All About Soft Tissue Therapy
Soft Tissue Therapy involves direct physical action on the soft tissues of the body, especially muscles, tendons and fascia.
Successful soft tissue therapy depends on accurate clinical assessment, which, in turn, requires precise anatomical knowledge, palpation skills, and the ability to distinguish affected and non-affected tissue. Thus, soft tissue therapy is the assessment and management of treatment of soft tissue injury, pain, and dysfunction ... primarily of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system.
In neuro-muscular pain syndrome, the soft tissue is the most frequent site of functional impairment of the musculoskeletal system. Soft tissues are the matrix of the body and are composed of cellular elements within a ground substance. Connective tissues include: muscles, ligaments, adipose tissue (fat), bone and cartilage, blood and lymph.
We can describe pain as a subjective response to injury or insult to a tissue of the body, the symptoms of which originate in soft tissue and present as an unpleasant sensation of acute or chronic nature, differentiated by the factor of time.
Relaxation of the soft tissue is a necessary prerequisite for the performance of effective treatment.
Soft tissue treatment can be commenced at the conclusion of the acute, inflammatory phase of an injury. This phase occurs approximately 48 hours after injury when the non-weight-bearing active muscle contraction is pain free. The soft tissue practitioner kneads, spreads, and stretches the muscle and connective tissue by hand.
Maintenance and Self Healing
The objective of soft tissue mobilisation is to reverse the changes in the connective tissue which were caused by immobilisation, so that the affected body area(s) can move more freely. Also, soft tissue mobilisation is useful for making scar tissue more pliable.
There are any number of soft tissue treatment techniques that can be used to achieve optimal results. The specific treatments may be:
- manual techniques, including Shiatsu – Tui Na – Myotherapy, Myofascial techniques – Deep Tissue
- stretching, specifically P.N.F. (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation), Muscle Energy techniques, So-tai, Strapping techniques
- IT Band Syndrome
- patellar tendonitis
Conditions that can be treated with soft tissue techniques:
- IT Band Syndrome
- patellar tendonitis
- shin splints
- plantar fasciitis
- chronic ankle sprains
- Achilles tendonitis
- lateral epicondylitis
- joint contractures
The effects of Soft Tissue Therapy include the following:
- the promotion of efficient scar formation in the post-acute healing of soft tissue lesions (especially when used in conjunction with the Bioptrin Light Therapy) where the healing time is substantially reduced
- the reduction of excessive fascial thickening at sides of abnormal cross-linkages between adjacent collagen fibres so as to reduce pain
- a reduction of excessive tissue tension associated with active mechanical nociceptors (Nociceptors are sensory receptors that react to potentially damaging stimuli by sending nerve signals to the spinal cord and brain.)
- aid in the removal of chemical substances found in the tissues that activate chemical nociceptors.
The final result of soft tissue therapy will be influenced by the patient’s adherence to the advice of the soft tissue practitioner’s energy prescription, in which the patient undertakes a series of exercises to strengthen particular muscles or muscle groups.
The pressure that is exerted by the Therapist is very light and is therefore, unlikely to cause any pain. This makes it particularly suitable for treating babies, the elderly and for very painful or tender conditions.
Here, at the Shiatsuman Hill End Therapy Clinic, you are assured of expert and caring soft tissue treatment by Klaus Rennebarth, a very experienced and knowledgeable therapist who, over the years , has assisted many patients to return to a life without pain.