Holistic Physical Therapy for By Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo, PhD, PT, IMT, C full and active life. H Imagine being able to play tennis regularly or go for morning


walks with a friend, but then you begin to experience knee pain every time you play or when you walk for too long. This type of pain can cause a person to become sedentary. Once our movement is limited, then we begin to experience other areas of pain from the lack of movement. It can be a dreary picture.


Traditional Physical Therapy Commonly, a person may seek out a Physical Therapist when they experience chronic joint pain. Traditional Physical Therapy may be helpful for a person with joint pain. But often, it is limited in suc- cess because the person has many underlying issues that could be contributing to their pain and joint problem. Often, we don’t realize that the joint pain is the effect, rather than the cause.


In the last couple of decades, there has been a signifi cant shift


in our general health. There seems to be more cases of infection and infl ammation induced illness, such as Lyme disease or fi bromyalgia. Whereas, historically, a person would walk into a Physical Therapy clinic with a ‘clear-cut’ history of a car accident or back injury, today, our histories are much more complex. We complicate these injuries with additional infl ammatory syndromes that can prolong healing, not to mention that they can contribute to other problems such as digestive issues and immune challenges. Using solely a traditional approach today is often not enough to help us reach optimal health. In some instances, a traditional approach is very ag- gressive and invasive.


Holistic Physical Therapy This is a different approach to chronic pain. As a Physical


Therapist, we look at movement and posture. As a Holistic Physical Therapist, in addition to these very important factors, we consider the whole body. Holistic Physical Therapy uses a gentle form of bodywork called Integrative Manual Therapy or IMT to locate under- lying reasons for why someone experiences chronic pain. By using Integrative Manual Therapy to treat these underlying problems, relief from chronic pain can be achieved.


For example, when there are biomechanical or joint problems


at the low back, a traditional approach of stretching and exercise can stretch out stiff muscles and loosen joints but often this type of approach does not affect the tight joints which may be more con- tributing to the person’s pain and symptoms. Smooth and painless movement comes from normal joint mobility and alignment.


34 Natural Nutmeg - January 2016


ow often do we feel pain? Unfortunately, for some of us, it is a daily and constant experience. As many of you can attest to, chronic pain can become a major obstacle to leading a


Muscle spasm that often accompanies chronic pain may be symptomatically helped with heat or cold. When a muscle is in spasm, stretching and/or exercise does not release the spasm. Ho- listic Physical Therapy techniques such as gentle hands-on IMT can restore mobility to the spine and lower back, correct the position of the pelvis and the sacrum, and restore normal alignment between the lumbar spine and the sacrum. Once the joint alignment is re- stored, and there is less infl ammation in the region, stretching and exercise will be much more effective to help create more move- ment. After the muscle spasm is released, the normal muscle tissue helps to maintain joint mobility, which can then allow the person to return to stretching and exercise programs.


Causes of Chronic Pain In addition to treatment of joint alignment with IMT, there are


many underlying causes for why a person might experience chronic pain, not necessarily related to a particular injury. Often, chronic pain is contributed to by infl ammation, digestive problems, circula- tion issues, and much more. When there is something in the body that is requiring protection (for example, circulation or immune related), the body’s tendency is to inhibit movement—to ‘lock up’. This lack of movement can cause pain and stiffness which is per- sistent. Holistic Physical Therapy uses a comprehensive assessment process to identify underlying causes of chronic pain. Once these sites of dysfunction are found, a customized treatment plan can be developed to treat the underlying issues and help to restore normal movement in the body.


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