator”?
Manual therapy techniques can alleviate the patient’s condition, relieving him of pain and stopping the progression of the disease.
It is very important to contact specialists with medical education who carry out all manipulations in a medical institution. After all, incorrect movements of a chiropractor’s hands can cause serious harm to health, while a professional can improve the condition, and sometimes even ensure recovery, in just 1 session.
Manual therapy today combines knowledge from such branches of medicine as orthopedics, neurophysiology and neurology. It provides rapid elimination of disorders in the functions of the spine and joints, therefore it is attractive to doctors of all specialties.
Previously, chiropractic services could be provided by orthopedists, traumatologists and neurologists who had completed a special training course. On this moment There is a primary specialization in manual therapy, which can be obtained by a doctor of any medical profile.
Therefore, when contacting a chiropractor, you need to inquire about his education and whether he has a valid certificate in manual therapy. If any of this is missing, you need to contact another specialist.
When should you contact a chiropractor?
There are a number of symptoms that can be eliminated by a doctor of this specialty. Naturally, before starting treatment, it is necessary to undergo a series of studies to establish an accurate diagnosis.
Symptoms that require you to see a chiropractor:
Having familiarized yourself with the symptoms that manual therapy helps to get rid of, you can draw conclusions about the diseases for which it is effective. This:
Manual therapy is sometimes used to eliminate spinal injuries in children that were sustained during childbirth, as well as to normalize the function of the pelvic organs in women with gynecological problems.
Contraindications
Manual therapy has quite a few indications. But there are also certain contraindications to its implementation. This:
- Availability cancerous tumors;
- tuberculous spondylitis;
- rheumatism;
- osteomyelitis;
- inflammatory diseases of the brain and its membranes;
- acute inflammation joints and spinal cord;
- recent spinal injuries;
- postoperative period;
- during infectious diseases;
- state of alcoholic intoxication;
- acute phase of illness gastrointestinal tract;
- heart attack;
- bleeding;
- stroke;
- instability of spinal segments;
- high blood pressure;
- abnormalities of the spine;
- pregnancy.
Manual therapy: necessary studies before starting the course
To determine the feasibility of manual therapy, it is necessary to undergo a series of studies. They will help determine the condition of the spine and joints, as well as the body as a whole, and identify the presence of contraindications.
First of all, the patient is interviewed, and then he is sent for diagnostic procedures. Can be assigned:
- urine and blood analysis;
- radiography;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- CT scan;
According to indications, ultrasound of the vessels of the brain, thyroid gland and pelvic organs, as well as studies to determine osteoporosis, can sometimes be prescribed.
Directions of manual therapy
Most often, manual therapy refers to the treatment of the spine. However, this opinion is partly erroneous, since it is only part of this technique.
- Cranio-sacral therapy, which is aimed at treating the skull.
- Visceral osteopathy, the action of which is aimed at restoring muscle tone and treating diseases of internal organs.
- Manipulative therapy, which deals directly with the treatment of the spine and joints.
Mechanism of action
Manual therapy is a very effective method of combating many diseases, but there is still no clear definition of its mechanism of action. Scientists distinguish 3 directions of action of such therapy: peripheral, neurophysiological and psychophysiological.
Peripheral action occurs at the soft tissue level. Manual therapy accelerates tissue restoration processes, improves blood circulation and oxygen delivery to cells, normalizes the circulation of physiological fluids, and restores lost tissue characteristics (for example, during muscle sprains or spasms).
The neurophysiological effect is aimed at improving proprioception and stimulating mechanoreceptors in the affected area. In other words, in the process of manual manipulation, normal conduction of nerve impulses is restored.
The psychophysiological mechanism of action is often not taken into account, although it has quite great importance. After all, manual therapy has an effect not only directly in the area of manipulation, but also on the body as a whole.
Thus, there is a general change in muscle tone, improvement in self-regulation processes, increased tolerance to pain, a change in sensation own body, changing behavioral reactions and improving mood. It is very important for the maximum effectiveness of the technique that an atmosphere of trust be created between the patient and the doctor.
Manual therapy techniques
Manual therapy involves the use of numerous different techniques aimed at obtaining a positive result.
Therapy sessions are carried out at 1-3 day intervals in an amount of no more than 15 appointments per year. Before the actual treatment begins, psychological preparation and the establishment of contact and trust with the chiropractor are necessary, which allows the patient to relax.
