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Manual therapy is helpful for the treatment of joints and muscles that lack adequate mobility and range of motion. This limitation can cause discomfort, pain, and an alteration in function, posture, and mobility. It is a specialized form of massage therapy delivered with the hands and is used to assess and mobilize joints, joint capsules, etc. When combined with soft tissue stretching, it improves joint range of motion and decreases soft tissue pain. We have a wealth of experience in manual treatment of the conditions listed below. Careful consideration is taken with the development of combined treatment approach for fast and positive outcome. Corrective exercises training is available in combination to your manual treatments for additional charge. Ask us for a therapeutic combo session.

Upper and Low Back Pain

According to the National Institute of Neurological disorders and stroke there is a vast majority of causes for  back pain.

These could be one or a combination of a couple of the following conditions: ligament strains, muscle sprains from twisting or lifting something heavy improperly, intervertebral disk degeneration, herniated or ruptured disk, compression and/or inflammation of the spinal nerve root, sciatica, slipping of a lumber vertebra out of place, traumatic injuries from falling and injuring a tendon, playing sports, as well as car accidents, spinal stenosis, scoliosis and other abnormal skeletal irregularities.

In very rare occasions low back pain could be caused by tumors, infections, abdominal aortic aneurysms, kidney stones. There are a number of underlying conditions that create predisposition for low back pain like arthritis, spondylitis, osteoporosis, endometriosis, fibromilagia, etc. There are risk factors, of course, associated with developing upper and lower back pain like:

Age – people between 30-55 have greater chances of developing low back pain as the intervertebral disks fluid is becoming less and they lose their flexibility

Scoliosis – Scoliosis is diagnosed by a doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist. There are a few types of scoliosis: idiopathic scoliosis – developed in the teenage year; functional scoliosis – developed later in life due to different postural imbalances. Symptoms include pain in different areas of the back, hip, neck.

Our combined therapeutic approach for scoliosis duffers from the regular manual therapy due to the C-shaped or S-shaped spine in scoliosis cases. During this therapy specific muscles, that cause the pain will be targeted to reduce your pain. Then depending on the convex/ concave curve appropriate stretching will be applied.

Due to the shape of the S-spine, scoliosis compresses certain internal organs and nerves in the spinal column, which results in decreased vision, hearing, leg length discrepancy and pain. Suffer no more and improve your posture. Schedule your manual therapy today!

Fitness level – low back pain is more common in people with low physical activity habits.

Pregnancy – is accompanied by low back pain due to the alterations in the pelvis.

Obesity – puts extra load on low back pain structures.

Occupational injuries – some jobs require lifting, pushing and pulling heavy objects on a daily basis, which dramatically increase the risks of developing low back pain, as well as jobs requiring prolongated sitting in front of computer without the adequate low back support.

Neck Pain

CONDITIONS TREATED: Headaches, Neck Pain, Forward head posture

Neck pain may have multiple causative factors including muscle tendon or ligament injury, cervical disc degeneration, herniated disk, arthritis, congenital abnormalities. Symptoms include sharp, stiff or burning pain that may or may not radiate down the arms.

One of the root causes is poor postural habits. Our combined approach include manual therapy of all of the involved structures, as well as client focused corrective exercise training to improve posture and to decrease pain.

Shoulder Pain

CONDITIONS TREATED: Rotator cuff, Frozen Shoulder, Tendinopathy,

The term “rotator cuff” refers to four muscles of the shoulder that help to support the shoulder joint during rest and movement. These group of muscles attach the shoulder blade and upper arm bone, and keep the arm bone against the shoulder socket.

Shoulder muscles and tendons can be injured during repetitive movements in sports activities like swimming, baseball, tennis, or with any prolonged overhead movement, or with a sudden injury such as a fall. In an overuse injury, the soft tissues may start to fray, often caused by repeated activities. A tear can be partial or complete, with the muscle being torn into two pieces.

Symptoms of a shoulder injuries can include shoulder pain, stiffness, and weakness. You may have difficulty raising the arm overhead or lifting objects, especially above shoulder height. Activities like getting dressed, combing/washing your hair may even be difficult. Sleeping also can be limited because of shoulder pain.

While recovering from shoulder injuries, you may need to avoid activities that are repeated or painful, such as swimming or playing tennis. Manual therapy and corrective exercises can help you learn how to keep the shoulder moving while protecting the healing tissues with activities for stretching, strengthening, and healthy posture.

Knee Pain

CONDITIONS TREATED: Muscle Strain, Patellar Tendonitis, Patellofemoral Syndrome, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Total Knee Arthroplasty manual therapy

Knee pain may have many causes: ruptured ligament, a muscle strain, or medical conditions like obesity, arthritis, gout, infections, pain after knee replacement, etc. Sometimes pain may be caused by swelling of tissue around the knee. Diagnosis by a medical professional is necessary prior to treatment.

If it is diagnosed that root cause is soft-tissue injury, then massage and manual therapy is indicated. We can design the best manual treatment, accompanied by personalized therapeutic exercises routine that will make you feel pain-free.

Jaw Pain

CONDITIONS TREATED: Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ/ TMD), Bruxism

TMD can occur secondary to multiple causative factors including injury, trauma to the temporomandibular joint, congenital abnormalities, arthritis, dislocation, disc degeneration or stress. Risk factors include chewing on one side, eating tough food, clenching, and grinding teeth. Habits of gum chewing and nail biting may increase the incidence of TMJ.

TMD symptoms include pain (persistent or recurring), muscle spasm, abnormal or limited joint motion, headache, and tinnitus. These symptoms can appear either on one side of the jaw, or on both sides. The usual complain is a feeling or hearing a “clicking or popping” sound with motion at the TMJ.

Our combined approach will be focused toward decreasing of the symptoms with manual therapy and therapeutic exercises.

Arm Pain

CONDITIONS TREATED: Bursitis, Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow), Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow), Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Cervical Radiculopathy

Arm pain may have multiple causative factors like repetitive movements, injury or fractures. Symptoms include pain, discomfort or stiffness of in the elbow, wrist or fingers. Our combined therapeutic approach will be focused toward decreasing of the symptoms with manual therapy and therapeutic exercises.

Pregnancy Massage Therapy

CONDITIONS TREATED: Sciatica, Low back Pain, Neck pain

Low back pain, neck pain , and Sciatica are common conditions during pregnancy. Symptoms include pain and discomfort during daily activities in the low back area, which sometimes may radiate down one of the extremities. Our specialized therapeutic approach takes specialized approach toward future mom-to-be considering all major contraindications and proper positioning for pregnancy. Post-partum treatments also available.

Sports Massage Therapy

CONDITIONS TREATED: Golfer’s elbow, Tennis elbow, Iliotibial and Iliofemoral Syndrome, Shoulder pain etc.

Symptoms include pain at different joints like knee, elbow, shoulder due to repetitive motion during sports activities. Our therapeutic approach includes personalized assessment of symptoms, followed by specialized manual therapy and stretching.

ADD-ONS: You can add corrective exercise training to your manual sessions for additional charge. Ask us for rates and availability. Virtual training sessions available.

Therapeutic Combo session (120 min)

At our Evanston clinical massage practice we offer a combined therapeutic treatment of any condition above, including manual therapy and correcting exercises training on site. Ask us for rates and availability.

  • Manual therapy is a discipline guided by science.
  • Our treatments are hands-on to achieve the best results.
  • We take a tailored approach, with individualized treatments.