Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is a hands-on treatment by clinicians to treat muscle aches, joint pain, and limited range of motion.
We serve American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Lehi, Highland, Alpine, and Lindon from a single clinic, and most people who come to us have already tried something that did not work.
Why Manual Therapy Alone Isn't the Starting Point
A lot of people have had manual therapy before. What they usually didn't get first was a measurement. Before we touch anything, we run strength testing on a dynamometer, range of motion testing, HumanTrak 3D motion capture, and video movement analysis where the movement calls for it.
What we find decides which manual therapy techniques belong in your plan, in what combination, and for how long. Nobody gets treated here until we know what we're treating.
What's Included
- 01
Joint mobilization to restore movement at a specific joint that testing shows is restricted.
- 02
Graston and soft tissue work for scarred or restricted tissue identified during your evaluation.
- 03
Spinal manipulation where testing shows a mechanical restriction in the spine.
- 04
Trigger point dry needling, performed by a certified provider, targeted at the tissue the evaluation identified rather than applied generally.
- 05
Laser and Softwave, added to a plan when testing points to tissue that responds to them.
Conditions Manual Therapy Can Address
Manual therapy is used as part of a plan of care for shoulder pain and restriction, low back pain, knee pain, hip pain, neck pain, post-surgical stiffness, and chronic pain that hasn't responded to rest, medication, or a previous round of therapy elsewhere. It's chosen based on what the evaluation finds, not assigned by diagnosis alone.
Who Provides It
The same therapist who runs your evaluation delivers your manual therapy, every visit, from your first appointment to discharge. You are not handed to a different provider partway through your plan, and you don't re-explain your history to someone new.
Scott used manual manipulation, stretching exercises and laser treatments to loosen the muscles in my neck. I now have full range of motion in my neck and the popping sensation has stopped.
How It Fits Into Your Plan of Care
Manual therapy is one part of a plan of care that also includes therapeutic exercise, movement re-education, and a home program you do between visits.
We re-measure against your original numbers as you progress, and the plan changes if the numbers say it should. Manual therapy is aimed at getting you back to a specific activity, not treated as an end in itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does manual therapy hurt?
Some techniques, like Graston or dry needling, come with sensations patients aren't always warned about elsewhere. We tell you what a treatment is going to feel like before we do it, and we check in during it.
- How many visits does manual therapy take?
That depends on what the evaluation finds. You leave your first visit with a plan of care that includes a duration, so you know what to expect before you start.
- Do I need a referral for manual therapy?
No referral is required. Every new patient starts with the Rx Recovery Evaluation, which determines whether manual therapy, and which kind, belongs in your plan.
- What if manual therapy isn't the right treatment for me?
If your evaluation shows you need imaging, an injection, or a surgical consult, we tell you and make the referral. We don't keep someone on the schedule when the honest answer is that they need something we don't provide.
Know What's Wrong and What's Next
No guessing, no generic exercise sheet. Just a measured answer and a plan with your name on it.