SOFT TISSUE MANIPULATION
Soft Tissue Manipulation
Soft tissue manipulation
Soft tissues include muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves. Soft tissues can become immobile due to tension, inactivity or an injury. This technique is used to improve circulation, improve stiffness and to reduce pain and to prevent reoccurrence.
Will it hurt?
Some soft tissue techniques can cause a mild discomfort, as this is aimed as releasing superficial and deep soft tissues of the body, but an experienced osteopath will be guided by you and your pain as to see what you can tolerate.
Soft tissue is a form of massage, and will be offered if the osteopath thinks that this will contribute towards a long term benefit of your condition.
“Knots”/ trigger points
Knots are small patches of tight muscle fibres, that can cause lot of pain and stiffness of the muscles. This is a major factor in many common pain problems of back and neck. Although trigger points can cause lots of pain and discomfort, most are fairly easy to find and treat by a trigger point release- this is a type of soft tissue manipulation.
What will I feel?
The pressure applied to a trigger point is strong yet satisfying; it may be painful at first but will become a “good pain” as the treatment carries on. You may experience some soreness for a day after the treatment, but this will ease off. Your tissues will adapt to stronger pressure over the course of regular treatments.
Your osteopath will work with you and your pain threshold levels to achieve maximum results.