Physiotherapists v Musculoskeletal Therapy

Looking for a Physiotherapist in Grafton?

Excel Musculoskeletal Therapy (EMT) provides comprehensive physical therapy designed to restore balance to the body and resolve both acute and chronic injuries. Grafton physiotherapists generally work in 30 minute time slots which restricts their ability to do a thorough assessment of your posture. At EMT, Jason works in 1hr time slots, thereby allowing him adequate time to cover more ground.

While physiotherapists and musculoskeletal therapists both work to resolve similar injuries and issues, we have quite different approaches. Generally speaking, physiotherapy treatment is limited to focusing on a particular, location specific injury.

By contrast, musculoskeletal therapists look at the whole body to identify the underlying causes of injury and achieve sustained recovery. Below we outline some of the specific differences in treatment modalities between physiotherapy and musculoskeletal therapy.

Posture Analysis

At Excel Musculoskeletal Therapy (EMT), Jason performs a full Posture Analysis prior to treatment. This allows us to correctly assess the overall condition of the body, as well as compare results from one treatment to the next. This allows us to get to the root of the problem.

Unfortunately due to Grafton physiotherapists working in 30 minute time slots, certain things get overlooked, which has a significant impact on your progression. Some examples of this are sacral deviations, causing an imbalance in hip heights, leg length discrepancies, spinal curves and rotations, which typically stem from muscular imbalances.

If you would like to ensure that you are given a thorough postural assessment to get to the root of your problem, give us a call to book your appointment today.

Movement Analysis

At EMT, Jason will perform a complete Movement Analysis, including functional movement, active and passive, stress and balance tests. This allows us to compare balance of movement from one side of the body to the other. Movement Analysis shows us if a muscle is failing early or after fatigue. It also shows us whether there is any restrictions or excessive range of motion in your joints. It allows us to detect glitches in movement, this is a learned behaviour the body has picked up due to fear of pain. Through a series of movements we train the brain to accept correct movement again.

As mentioned above, physiotherapists are generally focussed on location-specific injuries, and will not normally perform this type of complete movement analysis. This means that the above mentioned things get missed, glitches in movements, muscles fatiguing etc.

In contrast, the overall assessment Jason performs helps determine the underlying issue and cause of your pain, opposed to focussing on the pain site.

Soft Tissue Massage

Jason has a very hands on approach, he loves to loosen muscles that are causing restricted movement, however he identifies which muscles are causing restriction and those that are acting as a stabiliser for those weak muscles.
Physiotherapists are trained to release tight muscles and trigger points. However some physiotherapists don’t often realise that tight muscles are trying to stabilise for problematic weak muscles and to loosen them up may cause more harm than good.

At EMT we identify the weak muscles first, otherwise the tight muscles will keep getting tight after every release.

Without this knowledge, releasing the tight muscles can be detrimental to the patient. Often the taught tight muscles are acting as some kind of stabiliser. The secret is locating muscles that are weak, and causing the opposing muscle to be tight.

Kinesio Taping

At Excel Musculoskeletal Therapy, Jason employs Kinesio Taping in the way it was designed by the technique's founder, Dr Kenzo. This technique increases lymphatic blood flow and stimuli and allows the body's natural healing process to take place.

Physiotherapists normally use taping simply to keep joints secure, and in place, meaning you could miss the significant benefits the technique was originally designed to achieve.

Authentic Kinesio taping, as practised by Jason, uses a unique crinkling effect in the tape and gives you full range of movement during rehabilitation and recovery, so that you can return to your normal activities sooner.

Personalised Exercise & Stretching Program

At EMT, being a qualified personal trainer, gives Jason a solid understanding of how to construct a comprehensive, personalised exercise and stretching routine with a whole body focus. After performing a thorough posture and movement analysis, Jason customises every program to the individual client. Jason takes the time to explain the purpose of each exercise, which areas it is targeting and the goal we’re trying to achieve. Every exercise Jason prescribes has a purpose and it is prepping you for the next level.

Physiotherapists, on the other hand, tend to have a more generic approach. Unfortunately, many patients will have a number of 'problem' muscles or muscle areas which could hamper recovery, and these are often missed in standard physiotherapy exercise and stretching prescriptions.

Furthermore, encouraging the release of tight muscles, without first strengthening the weakened opposing muscles can actually limit recovery, or worse. At Excel, Jason will perform a thorough assessment and ensure your routine addresses all aspects necessary for full and sustained recovery.

Of course, we will also re-asses your prescribed routine during the course of your treatment, refining and fine-tuning your exercise and stretching routine to achieve maximum benefits.