Treatment begins with soft tissue techniques. They allow you to eliminate muscle spasms and prepare the patient’s body for further manipulations. Next, in each individual case, the doctor selects appropriate methods of manual therapy on a personal basis, based on the results of examinations, the patient’s condition and his individual characteristics.
Types of techniques:
- Postisometric muscle relaxation or PIR is aimed at increasing mobility, eliminating pain and spasm of muscles and ligaments.
- High-precision manual therapy techniques are characterized by precise execution, tolerance from the point of impact does not exceed a couple of millimeters. This makes the technique relatively unsafe (depending on the professionalism of the doctor), but very effective.
- Push techniques can relieve pain in one session.
It's just small part manual therapy technician for reference. Each chiropractor with experience improves techniques and adds his own developments to them. Therefore, it is very important to get to the “right” doctor for treatment.
IN in some cases chiropractors also use some instrumental methods: microincisions in painful places, puncturing them or introducing medicines in the area of pain (for example, conducting a blockade).
Complications
Manual therapy for incorrect execution her technician can provoke quite serious complications. This:
- Hypermobility of the spine (occurs when the limit of 15 therapy sessions per year is exceeded).
- Fractures of bones and vertebral processes (due to excessive manipulation).
- In some cases, the patient’s condition may deteriorate, dizziness, loss of sensitivity in an area of the body, migraines, the need for surgical intervention (for example, in the treatment of intervertebral hernia), etc.
Manual therapy and its prices
Depending on the clinic and the doctor’s experience, prices for one session can vary from 1,500 to 5,000 rubles.
Most patients note a noticeable improvement in their condition and relief from pain, which confirms the effectiveness of this treatment method. However, there are also negative reviews. Therefore, it is very important before starting treatment to undergo all the necessary research, consult a doctor and make sure that the chiropractor has a certificate allowing him to provide his services.
...manual therapy - translated from Latin, this term means treatment with hands. There are other names for this section of medicine. For example, chiropractic or chiropractic. Here the root is Greek, and it means the same thing. This type of treatment is popularly called chiropractic. The essence of manual therapy is to influence the spine, joints, and muscles in order to relieve vertebral displacements, blockages, and spinal deformities. But in fact, the scope of application of manual therapy is much wider. Many organs and tissues of our body are accessible to it. There are more than a hundred techniques that allow you to treat many diseases.
Manual therapy and diagnostics
a system of manual techniques aimed at correcting or eliminating pathological manifestations caused by changes in the spine, joints, muscles and ligaments.
The main idea of manual therapy
establishing the degree of reversible functional disorders, which is subject to the construction of a treatment regimen, that is, drawing up the logic for the use of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.
Material basis of manual therapy
the advance of structural changes by functional changes (the gap between these categories in qualitative terms), that is, pathological functioning with a still normal structure.
The main goal of manual therapy
elimination of changed functions in order to normalize them within the scope of the corresponding morphology.
The basis of diagnosis in manual therapy
determination of the proportion of functional changes that occur relatively independently, that is, not yet accompanied by a change in structure due to changed functions (functional disorders can appear both in “pure” form and in combination with structural changes).
In practice this means that the doctor to some extent ignores the severity of structural changes and focuses on identifying the reserve of movements during these structural changes. Therefore, the statement that manual therapy is used to treat osteochondrosis and arthrosis makes no sense. In fact, the doctor eliminates muscle-fascial spasm, shortening of the ligamentous apparatus, and joint blockades in spinal osteochondrosis. Improving the functional parameters of the spine does not mean eliminating the restructuring of osteochondral elements, but only restoring the reserve of movements within the framework of these changes. This remark is true for any pathology of the movement organs. Consequently, this is not a syndromic treatment, for example, of lumbar ischialgia with osteochondrosis, but a correction of impaired functions with lumbar ischialgia.
The sequence of actions of a doctor performing diagnostic and therapeutic techniques of manual therapy :
diagnostic part
1. Establishing a general diagnosis.
2. Assessment of general functional changes based on the definition of a motor stereotype (the method is described above).
3. Assessment of regional functional changes based on determination of tissue deformation, coordination relationships of the muscles of this area, volume, tone and strength of movements.
4. Assessment of local functional changes in individual parts of the locomotor system based on the identification of functional blockades of the SMS, joints, and trigger points.
