Living with pain is an experience nobody wants to go through. It can make even the simplest tasks seem like a burden and negatively affect your quality of life. Going through this problem is even more difficult if you’re unaware of what myotherapy does.
If you’ve been suffering from pain for a long time, you might have tried different medications and methods to deal with your condition. However, the nagging ache and stiffness you’re feeling won’t go away if you don’t address the root problem of your pain. That’s why it’s best to work with a professional who can provide you with the help you need.
Amongst the different practitioners who can help with your pain, one of the professionals you can go to is a myotherapist. This specialist can provide you with myotherapy treatment to address your pain.
What is Myotherapy Treatment?
Learning about what is myotherapy is your first step to living a pain-free life. Myotherapy was first developed by Bonnie Prudden in 1976. The treatment was inspired by the different techniques created and developed by Dr. Janet Travell and Dr. Hans Kraus.
In simple terms, myotherapy is a type of physical therapy that evolved from remedial or medical massage. During treatment, your myotherapist will use trigger point release and other techniques and modalities using their hands, fingers, elbows, and knuckles to treat and manage your muscle and myofascial pain.
What Happens During a Myotherapy Treatment?
When you visit a myotherapy clinic, you can expect your myotherapist to use a variety of techniques to address your pain. Aside from massage techniques, they will use the following methods, depending on your condition:
- Muscle stretching
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Passive stretching
- Dry needling or acupuncture
- Cupping
- Trigger point therapy
- Muscle energy techniques (METS)
- Ultrasound
When is Myotherapy Needed?
Myotherapy is a type of treatment that can be used to address a range of problems that affect your muscles or soft tissue. You can go to a myotherapist whenever you experience any of the following conditions:
- Sprains
- Joint pain
- Back pain
- Cervicogenic headaches
- Sports injuries
- Overuse injuries
What are the Benefits of Myotherapy?
Getting myotherapy treatment can provide you with a lot of benefits. This treatment can help you address different acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain and conditions, including the following:
Improve Chronic Low Back Pain
If you’re constantly dealing with lower back pain in your daily life, getting myotherapy treatment can help. This treatment can improve the range of motion in your lower back and ease the pain you’re feeling by decreasing your muscle’s tightness, restoring your body’s natural posture, and relaxing your muscle spasms.
Myotherapy is also effective in relieving your chronic lower back pain no matter what caused it. Whether your lower back pain is caused by spinal stenosis, an injury to your muscles and ligaments, nerve compression, disc injury, scoliosis, or poor posture, a myotherapist can help you.
Treat Myofascial Pain
Myofascia refers to the part of your body that connects your muscle and fascia, a type of tissue that surrounds and protects your muscles. When you experience myofascial pain, you often feel a dull, aching sensation and can also suffer from referred pain in other parts of your body. This condition can be caused by different factors, including injury, repetitive stress, poor posture, or inflammatory or nervous system-related problems.
Myotherapy treatment can help address myofascial pain by releasing the pressure on your muscles and fascia. This type of treatment can also help improve your range of motion and flexibility and ease the pain you’re feeling.
Manage Tension Headaches and Migraines
If you often suffer from headaches and migraines, myotherapy can help. Since this condition is often caused by neck or jaw-related problems, myotherapy treatment can help ease the pain you’re feeling by releasing the tension in your muscles.
Myotherapy can also help improve your circulation and alleviate the pressure on your nerves. This can help you manage your tension headaches and migraines, as well as prevent them from happening in the future.
Rehabilitate Sports Injuries
Suffering from sports injuries does not only prevent you from enjoying what you love. It also causes you pain that can last for a long time, which will significantly decrease your quality of life.
When you work with a myotherapist, you can start your journey to rehabilitation and recovery. Myotherapy can help you address various sports injuries, including Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis, hamstring strains, and calf strains. This type of treatment can also help you avoid injuries in the future by improving your flexibility and range of motion.
Reduce Tendon Pain and Inflammation
Tendinitis is a condition that causes inflammation in your tendons, the tissues that connect your muscles to your bones. This condition is often caused by repetitive stress or overuse of the affected area.
Although this condition may be challenging to assess and manage, myotherapists have the right training to determine if you have tendon problems. They also have the knowledge and skills to create a treatment program made especially for your condition to relieve your pain and inflammation.
Alleviate Degenerative Joint Pain
As you grow older, you are more prone to experiencing degenerative joint pain, also known as osteoarthritis. This type of arthritis develops when the cartilage in your joints starts to break down. When this happens, your bones will rub against each other, causing pain, stiffness, and inflammation.
Myotherapy can help you address the pain and stiffness you’re feeling by improving your range of motion. Your myotherapist will also use different methods to ensure you can move comfortably every day.
Speed Up Recovery From Surgery
If you recently underwent surgery, myotherapy can help you recover quickly and safely. This type of treatment can help reduce the pain you’re feeling and improve your range of movement.
Myotherapists are also trained to use different methods and modalities to help you recover faster. This will allow you to get back to your regular activities and sport sooner.
What to Expect During Your Myotherapy Appointment
Once you decide to visit a myotherapy clinic to address your pain, you can expect a few things during your first appointment. Before starting your treatment, your myotherapist will ask you about your symptoms to learn more about your condition. They will also ask you about your medical history and if you’re taking any medication.
You should make sure to be as truthful as possible to your specialist during this interview. All the information you disclose will be kept in confidence, so you don’t have to worry about anything.
After the interview, your myotherapist will conduct a physical examination. They will examine and manipulate your affected joints and muscles and test your reflexes. This step will help them determine the root cause of your pain.
Your myotherapist will then create a specialised treatment program based on the information they gathered during the interview and physical exam. Then, they will brief you about your treatment plan and tell you about the different techniques and modalities they will use to improve your condition.
Where to Find a Myotherapy Clinic
If you’re looking for a physiotherapy clinic in Hong Kong that offers excellent myotherapy treatment, look no further than OneEssential. We have the skills, knowledge, and equipment necessary to help you address your pain and improve your quality of life. You can also count on our specialist to address the root cause of your problem to give you a better chance of living a pain-free life. Contact us today for more information.
