Hands-On Movement Care

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy uses skilled, hands-on techniques to assess and treat joints, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and movement restrictions.

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What manual therapy is

Manual therapy is a hands-on approach used by physiotherapists to assess and treat movement and joint dysfunction. Your physiotherapist may use it to better understand how a specific area is moving, determine where stiffness or sensitivity may be present, and how that relates to your symptoms.

Depending on your assessment, manual therapy treatment may include joint mobilization or manipulation, soft tissue techniques, muscle release, neural mobilization, or other hands-on techniques.

How physiotherapists are trained

Physiotherapists learn manual therapy assessment and treatment techniques in their initial university degree program. Additional post graduate professional courses are available for physiotherapists that choose to become “manual therapists”. In Canada, the Advanced Integrated Musculoskeletal (AIM) Physiotherapy Program offered by the Orthopaedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association is the best known and only manual therapy course system in Canada that meets the standards set by the International Federation of Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapists (IFOMPT).

All of the physiotherapists at Kamloops Physiotherapy have taken training courses and examinations in this education system. Some therapists have reached level II, others level III and many therapists at Kamloops Physiotherapy have completed the highest level of training, obtaining a Diploma of Advanced Integrated Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. These therapists are certified as Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Manual and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (FCAMPT).

What to expect

Your therapist will start by listening to your symptoms, ask about your relevant health history and determine your goals. They will then observe you move and do physical testing to assess your strength and mobility. They will educate you on the results of the assessment and discuss with you the potential use of manual therapy to help meet your treatment goals.

If manual therapy is deemed appropriate to help you improve, the physiotherapist will explain to you what they will be doing and what you should expect to feel.

How manual therapy fits in your care plan

Manual therapy is a powerful tool but it is generally not used in isolation. It is offered alongside exercises prescribed specifically for your problem, movement retraining, education regarding your symptoms, guidance on how to pace your activities, posture and ergonomic advice and return-to-work or return-to-sport planning strategies.

Your physiotherapist will combine the hands-on manual therapy with other treatment strategies in a caring, comprehensive treatment plan to help you move more comfortably and support lasting improvement.