What is Soft Tissue Therapy?
Soft tissue therapy is a deep muscle technique that is used to help relieve pain, tension, dysfunction, and reduce the presence of scar tissue (adhesions). Dr. Toner often uses soft tissue therapy prior to an adjustment to help relax the muscles in the area. Muscle release therapy places the specific muscle in a shortened position then lengthening the muscle while applying pressure with the thumb or hand to produce a stretch, remove any scar tissue adhesions, to improve motion in the muscle and reduce pain. This technique can also be used to treat conditions originating from tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.
How do Overuse Conditions Occur?
Soft tissue adhesions can be the result of acute injuries such as sprains, strains, or bruises; or they can be the result of repetitive motions common in athletic training or in the daily routines of the workplace. When muscles and tissues are repetitively contracted, blood flow becomes restricted to the surrounding tissues. The purpose of blood flow is to provide oxygen to the tissues, which is then used to create energy for the tissues so that they can carry on with their activities.
Muscles require a lot of oxygen to function. If muscles are overused, this chronically limits blood flow, thereby decreasing the oxygen supply to the area. When this occurs, the body begins to replace the muscle tissue with tissue that doesn’t require as much oxygen or energy to function – mainly scar tissue. Scar tissue is a hard and sticky substance that binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.
