Can I come to physical therapy to get a massage?
The short answer is, no.
So you may be asking why you get a “massage” during your physical therapy session. Manual therapy –not to be confused with massage therapy– can be implemented during physical therapy interventions and greatly improve outcomes. Usually for optimal results, manual therapy is combined with active stretching and strengthening exercises.
Could there be days where you may need more manual therapy than traditional therapeutic exercise, absolutely! Will you get a “massage” each time you come in? Probably not.
Manual Therapy vs. Massage
Physical therapists and physical therapy assistants train and learn areas of manual therapy that differ from techniques used by licensed massage therapists. Where a massage therapist’s main goals are to decrease stress, reduce muscle soreness, and make you feel more relaxed, a physical therapist performs manual techniques to reduce pain to make other treatments more tolerable.
A licensed therapist’s technique improve tissue extensibility to increase range of motion of a joint, reducing swelling and/or inflammation, and “turning off” active trigger points.
In short, our goal with manual therapy is restoring function. Do some techniques overlap? Yes, of course! So, which one is better for you: manual therapy or massage therapy? There is really no definitive answer because more often than not, both would be beneficial. We often recommend that our patients seek out a massage therapist to assist in reaching his or her personal goals. Below you can find a list of manual therapy techniques that may be utilized by your therapist during your plan of care to enhance your care and improve your functional mobility.
Soft tissue mobilization is used on muscles, ligaments, and fascia to help break down adhesions that can restrict movement and optimize muscle function
Myofascial release uses gentle, sustained pressure to restore elasticity, blood flow, and motion
Scar mobilization (with or without desensitization) usually follows a surgical procedure where an incision was made. Once the incision is healed, pressure is applied in different patterns to keep healing tissue from adhering to underneath tissue. Nerves are typically more alert as well and repeated “touching” can desensitize the area and make it less tender and painful over time.
Joint mobilization uses graded force to glide the joint to improve motion
Trigger point release uses sustained pressure over a taut band of skeletal muscle tissue to provide pain relief
Dry needling uses small needles in the muscle to ultimately release trigger points and improve pain and restore function with motion. This can also elicit an endorphin release for pain relief and relaxation
Cupping uses silicone/plastic cups to cause the skin to rise and blood vessels to expand, lifting and separating tissue which improves blood flow and promotes relaxation and pain relief.
Summary
Unfortunately, most patients experience high volume treatments where they are treated concurrently with other patients, but here at ProActive Rehabilitation & Wellness, we take pride in ensuring one on one treatments that allow for a more all encompassing and individualized approach to helping you reach your goals. With more time to dedicate to each patient, we are able to assess and determine if manual therapy is indicated and choose the most appropriate technique to better serve you.
If you feel like physical therapy would be beneficial for you, then please reach out to schedule an evaluation to determine the best plan of action; we would love to meet you. Even though you will not get a “massage” at each visit, we are positive that you will be well taken care of and we will do our best to implement interventions that best serve you while restoring mobility, stability, and overall function.
