Manual Physical Therapy is a unique treatment approach integrating hands on techniques with ongoing assessment to stretch and manipulate soft tissue throughout the body. Throughout the course of aging or after periods of immobilization, joints become more viscous and lose their ability to respond to the stresses of daily activities. These same joints will gradually lose their range of motion, create adaptive shortening of the adjacent muscles and overall create aberrant functioning. Manual Physical Therapist’s provide patients with a comprehensive evaluation seeking to identify restricted joints and/or unstable joints. Manual Therapy can consist of a gentle stretch to muscle tissue, a muscle enegy technique to correct a positional fault, a joint mobilization to improve normal arthrokinematic motion or even a high velocity low amplitude thrust to stimulate Type 3 mechanoreceptors and increase mobility. Dr. Staats utilizes an array of these techniques and others to provide his patients with relief from pain and restore optimal functional mobility.

According to the Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, patients treated by therapists with Manual Therapy Certification reported higher functional outcomes than those without. (JMMT Vol. 12 No. 1 2004, 32-43)