Thus, a final diagnosis is formulated, which takes into account both local and general functional changes.
therapeutic part
1. Correction of local functional disorders (elimination of functional blockades of the SMS, trigger points).
2. Correction of regional functional disorders (elimination of secondary blockades of the SMS, coordination disorders of antagonist muscles by relaxing shortened and increasing the activity of flaccid muscles).
3. Correction of the disturbed dynamic stereotype through sensorimotor activation.
As can be seen from this sequence, the solution of therapeutic problems is carried out in the reverse order - local (local) influence precedes the solution of general problems.
The chiropractor carries out strictly dosed local effects on certain segments of the spine in order to restore normal mobility in it.
!!! It is necessary that such procedures are carried out by a doctor who has undergone special training. Practitioners should take into account that attempts to treat using manipulations without deep knowledge of vertebroneurology and special training are a dangerous profanity.
Manual therapy and osteopathy. At the end of the 19th century, two specialties in the field of manual therapy were identified based on technical differences and some theoretical premises: osteopaths and chiropractors. Although in the pathology of internal organs both directions assigned the main role to damage to the spine, its treatment and its connection with many organs, the differences in practical terms were fundamental. Chiropractors were distinguished by the speed of performing manipulations, rough contact, including impact techniques, and a considerable number of complications. This technique is often called the short lever technique. In a number of cases, the therapeutic effect was amazing and the stunned patients ran away, forgetting their crutches. On the contrary, osteopaths used the so-called long lever technique, i.e. the impact on the spine was exerted indirectly through the patient’s limbs. Unlike chiropractors, osteopaths used the achievements of the official, and not traditional medicine, achieved significant heights in diagnosis, although they were technically inferior to chiropractors.
Manual therapy and massage. (Alexander Strazhny “Secrets of alternative medicine” A guide for avid healers and persistent patients). Like massage, this is also a “hand-to-hand” treatment, but the difference in these two approaches is fundamental. Massage is an effect on muscles, and manual therapy is manipulation of the spine, intervertebral discs and bones. Massage is rarely able to relieve illness. A session of manual therapy often leads to the disappearance of the disease for many years. In other words, with massage there is relief, and with manual therapy the cure is “at the tip of a needle.” It is among chiropractors that most cases of “instant healing” after one session, and true, and not imaginary. But they also have more complications than anyone else, even high-class chiropractors. Sometimes a patient comes to a treatment center with minor lower back pain and is taken away by an ambulance.
Manual therapy methods:
1. Pre-treatment preparation
(brief conversation about the goals and objectives of the method, teaching the patient the necessary postures and skills collaboration with a doctor, etc.).
2. Manual testing
(manual, instrumental and visual diagnostic methods):
determination of the volume of active and passive movements (including instrumental), determination of postural disorders, determination of motor stereotypes;
identification of priority functional blocks and directions for their blocking;
algic testing (including instrumental);
definition of "game of joints" - play join;
determining the location of trigger points.
3. Manual therapy
(manual techniques):
relaxation – classic and special types local reflex massage - linear, acupressure, periosteal, vacuum and other types, including combined, combined and hardware):
- post-medication (use of muscle relaxants) relaxation;
- post-filtration and post-application relaxation;
- post-cryothermal muscle stretching;
- manual relaxation;
- hardware (all types of auto-help, auto-relaxation, non-contact hydro-baths, underwater shower-mass, etc.) relaxation;
- hyperthermal (bath, sauna, dry air bath, etc.) relaxation;
- hydrokinesorelaxation (active and passive stretching in water).
mobilization:
- mobilization with passive movements;
- traction;
- pressure;
- vibration;
- gravitational;
- rhythmic;
- method of prrioceptive prototyping;
- post-isometric relaxation (PIRM), etc.;
- automobilization;
- combined techniques, including those carried out in water.
manipulation:
- push;
- traction push (jerk);
- distraction.
4. Atlasotherapy(work on the atlas-epistropheus articulation).
5. Manual therapy of vertebro-visceral relations
.
6. Micromanual therapy
.
7. Manual therapy of facial and chewing muscles
.
8.Release methods(including treatment of the consequences of frostbite, burns, keloid scars, etc.).
9. Special methods of corrective therapeutic exercises
.
10. Stretching shortened and strengthening weakened muscles
.
11. Auto-training in isometric mode
.
12. Development (to optimize the motor stereotype) of special hygienic modes of movements and postures
.
13. Solving issues of rehabilitation and prevention of vertebrogenic syndromes
.
Let's consider the absolute indications and contraindications for manual therapy..
