One of the many unique ways we treat patients here at Ames Spine and Sport is by addressing soft tissue mobilization. If you’ve been here before, you know we are not your 5 min in-and-out, rack-em, and stack-em kind of office. Sure we adjust (we’re chiropractors after all), but addressing soft tissue components not only gets results, but it also allows us to treat a broader range of injuries that manipulation alone just cannot provide.
Here are a few reasons why we incorporate soft tissue mobilization with many of our patient’s treatment plans:
- We can mobilize through the long axis of muscle
- We can mobilize transversely through the muscle
- Motion allows the joint itself to be mobilized and allows for areas of adaptive shortening to be further identified (and treated!)
- Mobilization allows us to work the muscles around the involved joint, and not just address the joint itself (YAY for more effective results!).
Soft tissue mobilization addresses resulting inflammation and pain from injury, AND end range adaptive shortening (or fibrosis) of the myofascial, musculotendinous, muscular, tendinous, capsular, synovial and bursal structures. Because this method of treatment is more time consuming for the provider to perform, we have longer appointment times to be able to accommodate the best methods for you to get you moving and feeling better, faster.
Soft tissue mobilization is great for young and healthy patients, as well as the 90 year old osteoporotic and diabetic patient, but the pressure and technique may be modified based off diagnosis, age, overall health condition, and goals of treatment for the patient and provider.