Soft Tissue Release – Tri City Physiotherapy

What is Soft tissue release?

Soft tissue release is a therapy where pressure is applied on a muscle or connective tissue during movement to fascilitate a stretch or lengthening of tissue.

To maximize effect, the pressure is moved during the stretch to release different parts of the mucle or connective tissue.

Why soft tissue release?

The benefits include increases in venous and lymphatic drainage, increasing fluid absorption, mobilizing adhesions, breaking up scar tissue and helping overall collagen flexibility.

In all, soft tissue release combines stretch and massage which together have better effect on decreasing the size of the scar/painful area and helps organize the direction of the fibres which ultimatley lessens strain. The technique is rhythmic, relatively gentle and takes place in multiple planes to help create a greater range of motion overall.

Still confused or scared it will hurt?

Good youtube video showing how it is done on a hamstring.  Soft Tissue Release

Interested in knowing more.. or are in need of this type of therapy…

Call our staff to book your appointment now or to speak to a therapist.

519-620-2229

Physiotherapists: The Body Mechanics

To start, imagine driving down the road when you run over a big pot hole and get a flat tire.  Would the first thing that went through your head be “hmmmm, maybe it will get better on its own”?  Probably not.  Now imagine leaving that tire to “get better on its own”  for a week, a month or even a year.  Don’t you think that maybe this flat tire, which could have been fixed easily if it were taken care of initially, would cause further mechanical problems with the rest of your car?  The alignment, the gas mileage, not to mention the damage it would cause to the rims?

Now, instead of having a flat tire, imagine straining your shoulder while playing co-ed softball or while painting that  room that went out of style 10 years ago.  Wouldn’t it be a little easier to say “hmmm, maybe it will get better on its own”?  I bet it would be.  Don’t you think, much like how a flat tire would cause  further mechanical problems with your car, a strained shoulder would do the same to the rest of our body if left untreated?  My guess is that most of us would nod our heads yes, soooooo….. why is it that we treat our possessions better and more proactively than we treat ourselves?

If this scenario speaks to you, don’t let your next injury get the best of you.  Visit a physiotherapist so that your next flat tire doesn’t turn into a full body breakdown.

Why does this strain just insist to remain?

Ever had something you thought was just a muscle strain that just never really went away?

Isn’t it time to figure out why this injury has stuck around and has not gotten better with the ever popular “wait and see” approach?

Well, one of the reasons it probably hasn’t just “gotten better on its own”, is because of an accumulation of scar tissue. After an injury such as a muscle pull or a strain, a mass of immature scar tissue is laid down to repair the damaged muscle. Initially this process helps repair the strained tissue but if it remains after the strain has healed, it can irritate and inflame the surrounding healthy tissue and cause unwanted pain and limitations in function. When a build up of scar tissue remains well after the initial injury, measures must be taken to break down this scar tissue so that it can mature and align properly with the healthy muscle fibres. If measures are not taken, this scar tissue remains immature, inflexible and extremely weak. With inflexibility and weakness comes an increased risk of reinjuring the area and causing an even greater build-up of scar tissue. This cycle of injury makes it even harder for the body to break down this scar tissue and this buildup can eventually become so great that even the easiest movements can become weak and cause pain. As an example, think about a muscle strain as being a bruise on the front of your thigh. As we know, when bruises occur they are quite tender to touch and we generally leave them alone until they turn yellow and go away. Now, say we poke these bruises just as they are about to fade away, wouldn’t it be that much easier to cause this bruise to return with the same intensity if not more than with the initial injury? Essentially this bruise is like scar tissue where the initial injury makes us more susceptible to a more serious future injury unless we take measures to avoid and help prevent sequential injuries from happening. And…… how can we help avoid and prevent further injury you ask? Let a physiotherapist HELP!

A physiotherapist combines in-depth knowledge of how the body works with specialized hands-on clinical skills to prescribe personalized therapeutic exercises, provide essential patient education, deliver targeted manual therapy techniques and help manage pain and increase healing with different modalities such as laser and acupuncture. So, if you’re tired of feeling an injury you thought would have healed by now, let a physiotherapist do what we do best: restore, maintain and maximize your strength, function, movement and overall well-being.

By Andrew Mensink BHSc(Hon), MSC(PT)
Registered Physiotherapist