Often misunderstood as similar terms and used interchangeably, manual therapy and massage therapy are very different practices performed by professionals with very different qualifications. They have their differences, and you need to learn them if you want to go for any of these treatment methods offered by most physical therapy clinics in the US.
Differences Between Manual Therapy Vs Massage Therapy
You need to understand the differences between them in order to experience the desired recovery and therapy plan suited most to the nature of your injury.
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy is the rhythmically applying pressure, rubbing, wrinkling, rolling, and kneading of the muscles, tissues, and joints of the body. It’s a slow treatment that is suitable to release muscle tension, anxiety, and stress. It promotes blood circulation, increases flexibility of the muscles, and relaxes the body overall.
- It’s not directed towards a particular injury or condition; you can go for massage therapy for short-term pain or general reasons like fatigue, muscle tension, stress relief, and exhaustion. It won’t be beneficial in severe physical injuries.
- Qualifications for massage therapists include a 2-year certification from an accredited school, which involves practice and training under supervision.
Some people may confuse massage with physical therapy and often ask, ‘Is massage part of physical therapy.’ Yes, physical therapists might use soft massaging techniques to ease muscle tension, but the ultimate goal and target areas for physical therapy are much more specific than massage. Let’s see the difference between physical therapy vs massage therapy:
| Physical Therapy | Massage Therapy |
| Physical therapy targets a particular condition and focuses on relieving pain and improving mobility, flexibility, and movement with the help of different techniques for long-term results. | Massage therapy focuses on short-term issues like stress, sore muscles, fatigue, and exhaustion. It’s a general relaxing treatment that doesn’t involve severe injuries and conditions. |
What is Manual Therapy?
Manual therapy uses hands-on techniques to relax muscles and tissues to regain movement, reduce pain and inflammation, and activate muscles. It requires more training, extensive knowledge, and qualification because it’s a great deal to understand anatomy and manipulate and pressure the targeted tissues or muscles.
- Unlike massage therapy, a manual therapist will have to obtain a four-year bachelor’s degree from an approved institution and then go on to a master of physical therapy degree.
The Manual therapy is usually the very first treatment option for conditions like chronic back pain relief, tensed neck and shoulder muscles, difficulty in joint movement, and severe headaches and migraines. People get confused with the similarities and differences of manual therapy vs physical therapy as well.
| Physical Therapy | Manual Therapy |
| Physical therapy is a broader term that refers to the use of equipment and techniques to ease pain and get people back on track after trauma, injury, accident, and surgery. | Manual therapy is hand on therapy that is used within the techniques of physical therapy based on the nature of the injury and pain the patient is experiencing. |
10 Manual Therapy Techniques Used By Physical Therapists
Does physical therapy include massage and manual therapy techniques? Yes, physical therapy uses massage to ease the patient’s muscle tension, but it uses most manual therapy techniques to achieve their health goals.
1. Soft Tissue Mobilization
This technique is used to break down movement, restricting adhesions in muscles, ligaments, and facia. It refers to applying deep pressure and gentle stretching techniques to optimize muscle function.
2. Joint Mobilizations
As the name suggests, this technique is all about optimizing the movement and flexibility of the sore and stiffened joints. It improves joint function in the long run and eases regular motion.
3. Myofascial Release
The myofascial release refers to applying gentle, sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissues. It’s a popular manual therapy technique that restores facial elasticity, blood flow, and regular motion.
4. Dry needling
It involves the use of thin filament needles that are inserted through the skin to stimulate the tissue in the triggered point. This is usually a technique that is used to check how tissue is responding and how the treatment is working.
5. Lymphedema Therapy
Lymphedema is a long term chronic condition that refers to the swelling of body tissue due to the production of excessive fluids. You will need a lymphedema therapy specialist to relax the body tissues through lymphatic drainage and make the system work properly again.
6. Muscle Energy Technique
This manual therapy is helpful in lengthening the muscles that have been shortened over time and have difficulty in movement. Shortened or shrunken muscles cause pelvic asymmetry, which can be treated with this therapy technique.
7. Manual Traction
In this technique, the therapist uses hands to exert controlled, gentle force to the cervical spine, leg, or back to relieve pain and ease the numbness in the limbs, hands, and feet.
8. Cupping
Cupping is a technique that uses silicon cups to cause the skin to rise and blood vessels to expand. It creates a suction effect by lifting and separating tissue. This is a very healthy practice that improves blood flow, relaxes muscles, and reduces pain.
9. Thrust Manipulation
Thrust manipulation is a therapy technique that uses a targeted, high velocity, low amplitude thrust directed towards the spinal joint in order to create a joint cavitation or audible pop. It helps decrease pain efficiently.
10. Strain Counter Strain
This is a technique where therapist only uses their hands for joint pain and muscle dysfunction. It involves mild stretching of muscles with periods of rest to relax the tightened or stiffened muscles. It helps reduce the muscle spasms.
Manual Therapy Vs Massage Therapy: Get It Today
No matter what therapy you are going to select, make sure it resonates with the needs for your injury. So, hire a physical therapist or book an appointment to finally defeat the pain and be healthy again. Have a detailed talk with your therapist so you can be on the same page and select the therapy techniques to achieve the desired health goals.
