If you’ve recently been injured, you may have hidden damage to your soft tissues. This damage can lead to a variety of unpleasant physical symptoms if left untreated. Soft tissue treatment can help get to the root of your pain and help you recover from the unseen damage caused by your accident or injury. Here are some of the benefits of soft tissue mobilization treatment.
Breaking Up Rigid Muscles
It is common for the muscles in an injured area to become rigid and inflexible. Soft tissue mobilization treatment can break up rigid muscles. The technique utilizes both targeted stretching and deep pressure to release muscle tension. It is commonly used to treat soft tissue injuries that happen as a result of muscle strains, sprains and other injuries.
Releasing Any and All Trapped Liquids
When any part of the body becomes injured, it isn’t unusual for fluids to become trapped in the injured tissues. These fluids can lead to inflammation and pain. If you’re experiencing unwanted symptoms from trapped fluids in or near an injury site, search online for “sports physical therapy near me.” You will likely find one or more physical therapists in your vicinity who perform soft tissue mobilization treatment to release trapped liquids.
Improving Joint Range of Motion
Studies show that soft tissue mobilization can improve joint range of motion after an injury. This may be due to an increase in tissue fascia mobility as well as an increase in blood flow to the targeted tissue. If you’ve noticed joint stiffness and decreased range of motion after an accident or injury, soft tissue mobilization treatment may help.
Reducing Scarring
Scarring is an unfortunate consequence of many types of injuries. While it may not be possible to get rid of scars completely, soft tissue mobilization treatment may reduce the appearance of scars. It works by increasing scar mobility and may also help relieve some of the tissue sensitivity associated with scarring.
Minimizing Headaches
Soft tissue mobilization treatment is a recommended form of physical therapy for headaches. The treatment works to reduce headache frequency and severity by applying deep tension and stretching to relax muscle tension. If you frequently experience headaches, this may be an effective form of treatment. It’s also commonly used to relieve back, hip, shoulder and knee pain. For the purposes of relieving severe headaches and migraines, soft tissue therapy works best in combination with other types of therapy (such as suboccipital soft tissue inhibition). Ask your physical therapist what treatment combinations are recommended to combat your frequent headaches.
Other Benefits of Soft Tissue Mobilization Treatment
The primary goals of soft tissue mobilization treatment are to lengthen muscles and tendons, break down adhesions that can cause pain and movement restrictions, and alleviate pain caused by inflammation due to damaged tissues. The treatment is non-invasive and is more affordable than most invasive treatments for injuries.
If you have tried other treatments and they have failed to relieve your pain after an injury, you may want to consider soft tissue mobilization treatment. Talk with your physical therapist to learn more.
