Clinical Myotherapists are university trained individuals who practice a branch of manual medicine that has a holistic approach to pain management and recovery called Clinical Myotherapy. “Myo-” pertains to muscles, and so myotherapy is chiefly concerned with addressing conditions that cause pain and distress to the musculoskeletal system. Along with the muscles and the bones, myotherapy addresses concerns regarding the ligaments, fascia, joints, tendons and nerves. In the medical field, myotherapy is viewed as a viable program for long term relief and recovery.
MYOTHERAPY | TECHNIQUES
Myotherapists in Ocean Grove usually use a combination of physical therapy modalities all with the intention of providing relief from pain, improving mobility and restoring over-all wellness. You could say that myotherapy is a more specialized branch of physical therapy and as such, myotherapy “borrows” a lot of modalities commonly used in physiotherapy clinics.
Soft tissue therapy, a therapeutic modality that involves therapeutic massages, myofascial release techniques as well as trigger point therapy, is commonly employed in myotherapy. The goal of this kind of treatment is to provide relief from pain by manually manipulating the muscles, joints and fascia.
To ease pain and swelling, like in the case of cramps and sprains, myotherapists may use a more sophisticated version of an ice or heat pack. Referred to as cryotherapy (cold) and thermal therapy (hot), the function of temperature therapy is to reduce pain and swelling enough to allow all the other kinds of therapy to be optimally executed.
Electromechanical Stimulation may also be locally applied onto the affected areas to provide an analgesic outcome. Modalities like TENS therapy, therapeutic ultrasound and low level laser therapy, while they do provide relief should be treated similarly to pain-relievers as the effects are not long term.
Dry needling is a modality that is very similar to acupuncture. However, unlike acupuncture dry needling targets “trigger points” and uses hollow filiform needles which are less pliable than acupuncture needles and are more likely to be able to deactivate trigger points.
MYOTHERAPY | CONDITIONS
There are a number of musculoskeletal issues that can benefit greatly from myotherapy Barwon Heads. Below are some of the conditions:
Scoliosis
Scoliosis occurs when there is a lateral bend on the spine that can structural or functional in nature. It is not known what causes structural scoliosis but functional scoliosis can be caused by a muscular imbalance or unequal leg lengths. In the case of functional scoliosis myotherapy can be of great help in improving the curvature of the spine by strengthening the muscles through corrective and strengthening exercises.
Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow
Tennis and Golfer’s elbow are caused by damage or injury to the muscles that flex your wrists (golfer’s elbow) and to the muscles that extend the wrist and fingers (tennis elbow). The site of injury is usually on the lateral epicondyle for tennis elbow and medial epicondyle for the golfer’s elbow. The medial and lateral epicondyles are the site on the bone where these muscles are attached. Myotherapists may assist those who suffer from these conditions by assessing the patients as well as treat and advise them on self-management exercises and strategies.
Sporting injuries
Sporting injuries are one of the most common kind of patients myotherapists see. Clinical myotherapists can administer soft tissue treatment and will also administer exercises that will lengthen the scar tissue and avoid deformations. Clinical myotherapists can also restore flexibility and balance after major injuries.
Other conditions
- Headaches and migraines
- Sciatica
- Piliformis syndrome
- Pre and post natal conditions (pelvic instability, back pain, groin/hip pain)
- Muscle spasms (general muscle pain)