With a team of highly qualified physiotherapists and a massage therapist Manual Concepts offers excellent services to effectively treat many conditions. The clinic provides first-class treatment facilities to treat complex conditions by using a combination of manual therapy, education, exercise prescription, dry needling (previously called IMS) and acupuncture.

Physiotherapy

What is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a medical science concerned with the assessment, maintenance, and restoration of the physical function and performance of the human body by:

• Improving and maintaining functional independence and physical performance.
• Preventing and managing pain, physical impairments, disabilities and limits to participation; and
• Promoting fitness, health and wellness.

Physiotherapy’s unique contribution to health care stems from it’s advanced understanding of how the body moves, what keeps it from moving well, and how to restore mobility.

How can Physiotherapy help you?

If you have recently experienced an injury,  sport injury, are experiencing limited joint mobility or if you have been living with pain or discomfort for months or even years, physiotherapy may be what you need.

Your Manual Concepts Physiotherapist will:

• Perform a thorough assessment to identify and determine the extent of your problems and address them using the best available treatment strategy.
• Identify the causes and any predisposing factors behind your condition and present a program designed to avoid reoccurrence of your symptoms.
• Provide rehabilitation following occupational or sporting injuries.
• Provide rehabilitation and exercise before and after surgery.
• Provide advice on exercise programs.
• Provide or advise on special equipment or supplies.

While Manual Concept’s facility is staffed by therapists who are recognized internationally as among the most experienced and highly qualified in Canada. In addition to time spent treating patients, our primary therapists spend time each week teaching advanced therapies and treatment techniques to physiotherapists from other clinics.

 

Massage Therapy

Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy and is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body.

Modern massage therapy, far more than a stroking of the skin, is often referred to as bodywork or somatic therapy, and refers to the application of various techniques to the muscular structure and soft tissues of the body that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, vibration, rocking, friction, kneading and compression. While most techniques are applied using primarily the hands, massage therapists do use other areas of the body, such as the forearms, elbows or feet. All of the techniques are used for the benefit of the musculoskeletal, circulatory-lymphatic, nervous, and other systems of the body. In fact, massage therapy positively influences the overall health and well-being of the client.

Massage does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin, it also works on soft tissues like muscles, tendons, and ligaments to improve muscle tone.

Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, the benefits of massage therapy may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves.Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), improving the elimination of waste throughout the body.

The benefits of massage therapy include increased range of motion and flexibility, stress reduction and improved circulation all of which can also help achieve an overall feeling of well-being.

Dry Needling

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a treatment technique that involves the insertion of a very thin and flexible needle into a shortened muscle in order to help it relax, loosen and function better. In most cases, multiple muscles have to be needled during a single treatment session. These painful muscles containing tight bands with tender ‘knots’ (known as trigger points) can feel ropey and are involved in many types of soft tissue pain. The trigger points are specifically targeted with the needle during treatment. The needle used is referred to as a ‘dry needle’ because there is no solution or medication being injected. In the Integrated Dry Needling™ (IDN) approach, physiotherapists safely combine dry needling with other common physiotherapy treatments, when appropriate, based on the results of a comprehensive examination.

Effects of Dry Needling

Dry needling has been demonstrated to have a significant effect on muscle tone and myofascial trigger points. This occurs through mechanical, electrophysical, chemical and neurophysiological mechanisms. Most of these effects are dependent on eliciting a local twitch response at the trigger point.^(4–7)

Trigger point dry needling appears to reduce myofascial pain, regardless of body region, at various points in time.” – Boyles et al, Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy, 2015⁽⁸⁾

Dry Needling can be especially effective for muscle pain and myofascial pain syndromes when combined with other physiotherapy techniques and treatments, including hands on care, exercise and education.(9)

Dry Needling treatment has been shown in the research to have positive effects on numerous musculoskeletal pains.

