People often ask us what the difference is between a Myotherapist and other health professionals. This is a very loaded question and very hard to answer as we are all able to treat most conditions just in different ways. In my opinion Myotherapy is a very effective form of treatment focussing on soft tissue manipulation but there are other therapies out there. One type of treatment doesn’t work for everyone (although Myotherapy does a good job, a little biased I know!) so here’s a little information about the other treatment options.
Chiropractors use manual adjustment or manipulation of the spine to promote the body’s natural capacity to heal. This is based on their thoughts that abnormal function of the nervous system is the cause of many different conditions therefore realigning the spine will restore the function of the nervous system.
Osteopaths use treatment techniques such as stretching and massage for general treatment of the soft tissues along with mobilisation of specific joints and soft tissues.
As Myotherapists we manually manipulate the muscles and tendons whilst gentle mobilising the joints by doing this it decreases the muscle tension which will relieve the pressure on the joints and allow better function.
Physiotherapists as a big generalisation treat more acute conditions such as a torn ACL or assist with rehab from orthopaedic surgery. Post this zero to two week treatment from a physiotherapist a Myotherapist can assist with the long term rehab and the incorrect muscle patterns associated with the injury.
Exercise physiologists specialise in the exercise and movement and complex rehabilitation for the prevention and management of chronic diseases and injuries. They don’t do hands on work and solely focus on getting the body moving better as a whole. This works in very well with your Myotherapist initiating your rehab and getting the function and full movement back into the muscles then retraining will help in the long term stopping those little niggles and allowing you to get back to full muscle health.
Podiatry is the assessment and treatment of disorders of the foot and lower limb. Assessing gait and general foot function. Podiatrists are very good at referring to Myotherapists because in association with lower limb issues the whole posterior chain (back of the body) is usually dysfunctional. We are able to restore function of these muscles and offload the lower limbs aiding the podiatrists treatments.
If you are unsure about what you need pop in for a treatment and I can assess what’s going on and let you know if I can help with your condition or refer you onto someone that can.
– Angela Byrt
