Manipulation
The goal of manipulation is to restore maximal, pain-free movement of the neuro-musculoskeletal system in postural balance. The term “manipulation” in medicine can be confusing and often it conjures up thoughts and beliefs that may be very different when discussing with patients and/or other health care providers from different training backgrounds. Most people think of manipulation in the context of a chiropractor cracking a patient’s spine to restore motion at a particular spinal segment. This is more appropriately termed manipulation with impulse or high velocity-low amplitude technique. However, it really is just one of many techniques used by practitioners of manual medicine.
Manual medicine is as old as the science and art of medicine itself. There is strong evidence of the use of manual medicine dating back to ancient Egypt and other cultures in antiquity. Today manual medicine is practiced by a wide variety of health care providers including osteopathic physicians (D.O.’s), allopathic physicians (M.D.’s), chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, athletic trainers, etc. Depending on the patient's complaints and medical history there are wide variety of different manual treatments available to the practitioner to restore pain free movement and balance to the neuro-musculoskeletal system.
Figure 1: Example of Myofascial Release
Figure 2: High Velocity Manipulation
