Soft Tissue Therapy

Postural and functional assessments

Clients presenting with a specific complaint (or complaints) will generally undergo a number of assessments with the purpose of helping to identify the most likely cause(s) of the pain or injury. They may include assessments of posture, biomechanics, range of motion, and the nervous system, among others.

Treatment strategies

The specific treatment application of an ache, pain, or injury will be solely reliant on the conclusions reached by the assessments. Any number of treatment techniques may be used to achieve optimal treatment results.

Manual techniques

• Trigger Point techniques provide relief from the pain of Myofascial Trigger points.

• Myofascial Therapy targets the muscle and fascial systems, promotes flexibility and mobility of the body's connective tissues. Likewise, it mobilises fibrous adhesions and reduces the severity and sensitivity of scarring caused by injury or surgery.

• Massage techniques, traditionally known as Swedish massage, may be used as part of a treatment application. Referred to, in Soft Tissue Therapy, as broad-handed techniques, this mode of treatment aims to reduce swelling and/or inflammation.

• Cross friction create heat, which in turn provides the impetus for the mobilisation of adhesions between fascial layers, muscles, compartments and other soft tissues. Frictions are also thought to create an inflammatory response that instigates a focus to an injured area, thereby, promoting healing, especially in tendon pathologies.

• Soft Tissue Technique, where an osteopathic physician applies firm, direct pressure to relax hypertonic muscles and stretch tight fascial structures.

• Sustained Pressure (ischaemic / digital pressure) alleviates hypertonic (tight) areas within muscle and fascia.

• Other Techniques such as Active Release Technique, Myofascial Release and / or Deep tissue massage are all combinations of the techniques listed above.

Generally, any one of these techniques alone, or in combination, may provide the solution to an ache, pain, or an injury.

Stretching

• Static stretching attempts to alleviate excessively hypertonic (tight) muscles.

• PNF stretching (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) is used in an attempt decrease the tone in a muscle or muscle group that is assessed as being hypertonic (tight).

• To treat DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), Proprioreceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is typically used.

• The use of very light muscular contractions, in very specific directions is muscle energy technique (M.E.T.). Refined more than 100 years ago in the field of osteopathy, this technique, alters joint restriction and joint range of motion, through altering the length of local musculature.

Exercise prescription

Dysfunctional soft tissues are either too short and tight or too long and weak. Dependent on assessment findings, some clients may be required to undertake a series of exercises, to strengthen, or simply to "switch-on" particular muscles or muscle groups.

Taping

Soft tissue practitioners and muscular skeletal specialists often use therapeutic taping or strapping techniques with success to relieve pressure on swollen injured soft tissue or to alter muscle firing patterns or to provide support during healing. These techniques are designed to enhance lymphatic fluid exchange and allow the body to return to its natural healing process.

After an injury to the soft tissue, muscles or tendons due to sports activities, over exertion or Repetitive strain injury such as Carpal tunnel syndrome, swelling often impedes blood flood to the injured area slowing down the healing process. Trained musculoskeletal specialists are effective in relieving pressure caused by swollen tissue and enhancing blood circulation to the injured fascia tissue and muscle mass using elastic taping.

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