Manual Therapy

Put your body in good hands so you can get back to doing the things you love

At Embody Health & Wellness, we believe that healing begins with truly understanding your body’s unique needs. That’s why manual therapy is a key part of our hands-on, individualized approach. Whether you’re navigating chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or working to improve your mobility, our skilled therapists use targeted techniques to restore balance, relieve discomfort, and support your body’s natural ability to heal—so you can move freely and live fully.

Request a Consultation

Learn more about Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy that involves hands-on techniques to manipulate the soft tissues and joints of the body. The goal is to improve mobility, reduce pain, and also promote healing. Our experienced and skilled physical therapists use various techniques to help our patients achieve their goals. These techniques include joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, and more.

Our manual therapy services are designed to help individuals of all ages and physical abilities, from athletes recovering from sports injuries to elderly patients dealing with chronic pain. We take a personalized approach to each patient’s treatment and tailor our techniques to meet their unique needs and goals.

There are several techniques within manual therapy. Your physical therapist at EMBODY Health Wellness may use one or more of the following methods:

  • Joint mobilization: Applies pressure to a joint to improve its mobility. Benefits patients with golfer’s elbow, tendinitis, and other joint issues. Typically, your therapist will stabilize one segment of the joint while pulling or pushing on the other. This may be done as a repetitive movement or held steady for several minutes.
  • Soft tissue mobilization: Stretches and applies pressure to muscles and ligaments to relieve tension, reduce inflammation, and improve flexibility. Your therapist may push and pull on the affected tissue using their hands or tools, similar to a massage.
  • Strain-counterstrain therapy (SCS): Holds the body in comfortable and natural positions to relieve muscle tension gently. Your therapist will guide dysfunctional muscles and joints into a more comfortable position, allowing the tissues to relax.
  • Myofascial release: Manipulates the fascia to restore pliability, alleviate pressure on joints and muscles, and treat chronic pain. The myofascial tissues surround your muscles. They should be pliable, but many people have stiff, tight myofascial tissues, causing muscle tension, headaches, and other discomfort. Your therapist will locate the trigger points in your myofascial tissues and massage them to release tension.
  • Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM): Uses contoured tools to mobilize muscles and joints for extra leverage when applying pressure. This technique is the same as soft tissue mobilization, simply with the added use of tools.
  • Dry needling: Utilizes thin needles to relieve muscle tension, decrease pain, increase blood flow, and restore mobility. The goal of this treatment is to release tension in myofascial trigger points. Your therapist will insert tiny needles into the myofascial tissue to stimulate blood flow in the trigger area and relax the muscles.
  • Active-release techniques (ART): A branded, proprietary manual therapy technique. Applies heavy pressure to soft tissue while instructing patients to move in specific ways to treat chronic pain.

Manual therapy offers numerous benefits for patients seeking relief from pain, injury, or chronic conditions. The exact benefits will depend on which techniques your therapist uses. Some common benefits of manual therapy include:

  • Improved joint mobility and range of motion
  • Reduced pain and inflammation
  • Enhanced circulation and lymphatic flow
  • Improved muscle function and flexibility
  • Decreased muscle tension and spasms
  • Increased relaxation and stress reduction
  • Improved posture and alignment

Manual therapy techniques are fairly gentle and cause little to no discomfort. Patients may even enjoy immediate relief from their pain afterward. You may feel more relaxed, with less muscle tension and better joint mobility. While some benefits may be immediate, you may need multiple sessions for noticeable improvements.

You may feel slightly sore after some manual therapy treatments. For example, dry needling may cause mild soreness and bruising in the treated area for a few days. Your physical therapist at Dr. Megan Mullin PT will discuss these details with you and explain what to expect after your treatment. 

We work closely with each patient to develop a personalized treatment plan that often incorporates multiple manual therapy techniques, as well as other forms of physical therapy and exercise. Our goal is to help our patients achieve optimal physical health and wellness to live their best possible lives.

Manual therapy techniques can be beneficial for several concerns. We may recommend manual therapy for joint stiffness, post-procedure rehab, orthopedic pain, and more. The best way to determine if manual therapy is right for you is to visit one of our expert physical therapists, who will evaluate your condition and create a customized treatment plan.

I developed a lower back problem from January 2024 after taking an adult beginning ballet class and thought I just had to live with it. By October 2024, just reaching down to put away dishes in the dishwasher created sharp pain. On a whim I decided to stop by and see if physical therapy could do anything. After just two weeks of seeing Dr. Erica I can see significant improvement. And after 4 sessions, I had no more lower back problem. I was amazed and so thankful. I didn’t know about physical therapy and what it can do. I’m so thankful. I’m active again. Now Dr. Erica is helping me with my goal of running. It’s always been hard for me to run and through physical therapy I’m learning how to run and it’s becoming easier. I hope to run in races soon.appreciate that the program I was out on was a collaboration between my needs and the expertise of the staff.

– J. Pennelly

Take the Next Step

Ready to experience the transformative benefits of manual therapy? Schedule an appointment with EMBODY Health & Wellness today and take the first step towards feeling better, overcoming limiting conditions, and regaining your mobility. Our experienced therapists are here to support you on your journey to optimal health and wellness.

Request a Consultation