What is Manual Therapy? http://www.hhogr.com

A manual therapist is an expert in medical massage. I use my hands, on the body, to treat and assess pathology at the joint complex and move the blood. This is the primary focus of the training and the treatment; not entertainment. This is healthcare. Visual & tactile assessment are used to ascertain specific modalities of manual treatment to be used. MMT's look for the source of the patient's pain or, based on a physicians finding, treat the source of the pain, not the referred pain. Findings are taken and are recorded in detail with proper medical anatomical terms. Manual therapy is applied with techniques such as compression, traction, vibration, friction, effleurage, and many various types of petrissage. Treatment may also include passive ROM, accupressure, or trigger point therapy. Excercises and stretching may also be recommended to improve body symmetry and balance as well as increase range of motion.  Many of us are also trained in medical acupuncture as another modality.  Manual therapy is not chiropractic, touch therapy nor is it relaxation massage. Manual therapists, being true to the roots of medical tradition, use their hands, with various, fairly old techniques, to heal and treat deep-seated pain. At this point, most Manual Therapists are not doctors, but many are. If they are a doctor, they are called Naprapaths. Most manual therapists, at this point, are called "medical massage therapists" because manual therapy does "massage" the tissue somewhat and is relaxing, but not with oil or in the traditional, full body manner. Manual therapy treatments are 25 minutes long, or less. Come and see me and you will understand.