SOFT-TISSUE MOBILIZATION

SOFT-TISSUE MOBILIZATION

Soft tissue mobilization is a form of manual physical therapy where your licensed physical therapist uses hands-on techniques on your muscles, ligaments and fascia with the goal of breaking adhesions and optimizing your muscle function.Adhesions are your body’s attempt to heal a soft tissue injury with a lengthy inflammation process, resulting in long strands of collagenous scar tissue. These new tissues pull against one another, forming trigger points of pain.Being able to implement soft tissue mobilization techniques requires a significant amount of training in human anatomy and physiology and understand how manipulating the tissues will impact physical function. Physical therapists specialize in evaluation, assessment and treatment of movement function disorders. Soft tissue mobilization is just one of the strategies that we use to help our patients meet their functional goals.“Soft-tissue mobilization has been suggested to have an array of benefits. However, most of the claims are not supported by the research,” says physical therapist Shane Hayes, a sports physiotherapist who works with Olympic athletes. “Evidence shows us that you can't break down tissues, release muscles, or change muscle structure.”