Manual therapy helps reduce pain, release muscle tightness/stiffness in a way that stretching can’t, and show you which spots to target during self-release exercises that will be part of your home program.
Therapeutic massage techniques include trigger and tender point release, and myofascial release (to release the tension between muscles and fascia).
Manual stretching enhances the stretching that you’re doing as part of your home program, and helps your therapist determine the best order of flexibility exercises for you.
Joint mobilization helps restore the correct relationship between your bones and muscles, which improves your pain-free range of motion and functional abilities.
The benefits of manual therapy techniques, including therapeutic massage, stretching and joint mobilization last for two hours to two weeks. So, to have them last longer, it’s essential to have a complementary home exercise program.