Absolute indications for manual therapy
:
1. spinal osteochondrosis I- Stage III diseases, spondyloarthrosis, accompanied by pain, neurological and autonomic disorders, as well as functional blocks.
2. Functional visceral disorders resulting from damage to the corresponding vertebral segment by osteochondrosis.
3. Myofascial pain with the presence of trigger zones or painful muscle tightness.
4. Spondylogenic irritative-vegetative-trophic syndromes, such as glenohumeral periarthritis, iliosacral arthrosis, coxarthrosis.
5. Spondylogenic irritative-reflex muscular-dystonic syndromes: anterior scalene muscle, muscles of the anterior and posterior chest wall, piriformis muscle, pelvic floor muscles, abdominal muscles, etc.
6. Spondylogenic irritative-reflex-vascular syndromes on the upper and lower extremities, often occurring with symptoms of acroparesthesia, thermal parasthesia (restless legs syndrome, pseudoarteritis).
7. Spondylogenic syndromes with local pain (cervicalgia, dorsalgia, etc.).
Absolute contraindications to manual therapy
:
Conditioned by the period of the disease and the clinical picture.
1. Osteochondrosis of the spine above stage III (classification by A.I. Osn) with rupture of the fibrous ring and complete prolapse of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc (the radiograph shows a sharp asymmetry of the intervertebral space).
2. Sequestration of disc herniation.
3. Disc myelopathy.
4. Dysfunction of the pelvic organs, paresis of the lower extremities.
5. Massive an- and hypoesthesia.
6. Severe atrophy of the muscles of the limbs.
7. Other spinal and vascular-radicular syndromes that occur with compression of the spinal arteries, chronic myelopathy with symptoms of the anterior horns, lateral columns, etc.
8. Occlusion of the vertebral arteries, their thrombosis.
Caused by concomitant diseases.
1. Tumors of the spine and spinal cord, metastatic malignant tumors of any location.
2. Acute and acute infectious diseases, including spinal osteomyelitis and tuberculous spondylitis.
3. Operated spine (spinal fusion, discectomy, laminctomy).
4. Schoerman-Mau disease.
5. Severe instability of the SMS with symptoms of true listhesis (any degree) and stage III-IV pseudospondylolisthesis (in the cervical region of stage II).
6. Spondylolysis.
7. Acute disorders cerebrospinal circulation (spinal strokes).
8. Ankylosing spondylosis, Strumpel-Marie-Bechterew disease, except for the “Scandinavian” form.
9. Assimilation of atlas-epistrophae.
10. Scoliosis above degree II.
11. Severe damage to internal organs and systems (wounds, bleeding, perforation, inflammation, etc.).
12. Strongly pronounced marginal bone growths, especially on the posterior or posterolateral surface of the vertebral bodies (usually determined on radiographs in elderly people).
13. Fixing ligamentosis.
14. Senile kyphosis of the thoracic spine.
15. Fibrous dysplasia of the vertebral bodies.
16. Congenital weakness of the ligamentous apparatus of the spine, accompanied by excessive pathological mobility.
17. Congenital anomalies of the development of vertebrae and ribs (concrescence, clefts, defects of vertebral bodies, wedge-shaped and “fish” vertebrae, cervical ribs, etc.).
18. osteodystrophy of the spine (hyperparathyroid, deforming dystrophy of individual vertebral bodies, osteoporosis of the spine, complicated by compression and deformation of the vertebral bodies).
19. Systemic diseases of the spine (osteogenesis imperfecta, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia).
Manual therapy is a healing technique that has been difficult path development: in Ancient Greece it was favored by Hippocrates and Galen himself, in the Middle Ages it was banned, and in the Age of Enlightenment it was considered ordinary quackery, because among doctors the theory about the infectious source of all diseases was held in high esteem. However, scientists in the 19th century. found - the reason pain in the spine there is pinching of nerve endings intervertebral discs. The situation has changed dramatically: manual therapy has returned to the ranks of recognized medical sciences, since it was simply impossible to deny that external mechanical influences on the spine can relieve pain syndromes and promote recovery. So, what is the essence of manual therapy of the spine, what are its methods?
The essence of spinal manual therapy
Manus is translated from Latin as palm. In fact, manual therapy is a method of healing with your hands. However, it should not be confused with massage, since a massage therapist works primarily with human muscles, but a chiropractor the main task- this is an effect on the vertebrae, bones, intervertebral joints.
