Manual therapy is utilizing the practice of using specific hands-on techniques, including but not limited to manipulation/mobilization, used by the physical therapist to diagnose and treat soft tissues and joint issues.

Why Health Care Practitioners Prescribe Manual Physical Therapy

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) defines manual therapy techniques as "skilled hand movements and skilled passive movements of joints and soft tissue." In other words, it's physical therapy that employs the practitioner's hands rather than machines. These techniques can be used to improve range of motion and tissue extensibility, mobilize or manipulate soft tissue and joints, control pain, reduce soft tissue swelling, inflammation, or restriction, and induce relaxation.

Before prescribing manual therapies, a doctor or physical therapist will take into account several factors surrounding the patient's condition, medical history, and outpatient care, according to the APTA. Factors that might influence decisions involving physical therapy include age, comorbidities, social support, the primary caregiver's expertise, the condition's stability, and environmental factors such as living situation. These factors can impact the types of physical therapy a patient might undergo, as well as whether the patient can or should undergo physical therapy at all.