Physiotherapy isn’t just about exercises and fancy equipment. Most recovery work is hands-on, with practitioners applying their trained techniques to particular body areas. These techniques can be great for opening up mobility, reducing pain, and making you feel like yourself again. WestBram Physiotherapy & Wellness in Brampton uses hands-on approaches to aid faster recoveries and more potent patients.  

What Is Hands-On Therapy?

Manual or hands-on therapy is physiotherapy in which the therapist uses their hand to treat you, not a machine. Such methods involve the following:

• Massages
• Stretching muscles
• Moving joints gently

This is great for pain and flexibility, especially in cases where you may have had an injury requiring more specific healing.

Hands-on Techniques in Physiotherapy

• Soft-tissue massage: Gently rubbing muscles and connective tissues relax muscles, reduce stiffness, and improve mobility.
• Joint manipulation: Quick, small joint movements that restore its range of motion.
• Joint mobilization: Slow, controlled movements can help stiff joints function better.
• Friction massage: A therapeutic massage technique that penetrates deeper tissues to encourage healing, reduce adhesion build-up, and break down scar tissue.
• Passive stretching: With proper guidance, individuals should slowly stretch out to improve flexibility and loosen tight muscles.

Your physiotherapist may combine different techniques depending on your condition and develop a treatment plan best suited to your needs.

Can You Do Manual Therapy Yourself?

No, these techniques should only be performed by someone qualified. A physiotherapist will know how to safely ask you to identify where you feel pain and how to fix that pain without putting you in any danger. Do-it-yourself might cause injury or make things worse.

To experience the benefits of hands-on therapy, book an appointment with WestBram Physiotherapy & Wellness in Brampton. We’ll try to help you feel like yourself again.