The cause of pain not only in the back, but also in other parts of the body, is often a displacement of the vertebrae, which leads to pinched nerve roots and provokes muscle spasms. The chiropractor, using methods of mobilization, manipulation and relaxation, returns elasticity not only to the muscles and ligaments, but also restores the natural position of the vertebrae and intervertebral joints.
The essence of the mobilization method is that the techniques and manipulations selected by the therapist help remove the muscle blockade and restore blood circulation in the spinal area. Then a complex of pushes and pressures in the area of the vertebrae helps them take their place in the spinal apparatus. The final stage procedures - relaxation and stretching of muscles in a passive way.
Treatment procedures are repeated once a week. Usually, in addition to them, the therapist prescribes physical therapy, because the correct position The vertebrae must be fixed by building up the muscle corset. The effectiveness of treatment will increase if physiotherapy and massage are used in parallel.
Man performing manual surgery spine therapy, in popularly called a chiropractor. Similar services are offered by many representatives of alternative medicine (healers, etc.), but it is important to understand that only qualified specialist, versed in human anatomy and physiology, and also has a medical education.
Indications for manual therapy
Manual therapy is prescribed for a wide range of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
The first signal that the health of the spine is at risk is pain in the shoulder joints, back, sciatic region and other symptoms. Sometimes a person experiences nausea, dizziness, suffers from insomnia, and finds it difficult to perform even the simplest bends and bends in the back. As a rule, after visiting a doctor, the patient is diagnosed with osteochondrosis, scoliosis or radiculitis. Even if the pathology is not yet significantly expressed, but symptoms appear from time to time, for prevention it is worth resorting to manual therapy.
Reviews from patients who, after serious spinal injury, underwent manual therapy in parallel with other procedures indicate more quick recovery during the rehabilitation period.
A disease such as vertebral displacement requires a mandatory visit to a chiropractor. Reviews from people suffering from displacement boil down to complaints that painkillers are not always able to relieve pain syndrome. At the same time, manual procedures not only effectively combat it, but also contribute to the restoration of intervertebral discs, and also prevent the development of protrusions.
You can contact a chiropractor in cases where you are diagnosed with:
- glenohumeral periarthritis;
- cervicalgia (neck spasms);
- lumbodynia (chronic lower back pain);
- lumboischialgia (pain in the legs and lower back at the same time);
- coccydynia (pain in the tailbone);
- numbness of limbs, etc.
The manipulations of a specialist, as evidenced by the reviews of the vast majority of patients, help alleviate the course of certain diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the chest organs.
In addition to improving general health, the patient receives an additional positive effect from the procedures - beautiful posture and a light gait.
Contraindications to manual therapy
Like any method, manual therapy has a very clear range of contraindications.
People suffering from malignant neoplasms, primarily localized in the musculoskeletal system, should forget about this method of healing.
The list of absolute contraindications also includes acute infectious diseases such as rheumatism, osteomyelitis and tuberculosis of the spine.
It is worth postponing a visit to a therapist if serious injuries(in acute form) spine, skull, bones and pelvis; after any surgical interventions, as well as with increased blood pressure, reaching 180 mm Hg. Art., inflammation of the spinal cord or drunkenness. The list of absolute contraindications is completed by cases where the spinal cord is compressed by intervertebral hernias, heart attack and stroke.
In case of urgent need, with some contraindications, you can still resort to manual therapy, but you should follow certain rules. Such exceptions include:
- pregnancy after the first trimester;
- arthrosis (3-4th degree);
- Forestier's disease (ossification of ligaments and tendons);
- various anomalies of the spinal column;
- improperly healed spinal fractures, etc.
In any case, before prescribing a course of manual therapy, the specialist will need additional tests: ECG, blood and urine tests, checking for osteoporosis, radiography, computed tomography, MRI and, possibly, examination thyroid gland, vessels of the brain and neck with ultrasound.
5 myths about manual therapy
For a long time, manual therapy was the domain of traditional healers, and due to this, there are many myths and incorrect statements floating around it. Which ones are the most common?
Myth No. 1: the diagnosis can be made without additional examinations
This statement is erroneous; moreover, if a doctor does this, then there is reason to doubt his qualifications. There is a fairly long list of contraindications to manual therapy; the therapist must make sure that his patient is really not at risk, otherwise the results of the procedure can be very unpredictable.
