Manual therapy
Encyclopedia
Manual therapy, manipulative therapy, or manual & manipulative therapy is a physical treatment primarily used by physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths to treat musculoskeletal pain and disability; it most commonly includes massage therapy, joint mobilization
and joint manipulation
.
A consensus study of US chiropractors defined manual therapy as "Procedures by which the hands directly contact the body to treat the articulations and/or soft tissues."
Alternatively, Korr (1978) described manual therapy as the "Application of an accurately determined and specifically directed manual force to the body, in order to improve mobility in areas that are restricted; in joints, in connective tissues or in skeletal muscles."
, North America
and Australasia
, manual therapy is usually practiced by members of specific health care professions (e.g. Chiropractor
s, Osteopaths, Osteopathic Physicians, Physiotherapists/Physical Therapists, and Physiatrists). However, some lay practitioners (not members of a structured profession
), such as bonesetters also provide some forms of manual therapy.
A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), what was used, and why it was used in the United States by adults age 18 years and over during 2002. According to this recent survey, manipulative therapy was the 3rd most commonly used NCCAM classification of CAM categories (10.9%) in the United States during 2002 (http://nccam.nih.gov/news/report.pdf table 4 on page 10) when all use of prayer
was excluded. Consistent with previous studies, this study found that the majority of individuals (i.e., 54.9%) used CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine (page 6)
are PubMed indexed journals that have provided readers with useful research on manual therapy for over 15 years. Peer reviewed information has improved the quality of information that is provided to practicing clinicians and has dispelled a number of myths commonly associated with manual therapy.
and some forms of New Age
alternative medicine
as well as being used by mainstream medical practitioners. In one form or another it is probably as old as human culture itself and is a feature to some degree of therapeutic interactions in traditional cultures around the world.
Joint mobilization
Joint mobilization is a type of passive movement of a skeletal joint. It is usually aimed at a 'target' synovial joint with the aim of achieving a therapeutic effect...
and joint manipulation
Joint manipulation
Joint manipulation is a type of passive movement of a skeletal joint. It is usually aimed at one or more 'target' synovial joints with the aim of achieving a therapeutic effect.- Biomechanics of joint manipulation :...
.
Definitions
Manual therapy may be defined differently (according to the profession describing it for legal purposes) to state what is permitted within a practitioners scope of practice. Within the physical therapy profession, manual therapy is defined as a clinical approach utilizing skilled, specific hands-on techniques, including but not limited to manipulation/mobilization, used by the physical therapist to diagnose and treat soft tissues and joint structures for the purpose of modulating pain; increasing range of motion (ROM); reducing or eliminating soft tissue inflammation; inducing relaxation; improving contractile and non-contractile tissue repair, extensibility, and/or stability; facilitating movement; and improving function.A consensus study of US chiropractors defined manual therapy as "Procedures by which the hands directly contact the body to treat the articulations and/or soft tissues."
Alternatively, Korr (1978) described manual therapy as the "Application of an accurately determined and specifically directed manual force to the body, in order to improve mobility in areas that are restricted; in joints, in connective tissues or in skeletal muscles."
Use
In Western EuropeWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, manual therapy is usually practiced by members of specific health care professions (e.g. Chiropractor
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
s, Osteopaths, Osteopathic Physicians, Physiotherapists/Physical Therapists, and Physiatrists). However, some lay practitioners (not members of a structured profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
), such as bonesetters also provide some forms of manual therapy.
A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), what was used, and why it was used in the United States by adults age 18 years and over during 2002. According to this recent survey, manipulative therapy was the 3rd most commonly used NCCAM classification of CAM categories (10.9%) in the United States during 2002 (http://nccam.nih.gov/news/report.pdf table 4 on page 10) when all use of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
was excluded. Consistent with previous studies, this study found that the majority of individuals (i.e., 54.9%) used CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine (page 6)
Information
A number of professional peer-reviewed journals specialize in the dissemination of information associated with manual therapy. The Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy, Manual Therapy, and the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological TherapeuticsJournal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics is the official scientific journal of the American Chiropractic Association and is the only chiropractic journal included in Index Medicus. Published by Mosby , the journal includes peer-reviewed original articles, case reports, journal...
are PubMed indexed journals that have provided readers with useful research on manual therapy for over 15 years. Peer reviewed information has improved the quality of information that is provided to practicing clinicians and has dispelled a number of myths commonly associated with manual therapy.
Styles of manual therapy
There are many different styles of manual therapy. It is a fundamental feature of ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicineTraditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
and some forms of New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
as well as being used by mainstream medical practitioners. In one form or another it is probably as old as human culture itself and is a feature to some degree of therapeutic interactions in traditional cultures around the world.
- Acupressure
- AnmaAnmaAnma refers to practitioners of the Japanese massage of the same name, which has its origins in China. Anma was often practiced in communal business groups in feudal Japan. They were made popular by the famous popular culture character known as Zatoichi, quite possibly the best known and most...
- Body work (alternative medicine)Body work (alternative medicine)Bodywork is a term used in alternative medicine to describe any therapeutic or personal development technique that involves working with the human body in a form involving manipulative therapy, breath work, or energy medicine...
