Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is a hands-on treatment used by physiotherapists to reduce pain and improve movement. It’s a key part of effective physiotherapy, targeting the source of your discomfort to help you get back to the activities you love. At Recover Physio, our expert team offers tailored manual therapy to support your recovery and help you move better, combining skilled techniques with a deep understanding of the human body.

What is Manual Therapy?

Manual therapy is a specialised area of physiotherapy that involves hands-on techniques to assess and treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. Our physiotherapists use skilled manipulation and mobilisation of joints and soft tissues to reduce pain, improve your range of motion, and restore normal movement patterns.

Manual therapy is a clinical approach used by Physiotherapists at Recover aimed  at addressing the underlying causes of your pain and restricted movement. The techniques we use, including joint manipulation, mobilisation with movement, and myofascial release, are evidence-based methods designed to facilitate long-term recovery.

Our Chartered Physiotherapists undergo continuous training both at University and as part of Recover’ in house training programme to ensure they have the expertise to determine which techniques will be most effective for your specific condition, ensuring a targeted and personalised treatment plan.

Conditions Treated with Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is a versatile treatment that can be highly effective for a wide range of conditions. By addressing the root cause of pain and dysfunction, it can provide lasting relief for many types of musculoskeletal issues.

• Neck pain: Gentle spinal mobilisation and soft tissue techniques can relieve stiffness, increase the range of movement, and decrease the frequency of associated tension headaches.
• Back pain: For those suffering from back pain, manual therapy helps to reduce muscle tension while improving spinal mobility and posture, getting you moving comfortably again.
• Postural-related pain: By mobilising joints, we undo the stiffnesses caused by posture and improve your range of movement. This allows muscles to be strengthened more effectively, helping to prevent pain from recurring and improving your overall quality of life.
• Hip pain: We can mobilise the hip through specific distraction and glide techniques, which can bring relief from conditions like hip osteoarthritis and femoral acetabulum impingement.
• Shoulder pain: Mobilisation combined with myofascial release techniques can promote the relaxation of overactive muscles. This encourages the activation of underactive muscles to better support the shoulder joint and relieve painful symptoms.

Benefits of Manual Therapy

Manual therapy offers several clinically proven benefits that go beyond simple pain management. It’s an effective approach that targets the source of your problem to deliver lasting results.

• Pain relief: Targeted, hands-on techniques help to reduce pain directly at its source, providing more effective relief than generalised treatments.
• Improved mobility and flexibility: By addressing stiffness in joints and tightness in muscles, manual therapy restores normal function, allowing you to move more freely and with greater ease.
• Injury recovery and prevention: Manual therapy not only supports the body’s natural healing process but also reduces the risk of re-injury by correcting underlying imbalances.
• Stress reduction: The physical relief that comes from easing long-held tension can have a profound impact on your overall well-being, helping to lower stress levels.

Manual Therapy Techniques

Our physiotherapists are trained in a variety of advanced manual therapy techniques. We select the most appropriate methods for your condition to ensure the best possible outcome.

• Joint mobilisation: Gentle, controlled movements are applied to stiff joints to improve movement and reduce discomfort.
• Mobilisation with movement: This technique works to restore pain-free motion through guided, active movement, retraining your body’s functional patterns.
• Soft tissue release: We use targeted pressure to ease muscle tension, break down adhesions, and improve circulation to affected tissues.
• Trigger point therapy: This involves applying pressure to myofascial trigger points—commonly known as ‘knots’—to reduce the referred pain they often cause in other parts of the body.

What to Expect During Your First Visit

Your journey to recovery starts with a thorough and welcoming first appointment. We take the time to understand your condition completely so we can provide a diagnosis and decide on the most effective treatment plan for you.

We’ll conduct a comprehensive assessment. This involves discussing your symptoms and health history, followed by a detailed physical examination to identify the root cause of your issue. If your injury involves a lower limb, please bring a pair of shorts to allow for an accurate assessment.

Based on this assessment, your physiotherapist will create a personalised treatment plan. We will explain our findings clearly and outline a plan for your treatment frequency and follow-up appointments. This plan will combine recommended manual therapy techniques with a tailored home exercise programme designed to complement your sessions, address any musculoskeletal imbalances, and prevent the injury from recurring.

Why Choose Recover Physio for Manual Therapy?

When you’re seeking top-rated manual therapy in Norwich, choosing the right clinic is essential for effective treatment. Recover Physio stands out for our commitment to patient care and lasting results.

Our team consists of highly trained and experienced physiotherapists who are experts in a wide range of manual therapy techniques. They have the advanced knowledge and skills to accurately assess your condition and provide a tailored treatment plan to achieve the best possible outcome. We adopt a patient-centred approach, taking the time to listen and understand your concerns so we can address the root cause of your pain.

Our goal isn’t just to alleviate your immediate symptoms but to facilitate your long-term recovery and prevent the problem from returning. We empower you with the knowledge and tools needed to manage your condition and maintain your musculoskeletal health.

With two convenient and easily accessible clinics in Norwich—one on Princes Street and another at The Nest—receiving high-quality manual therapy has never been more accessible in Norfolk.

Speak to a Therapist

If you would like to discuss your condition to find out how we can help, you can speak to one of our friendly therapists. Just click below to request a callback from a member of our team. Alternatively, if you would like to get going with your treatment straight away you can book an Initial Assessment online by clicking the link below.

Find your nearest Recover Physio branch

Recover Physio is proud to offer expert physiotherapy services across Norwich. With two conveniently located branches in the city centre on Princes Street, and at The Nest just off Holt Road, we are committed to serving the community in Norfolk. Whether you are looking for support with musculoskeletal issues, rehabilitation, or specialised treatments, our team is here to help.