Clinical Myotherapy is a form of manual medicine which focuses on the assesment, treatment, diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal pain. Treatment includes a thorough physical evaluation and an integrated, individualised approach to affected muscles, joints and nerves and effective for the treatment of acute or chronic conditions and in the area of preventive management. A key factor in the application of Clinical Myotherapy is the use of tissue manipulation and joint mobilisation in which are used both diagnostically and therapeutically. Clinical Myotherapy also involves the use of modalities such as: dry-needling, electrical stimulation, on-going pain management techniques and prescriptive exercises.
The distinguishing feature in Clinical Myotherapy is its detailed approach to clinical reasoning where assesment methods of evaluation include;
- postural assesment, and
- funtional, neurological and orthopaedic testing.
United with a thorough palpatory examination of specific muscles, vertebral mobilization, and peripheral joint-play, and the relationship between the practitioners findings, and the patient's pain.
Musculoskeletal pain has three common causes:
a) myofascial pain originating from muscle contracture, from any sports or non-sports related isnjuries. This type of pain can present as contraction through a muscle, or specific points within a muscle known as myofascial trigger points, and
b) neuropathic pain; originating from the central or peripheral nervous system, and
c) articular pain originating from joint pathologies.
Most patient's experience more than one of these types of pain at once, and the appraoch to treatment must be thoughtfully planned.
Clinical Myotherapy highlights the importance of patient education, and patient self-help. Heart and Soul Clinical Myotherapy places an emphasis on educating the patient to equipt them with the tools and knoweldge to understand what is happening to the body and why.
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