There are a number of sub-categories of therapy under the larger umbrella of physical therapy, and the one we want to focus on today is soft tissue mobilization. As the name implies, soft tissue mobilization is a form of physical therapy that works to strengthen areas and increase flexibility in different types of soft tissues through movement and mobilization techniques. It’s a type of manual therapy exercise, meaning your physical therapist will use hands-on techniques to manipulate and mobilize the area. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at what types of injuries it can help treat, and how soft tissue mobilization exercises are performed.
What Can Soft Tissue Mobilization Help With?
Soft tissue mobilization can help a number of different soft tissue injuries heal, or it can work to improve functional performance in an area. For example, soft tissue mobilization may be ordered if you’re dealing with:
- Muscle Strains
- Muscle Sprains
- Tendinitis
- Arthritis
- Bruising or Swelling
- Bursitis
- Repetitive Stress Injuries
If you’re dealing with any of the above conditions, developing healthy movement patterns is key to helping the area get back to full health. Soft tissue mobilization can help to strengthen these areas, increase flexibility and range of motion, promote optimal muscle and tendon movement, decrease pain and increase overall function in the affected area.
Soft Tissue Mobilization Techniques
But how exactly does a physical therapist achieve these goals through soft tissue mobilization? It depends on the specific injury and symptoms, but the manual therapy exercises may involve any of the following:
- Direct pressure
- Segmented or directional pressure
- Rhythmic pressure
- Targeted pressure on a specific area of the muscle, like the seam or the border
- Angled pressure
- Resistance pressure
Understanding exactly how pressure needs to be applied for maximum benefit is crucial, and it’s something all our physical therapists have studied for years so that their patients have the best chance at making a full recovery. So if you are dealing with a mild or moderate soft tissue injury and you’re wondering if some hands on movement exercises could help to restore normal function in the area, reach out to our talented team of physical therapists to see what we can do for you. For more information or to schedule your first session, reach out to OrthoRehab Specialists today.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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