Myth No. 2: manual therapy is no different from massage
Massage and manual therapy are not the same thing. The material with which the chiropractor works is joints and bones, the area of influence of the massage therapist is soft tissue, in particular muscles, fascia and skin.
A chiropractor is someone who literally performs treatment with their own hands. With the help of special techniques of manual therapy, massage, procedures, etc., the chiropractor successfully helps eliminate unpleasant symptoms, and sometimes completely get rid of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Manual therapy is a specially developed system of techniques that are carried out using the hands. Manual impact on sore spots allows you to effectively solve problems associated with any pathologies of the spine, it is also possible to remove painful sensations in joints, muscles, diseases of internal organs, cerebrovascular accidents, etc. The advantage of this treatment is that its use helps get rid of diseases that are often beyond the control drug treatment. A chiropractor first conducts an examination and then treats the spine, joints, muscles, and nervous diseases.
Manual therapy combines the latest techniques and techniques with massage, reflexology, which allows you to achieve the most effective results in the treatment of intervertebral hernias, vegetative-vascular dystonia, arthrosis of large joints, scoliosis, chronic headaches, muscle-tonic syndromes and many others.
Manual methods show good results V complex treatment many diseases of internal organs. The health of our body directly depends on the condition of the spine. If you have problems with cervical vertebrae a person may suffer from dizziness, headaches, etc. This happens due to the fact that the diseased organ sends a nerve impulse to a certain part of the spinal cord, this causes impaired blood circulation and muscle changes. As a result, a chronic form of the disease develops. While working on muscles and ligaments, the chiropractor relieves pain and often gets rid of the immediate cause of osteochondrosis. Treatment with manual techniques can get rid of the cause of osteochondrosis only in one case, when the development of the disease is caused by a disruption in the normal functioning of the adjacent damaged disk organs, without hernia formation.
After a manual therapy session, blood circulation in the muscles noticeably improves, as a result the muscles become toned, tissue nutrition and metabolism become much better. On average per full course manual therapy requires 15-20 sessions. Before starting a course of manual therapy, it is necessary to consult a doctor, because sometimes, with some concomitant diseases, such treatment is not recommended.
A chiropractor uses special procedures, massage techniques, and physiotherapy in his work. In each specific case, depending on the problem and the patient’s condition, the specialist selects an individual complex therapeutic actions: thermal procedures, vibration massage, physical education, etc.
The history of manual therapy dates back perhaps thousands of years, since this medical practice has been known since time immemorial.
IN currently Experts do not deny the effectiveness of the technique in relation to various diseases of the spinal column, therefore they quite often include it in treatment regimens for ailments associated with degenerative changes, disruption of the normal anatomical position of the vertebrae, prolapse of intervertebral hernias, and the like.
Experts recognize the effectiveness of manual therapy
This interest in this type of treatment is explained by the fact that manual therapy of the spine has the highest percentage of complete recovery. At the same time, the method is a frequent cause of complications. What is manual therapy? What are the pros and cons of manual therapy today?
Using the technique of manual manipulation of the spine, in just a few sessions you can get rid of persistent pain in the back, discomfort in the spine when performing movements, pain due to diseases of the joints of degenerative origin, and much more.
Manual therapy effectively relieves back pain
According to numerous reviews of manual therapy, this method allows you to eliminate functional blockages of nerve fibers caused by displacement of the vertebrae, relieve spasm from muscle tissue back, restore normal blood supply to the affected areas of the spine, etc.
What kind of treatment is this?
What is manual therapy: the benefits and harms of the technique? What is the essence of manual influence on the body? Similar questions concern many patients who are faced with the need to try this treatment method on themselves.
“Manual” or manual treatment is a set of therapeutic techniques based on techniques of manual influence on structural elements musculoskeletal system, which allows you to identify and treat a huge number of pathological conditions in this area.
The main advantage of such a correction is that it is natural and safe compared to other similar methods, for example, massage.
If we consider how massage differs from manual therapy, then the key argument here is more wide range effects on the spine and the effectiveness of manual treatment compared to other similar treatment options. Moreover, in last years The technique is widely used in pediatrics. Manual therapy for children (including manual therapy for infants) is successfully used in treatment regimens for childhood spinal diseases, asthma, as rehabilitation and elimination of the consequences of injuries.
You will learn more about the manual therapy method from the video:
Vertebrologists often practice manual therapy during pregnancy, when, as a result of increased loads on the spinal column, a woman begins to experience back pain associated with weakening of the muscles and ligaments of the back, as well as old mechanical damage.