- Bone setting
- Bowen TechniqueBowen TechniqueThe Bowen technique or Bowen therapy is a term used to describe a variety of therapies based on the work of the Australian layman Tom Bowen, and was later taught to others by his students Oswald and Elaine Rentsch. The practitioner lightly rolls across different muscle groups, with two minute...
- ChiropracticChiropracticChiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
- Cranio-sacral therapy
- Dorn methodDorn methodThe Dorn method is a form of manual, holistic alternative therapy used to correct claimed misalignments in the spinal column and other joints. In its theoretical approach, it is somewhat related to chiropractic and osteopathy, although it is different in its practical application...
- Joint manipulationJoint manipulationJoint manipulation is a type of passive movement of a skeletal joint. It is usually aimed at one or more 'target' synovial joints with the aim of achieving a therapeutic effect.- Biomechanics of joint manipulation :...
- Joint mobilizationJoint mobilizationJoint mobilization is a type of passive movement of a skeletal joint. It is usually aimed at a 'target' synovial joint with the aim of achieving a therapeutic effect...
- Spinal manipulationSpinal manipulationSpinal manipulation is a therapeutic intervention performed on spinal articulations which are synovial joints . These articulations in the spine that are amenable to spinal manipulative therapy include the z-joints, the atlanto-occipital, atlanto-axial, lumbosacral, sacroiliac, costotransverse...
- Spinal mobilizationSpinal mobilizationSpinal mobilization is a type of passive movement of a spinal segment or region. It is usually performed with the aim of achieving a therapeutic effect....
- Massage therapy
- Manual lymphatic drainageManual lymphatic drainageManual lymphatic drainage is a type of gentle massage which is intended by proponents to encourage the natural circulation of the lymph through the body...
- Medical acupuncture
- Muscle energy techniqueMuscle Energy TechniqueMuscle Energy Technique is a type of osteopathic manipulative treatment used in osteopathic medicine and physical therapy . It is a form of osteopathic manipulative diagnosis and treatment in which the patient’s muscles are actively used on request, from a precisely controlled position, in a...
- Myofascial releaseMyofascial ReleaseThe myofascial release approach is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and resulting pain and restriction of motion. It is a treatment described by Andrew Taylor Still, founder of osteopathy/osteopathic medicine, and his early students, which uses continual palpatory...
(MFR)
- NaprapathyNaprapathyNaprapathy - is a branch of alternative medicine, a manipulative therapy, that focuses on the evaluation and treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions.-History:...
- Osteopathic manipulative medicineOsteopathic Manipulative MedicineOsteopathic Manipulative Medicine is the application of the distinct osteopathic philosophy, structural diagnosis and use of Osteopathic Manipulative Technique in the diagnosis and management of the patient. OMM takes into account the physical and mental health of a patient, and how either aspect...
- Polarity therapyPolarity therapyPolarity therapy is an alternative energy medicine system developed in the 1940s by Doctor Randolph Stone. It proposes that health benefits can be achieved through manipulation of complementary forces, a form of energy currently unknown to science...
- RolfingRolfingRolfing is a therapy system created by The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration and is a system whereby the alleged manipulation of the fasciae by specific methods is theorized to yield therapeutic benefit....
Structural Integration - SeitaiSeitaiSeitai . Technically, it consists in easing the activity of the life force by re-adjusting the physiology of the body. Basic known techniques are katsugen undō , Seitai taisō （整体体操、せいたいたいそう）and yūki , which has been founded by Haruchika Noguchi . Major concepts in seitai includes taiheki...
- SotaiSotaiSotai or is a Japanese form of muscular or movement therapy which was invented by Keizo Hashimoto, a Japanese Medical Doctor .He developed a model of treatment that was based on returning natural body alignment by working with the breath and moving toward comfort rather than adjusting toward pain...
- ShiatsuShiatsuShiatsu is Japanese for "finger pressure;" it is a type of alternative medicine consisting of finger and palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques. There is no scientific evidence proving that shiatsu can treat any disease, but shiatsu practitioners promote it as a way to help people...
- TractionTraction- Engineering :*Forces:** Traction , adhesive friction or force in the context of vehicle** Traction vector, in mechanics, the force per unit area on a surface, including normal and shear components...
- Tui naTui naTui na , is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, fire cupping, Chinese herbalism, t'ai chi, and qigong....
See also
- AcupunctureAcupunctureAcupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
- AMTAAmtaAmta I is an administrative division in Uluberia subdivision of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Amta police station serves this block...
- Body psychotherapyBody PsychotherapyBody psychotherapy, also referred to as body-oriented psychotherapy and somatic psychology, is a significant branch of psychotherapy, with origins in the work of Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud and particularly Wilhelm Reich....
- ChiropracticChiropracticChiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
- McKenzie methodMcKenzie methodThe McKenzie method is a comprehensive method of care primarily used in physical therapy.New Zealand physical therapist Robin McKenzie developed the method in the late 50s...
- OsteopathyOsteopathyOsteopathy and osteopathic medicine are often used interchangeably for the philosophy and system of alternative medical practice first proposed by A. T. Still MD, DO in 1874....
- Physical therapyPhysical therapyPhysical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
- QigongQigongQigong or chi kung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation...
External links
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists
- American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia
- European Association of Manual and Manipulative Therapies
- Evidence Based Medicine in the field of Traditional Medicine, Integrative Medicine and Manual Therapy
- International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapists