Relaxing massage therapy

If you have suffered an injury playing sports or from being active, you may have to visit a physiotherapist for treatment. Physiotherapists are healthcare professionals who specialise in helping patients overcome muscle tightness, limited range of motion and joint paint that can linger after an injury. As this is your first time visiting a physiotherapist, here are some of the treatment methods you can expect on your first visit.

Manual Therapy -- Manual therapy is a form of massage that a physiotherapist uses to restore mobility in your joints and muscles. A physiotherapist may use several massage methods, including deep tissue massage in which the elbows, palms and fists are used to generate a deep kneading of your muscles and joints. Deep tissue massage is beneficial to break up old scar tissue, generate increased blood flow and to send more oxygen to areas of discomfort. It is an aggressive massage that is often used to help with sports injuries during recovery. Physical therapists also use soft-tissue mobilisation that emphasises stretching and more gentle massage to promote healing. Soft-tissue mobilisation is effective against muscle spasms and in decreasing muscle pain.

Spinal/Joint Manipulation -- Physical therapists also use spinal and joint manipulation to ease back and shoulder pain caused by injuries. This is a method in which the physical therapist will typically bend your body into several configurations then press down with force to trigger what is known as an adjustment. The adjustment is typically signaled by a cracking sound or a snapping sound in your back and shoulders, which indicates that your joints have realigned. Physical therapists manipulate your neck and shoulders by asking you to relax as they hold the back of your neck and quickly shift it to create a snapping sound that realigns your spine.

Progressive Exercise -- Physiotherapists also use progressive exercise techniques that begin with simple stretching routines, and graduate to difficult and challenging exercises designed to increase mobility, strengthen atrophied muscles and restore range of motion. Progressive exercise is a treatment that helps build your muscles and joints after an accident or injury, and by mastering the easier routines your body grows stronger as you attempt more difficult positions. For example, progressive knee exercises may begin with you lifting your leg up and bending an injured knee, stopping when you feel pain. As your knee grows stronger, the exercises may include bending the knee and holding it in that position even if you feel slight pain, then holding your leg up in the air for as long as possible. This is designed to strengthen your muscles and joints and to gradually increase blood flow to the areas of your knee that sustained injury.