Sometimes doctors have to combine two issues such as manual therapy and HIV infection.
Manual therapy is most often prescribed for. It is in this segment that severe pain occurs, which is accompanied by nausea, dizziness, fainting, and the like. Manual therapy for cervical osteochondrosis– a real chance to overcome chronic neck pain.
Manual therapy for low back pain is a common practice for many diseases of this segment of the spinal column. The most common option is manual therapy, the effectiveness of which is about 65%.
So, there are the following indications for manual therapy:
Main types of manual treatment
Varieties of manual practice are divided into several classes, based on the direction of influence and depending on therapeutic goals:
- manipulative influence(treatment of diseases of the spine, ribs, pelvic bones, limbs);
- visceral manual therapy, which deals with the treatment of internal organs (similar manual therapy of internal organs is used in relation to patients suffering from pathologies of the intestines, heart, lungs, and pelvic organs);
- craniocervical manual therapy, aimed at correcting headaches and problems with the bones of the skull (manual therapy for headaches is a common method of preventing cranialgic attacks, the main cause of which lies in the obstruction of the patency of the cervical vessels);
- self-medication or manual therapy to oneself, when the patient independently performs manual manipulations;
- myofascial manual therapy techniques, the action of which is aimed at strengthening muscles and ligaments, removing muscle spasm etc;
- complex of manual therapy methods for joint pathology;
- gentle manual therapy or kinesiology, the therapeutic effect of which occurs as a result of a complex effect on three components of human health: musculoskeletal system, metabolic processes and emotional background.
It is difficult to find a doctor who is fluent in absolutely all manual techniques.
But we can confidently say that a specialist who has thoroughly studied at least one option of manual influence will definitely help the patient cope with the problem that worries him.
Rules for the procedure
Before visiting a specialist for the first time, many patients are interested in how long a manual therapy session lasts. On average, the procedure takes about 30 minutes. This time is absolutely enough to carry out all the necessary manipulations to correct the pathological condition. The therapeutic effect should appear after 1-2 sessions. Therefore, when asking the question how many manual therapy sessions should be done, an experienced specialist will answer - about 7-10, but no more than 15 per year.
Watch the video to see how a manual therapy session goes:
How often can spinal manual therapy be done?
Doctors recommend not to rush to complete the full course of manual treatment and maintain reasonable pauses between sessions, which are about 2-6 days, depending on the severity of the pathological process, individual characteristics and age of the patient.
Contraindications to the technique
Despite the fact that manual therapy methods are effective in relation to a huge number diseases of the musculoskeletal system, this treatment option has its contraindications for use:
- malignant tumors of the spinal column, skin and visceral organs;
- inflammatory processes in the spine active phase;
- vertebrae;
- some congenital pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and genetic developmental defects associated with increased bone fragility;
- conditions after surgical interventions;
- acute pathological conditions of the spinal cord;
- diseases of the digestive tract in the acute phase;
- open form of tuberculosis.
A negative effect from manual therapy can also occur after a manual therapy session for a patient who has relative contraindications, for example, old injuries. The doctor must take into account such contraindications to manual therapy when prescribing a course of treatment, which will avoid the occurrence of undesirable consequences and complications of the underlying pathological process.
If the doctor does not take into account contraindications for manual therapy, serious complications may occur.
Possible consequences
In most clinical cases, the sensations after manual therapy are always positive, and a person can say with confidence that this technique has allowed him to improve his health. But sometimes it happens that after a manual therapy session your back hurts, you feel dizzy, or your overall body temperature rises. Why is this happening? What are these symptoms associated with?
As you know, each body is individual, and therefore reacts completely differently to treatment.
Often the consequences of manual therapy make themselves felt after the first session of manual manipulation, and patients begin to complain about the appearance discomfort which they associate with side effects treatment.
Sometimes people complain that they feel dizzy after chiropractic treatment. A similar reaction occurs in approximately 1 in 1000 patients who have used the services of a chiropractor. Given side effect is temporary and most likely associated with blood redistribution. Therefore, if you experience a headache or dizziness after manual therapy, you should seek clarification from a specialist.
Fever after manual therapy is an extremely rare symptom. It appears predominantly in patients suffering from chronic inflammatory processes, which are activated and aggravated under the influence of manual influence. In any case, if after manual therapy it gets worse and general state health has deteriorated, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible to clarify the nature of the ailment.
