Manual physical therapy techniques to address back pain

Do you want to alleviate and even eliminate back pain? If yes, then you should check how manual therapy can help. In Dubai, more and more people are discovering how manual therapy can keep their back free from pain. Perhaps, you are also one of the many people who is seeking effective back pain treatment. For this reason, you would be glad to read the different techniques of manual therapy that addresses back pain.

Muscle energy techniques

This technique may sound a little complicated, but with an expert manual therapist, it could be done correctly. The main goal of Muscle energy techniques (METs) is to mobilize restricted joints and increase muscles’ flexibility. MET is done with the use of the energy of your own muscle. Through gentle isometric contractions, the patient tries to overcome a counterforce. The whole procedure is repeated 2-3 times until the counterforce is increased and eventually, improve the patient’s muscle strength.

MET is beneficial in the treatment and management of back pain. A client is placed on the physiotherapy table. He/she would then bend or hyperextend his/her back, depending on the condition. From there, physiotherapist uses MET to eliminate back pain. 

Soft tissue mobilisation

Back pain happens when there’s a problem in the surrounding soft tissue, joint, and muscle around the back area of the body. Thus, if you want back pain to subside, intervention should be redirected to these anatomical structures.

Soft tissues are the tissues that support and connect tendons, ligaments, muscles, fascia, nerves, blood vessels, fat, synovial membranes and other structures. With soft tissue mobilisation, the therapist tries to eliminate “myofascial adhesions” and other abnormalities that might have caused the pain.

During soft tissue mobilisation, the therapist places a traction force on tight and sore areas to restore normal structure of soft tissue. Sometimes, gentle massage and firm stroke are applied. Sports massage in Dubai uses the same technique.

Dry needling

At first look, dry needling may look like acupuncture, but they are two entirely different techniques. In dry needling, solid filiform or hollow-core hypodermic needles are used. These needles are then inserted through the different areas of the body known as “trigger points.”

If you are suffering from back pain, it is highly possible that you have stiff muscles and sore tissues on your back. The main aim of dry needling is to eliminate knots and muscle stiffness on the back by “unlocking” them with the use of the needles.

Strain-counter-strain technique

In back pain, neuromuscular reflexes could also be involved. Thus, in strain-counter-strain technique, the therapist tries to determine the patient’s position of comfort. It holds this position for a 1-2 minutes before the therapist mildly stretches the back. After a few seconds, the therapist then slowly brings back the body to a comfortable position to “reset” the muscle to its original level of tension.

Looking for the right manual therapists

These are just some of the best manual physical therapy techniques that could help in improving the condition of your back pain. They could be done individually or in combination with each other.

Now that you know these techniques, it is time that you find the right manual therapists. Thankfully, you don’t need to look far. Scandinavian Physiotherapy Center is among the best physiotherapy clinics in Dubai that have trained, experienced and skilled manual therapists. They provide excellent services to help you achieve a better health condition. Give them a call today!