Functional Manual Therapy is 100% hands-on.

At Bridging The Gap Physical Therapy, we don’t use MRIs or x-rays to figure out what’s wrong. We also don’t rely on machinery like treadmills or electrical muscle stimulation to do our work for us. Instead, we use only our hands. By literally feeling out the problem, instead of just glancing at pictures of your scans, we get a much better idea of how we can help.

Not only that, but our therapists specialize in manual therapy techniques designed to improve the speed and quality of your recovery. From diagnosis to treatment to cure, our hands manually feel what’s going on in your body and make adjustments. Utilizing specialized manual therapy techniques, we can improve joint motion, decrease scar tissue, and reduce pain and inflammation.

Manual Therapy Techniques

Click a technique below to learn about how it can help you.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial (my-oh-FASH-e-ul) Release is a technique used to release tension and improve mobility. Focusing on separating fascia—which is the tissue covering your muscles—from muscle, the physical therapist will apply pressure to loosen restricted muscles and cause immediate relief.

Functional/Joint Mobilization

Useful for stiff joints, the physical therapist gently moves a joint to its natural point of resistance. These motions stretch and strengthen the tissue surrounding the joint, reducing tension and increasing range of motion.

Muscle Energy Technique

Commonly referred to as MET, this technique is helpful for lengthening muscles. The patient will actively contract a muscle while the physical therapists provides resistance. The technique uses opposing muscles to realign the body and improve posture.

Soft Tissue Mobilization

Soft Tissue Mobilization involves the physical therapist pushing, pulling, and kneading on soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves to promote functionality, increase blood flow, and heal the surrounding tissues.

Trigger Point Release

Trigger Point Release involves a physical therapist applying pressure to a taut band within a muscle. This pressure releases the trigger point to reduce pain and improve muscle contractability.

Why aren’t all physical therapists using these techniques?

Because manual therapy is hard! It requires extensive post-graduate training and extra certification. Every Bridging The Gap team member has gone the extra mile to demonstrate advanced competence in the subject.

A manual physical therapy appointment takes time and effort that most physical therapists in large clinics don’t have the freedom spend. Bridging The Gap believes you deserve to spend your full hour-long appointment working one-on-one with a doctor of physical therapy trained in manual therapy techniques.

About Manual Therapy