Soft tissue treatment refers to a specialized form of physical therapy in which the soft tissues of the body are targeted. This includes your connective tissue (fascia), ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
The treatment is used to resolve pain or discomfort being experienced in these regions, which is often caused by muscular overuse and additional stress of daily activities. In addition to musculoskeletal problems caused by occupational stress, soft tissue treatment is also used in cases of muscle trauma and soft tissue injuries.
What makes soft tissue treatment so effective is that it can be easily tailored to meet individual patient requirements. Incorporating a combination of various techniques aimed at mobilizing soft tissue, the treatment helps in alleviating pain, reducing discomfort, improving range of motion, and enhancing overall performance. The soft tissue is manipulated, managed, and rehabilitated to heal and recover from physical trauma in an efficient and effective manner.
Why Do You Need Soft Tissue Treatment?
Musculoskeletal injuries can be treated through several methods and techniques. However, not all of these strategies target the deep tissue (soft tissue) to treat the underlying cause of paineffectively. While in certain cases, your pain and discomfort may subside within a day or two, this isn’t always the case. As a result, you may gradually experience a loss of movement and persistent pain, even after stretching out your muscles and icing the sore areas. Soft tissue therapy is recommended to treat chronic soft tissueailments so that you may regain complete function.
Who Needs Soft Tissue Treatment?
As mentioned above, soft tissue treatment consists of a number of techniques to alleviate pain and discomfort. Deep tissue massages, trigger point therapy, active release, myofascial release, and assisted stretching are part of these specialized techniques aimed at the soft tissue specifically.
Thus, unlike sports massage or strategies geared towards athletes alone, soft tissue therapy is helpful for anyone and everyone! Whether you hurt your back while rearranging the furniture in your apartment, have soreness in your legs after taking the stairs up to your building every day, or have pain in your arm after spending the day playing basketball; soft tissue therapy can help!
Types of Soft Tissue Treatments
While there’re a dozen different techniques used as part of this treatment, two of the most common practices besides soft tissue massage include:
Dry Needling:This utilizes thin solid filament needles that are inserted into myofascial trigger points (knotted muscles) to stimulate the healing process and reduce/eliminate pain. Also known as trigger point therapy, this technique is extremely effective in reducing pain and discomfort, improving range of motion, improving strength, and improving local circulation of tissues
Manual Trigger Point Release: Similar to dry needling, this technique targets treatment of myofascial trigger points to stimulate the healing process and reduce/eliminate pain, however instead of using a solid filament needle, a therapist uses their fingers and hands to treat the involved areas. The results of treatment can be similar to that of dry needling.
Active Release Technique:This technique is best suited for treating overexertion and overuse of muscles. It involves a comprehensive hand examination by the physical therapist, who then provides manual tension to allow the muscles to lengthen. This keeps the surrounding soft tissue active while the afflicted region is treated.
At ProMove PT Pain Specialists in Bethesda, Dr. Michelle Finnegan offers effective soft tissue treatment, employing several techniques and practices. Book an appointment now!