When we suffer a soft tissue injury, whether a muscle strain, ligament sprain, or tears to muscles and tendons, our bodies go into a healing process that starts with an inflammatory response. There is subsequent bleeding and then scar tissue formation. We experience this with pain, bruising, swelling and potentially a loss of range of motion and strength, along with general stiffness. Soft tissue mobilization (STM) can decrease pain and inflammation, break down scar tissue and adhesions, and in doing so restore range of motion, strength, flexibility, stability, and most importantly function. Various soft tissue techniques can be used to cause re-alignment of the muscle fibers on a microscopic level, which then allows normal healing to occur. Increased blood flow to the tissue is paramount for tissue regeneration.
STM is great for acute as well as chronic injuries. Acute injuries are typically those from 0-4 days out. Chronic injuries can be those that last for a longer significant amount of time and are long developing. Note the majority of acute injuries, if not severe, will respond relatively fast to STM and may resolve in 1-3 treatments. Chronic injuries will take more time and require consistent treatment for healing and lasting results. Obviously individual patient variables will also play a part in the healing process regardless of the stage of injury. A thorough patient history is important to establish particulars of the injury. A physical evaluation of the musculoskeletal system then allows for proper techniques and rehab to be implemented. The goal is to always get you back to what you enjoy doing in a fast, timely manner with lasting results.
If you have any questions about our services and how our physical therapy and soft tissue mobilization treatments can help you feel more like yourself, send us a brief message, and we will get in touch!
