As a new PT over 25 years ago, I was drawn to deep tissue work, a direct, traditional manual physical therapy technique. Patients would come to me in pain; I would find the tender areas and “fix” them with deep pressure and force. For the majority of my patients, the deep tissue therapy worked wonders, but for some patients, the deep tissue work either didn’t help or more often than not, made them feel worse (negative treatment reaction).
In 1997, I began studying Integrative Manual Therapy, (IMT), an indirect, non-traditional manual therapy using gentle touch to facilitate the body’s healing process. Patients are evaluated holistically using advanced manual and visual diagnostics to determine which tissue layer or body system may be limiting their healing process. IMT therapy gently moves tissue layers or body systems indirectly into a more healthy alignment over time. After several years of IMT study, I realized I rarely used deep tissue therapy, but was using mostly IMT and getting great results with all my patients, including the patients that didn’t respond to direct deep tissue therapy.
To re-educate patients to use their new body alignment, as well as optimize their function, therapeutic exercise, and education are needed. So, as a complement to my manual skills, I became certified in Applied Functional Science. This is a holistic therapeutic exercise approach I use to discover what area of the body led to a patient’s injury or symptoms and to show patients how to prevent new or further injury. In addition, after I opened The Manual Touch PT in 2010, I brought my passion for running into my practice, by creating services for runners and triathletes to improve their performance and prevent injury.
Now I brought all these pieces together, to create The Manual Touch PT philosophy. We use a Whole Body Approach to create unique traditional and non-traditional manual therapy and exercise plans for patients to reclaim function, life, movement, and enjoyment of the activities they love. In addition, we love to educate the community about natural healing methods, mindfulness of daily movements, and preventing injuries.
