At Greater Therapy Centers our licensed physical therapists use stretching and soft tissue mobilization (STM) to help restore function to injured muscles and tissue. STM uses stretching and deep pressure to break up fibrous muscle tissue, also called myofascial adhesions, relax muscle tension and move fluids trapped in the tissues. With this technique our certified physical therapists will determine the area causing the greatest discomfort and work to restore the tissue to its normal texture. This can be done with a variety of tools.
Types of soft tissue mobilization include:
Strain – Counterstrain
ASTYM – Graston Technique
Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)
Manual traction
Trigger Point Therapy / Myofascial Release
Cross friction
The benefits of soft tissue mobilization include:
Reduction in pain
Regeneration of soft tissue
Increased mobility
Improve function
Faster recovery
What conditions can be treated with soft tissue mobilization?
Ankle sprains
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Chronic back pain
Chronic neck pain
Hip pain
Knee pain
Muscle sprains and strains
Plantar fasciitis
Scar Tissue
Shoulder pain
Shin splints
Tendinitis
Post-surgical scarring
Epicondylitis
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
Is stretching and soft tissue mobilization safe?
When performed by a licensed physical therapist soft tissue mobilization is a safe and effective form of physical therapy.