This includes:

• Temporomandibular Joint (Jaw) Pain and Dysfunction (TMD)^(10–12)
• Mechanical Neck Pain^(7,13)
• Headaches⁽¹⁴⁾
• Shoulder Pain^(13,15)
• Low Back Pain⁽¹⁶⁾
• Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain^(17,18)
• Fibromyalgia⁽¹⁹⁾
• Muscle pain created by myofascial trigger points⁽⁸⁾

Other areas that demonstrate significant improvement clinically include:

• Tendinopathies/Tendinitis
  • Rotator Cuff
  • Lateral or Medial epicondylosis (Tennis Elbow, Golfer’s Elbow)
  • Achilles Tendinopathy
• Hip Pain or Arthritis
• Knee Pain or Arthritis
• Radiculopathies (nerve pain)

 

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Cited Sources

4. Cagnie B, Dewitte V, Barbe T, Timmermans F, Delrue N, Meeus M. Physiologic effects of dry needling. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2013 Aug;17(8):348.

5. Huang Y-T, Lin S-Y, Neoh C-A, Wang K-Y, Jean Y-H, Shi H-Y. Dry needling for myofascial pain: prognostic factors. J Altern Complement Med N Y N. 2011 Aug;17(8):755–62.

6. Kietrys DM, Palombaro KM, Mannheimer JS. Dry needling for management of pain in the upper quarter and craniofacial region. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2014;18(8):437.

7. Mejuto-Vazquez MJ, Salom-Moreno J, Ortega-Santiago R, Truyols-Dominguez S, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C. Short-term changes in neck pain, widespread pressure pain sensitivity, and cervical range of motion after the application of trigger point dry needling in patients with acute mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014 Apr;44(4):252–60.

8. Boyles R, Fowler R, Ramsey D, Burrows E. Effectiveness of trigger point dry needling for multiple body regions: a systematic review. J Man Manip Ther. 2015 Dec;23(5):276–93.

9. Segura-Perez M, Hernandez-Criado MT, Calvo-Lobo C, Vega-Piris L, Fernandez-Martin R, Rodriguez-Sanz D. A Multimodal Approach for Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Prospective Study. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2017 Aug;40(6):397–403.

10. Diracoglu D, Vural M, Karan A, Aksoy C. Effectiveness of dry needling for the treatment of temporomandibular myofascial pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled study. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2012;25(4):285–90.

11. Gonzalez-Perez L-M, Infante-Cossio P, Granados-Nunez M, Urresti-Lopez F-J. Treatment of temporomandibular myofascial pain with deep dry needling. Med Oral Patol Oral Cirugia Bucal. 2012 Sep 1;17(5):e781-785.

12. Fernandez-Carnero J, La Touche R, Ortega-Santiago R, Galan-del-Rio F, Pesquera J, Ge H-Y, et al. Short-term effects of dry needling of active myofascial trigger points in the masseter muscle in patients with temporomandibular disorders. J Orofac Pain. 2010 Winter;24(1):106–12.

13. Liu L, Huang Q-M, Liu Q-G, Ye G, Bo C-Z, Chen M-J, et al. Effectiveness of dry needling for myofascial trigger points associated with neck and shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 May;96(5):944–55.

14. France S, Bown J, Nowosilskyj M, Mott M, Rand S, Walters J. Evidence for the use of dry needling and physiotherapy in the management of cervicogenic or tension-type headache: a systematic review. Cephalalgia Int J Headache. 2014 Oct;34(12):994–1003.

15. Arias-Buria JL, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C, Palacios-Cena M, Koppenhaver SL, Salom-Moreno J. Exercises and Dry Needling for Subacromial Pain Syndrome: a Randomized Parallel-Group Trial. J Pain Off J Am Pain Soc. 2016 Oct 5;

16. Koppenhaver SL, Walker MJ, Su J, McGowen JM, Umlauf L, Harris KD, et al. Changes in lumbar multifidus muscle function and nociceptive sensitivity in low back pain patient responders versus non-responders after dry needling treatment. Man Ther. 2015 Dec;20(6):769–76.

17. Cotchett MP, Munteanu SE, Landorf KB. Effectiveness of trigger point dry needling for plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial. Phys Ther. 2014 Aug;94(8):1083–94.

18. Morihisa R, Eskew J, McNamara A, Young J. DRY NEEDLING IN SUBJECTS WITH MUSCULAR TRIGGER POINTS IN THE LOWER QUARTER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2016 Feb;11(1):1–14.