Techniques

Our highly trained and friendly therapists use a range of techniques to help relieve pain, improve function and achieve your goals of treatment.

At Prime Therapy Clinic in Grantham we deliver a package of care comprising of a number of different parts and utilising a range of different techniques. Here you will find a brief overview of the techniques we use to get you out of pain and feeling better.

Techniques our therapists might use

What is manipulation?

This is what Chiropractors are most famous for and has become synonymous with Chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors don’t always use manipulation and when they do it is usually accompanied by a rage of other techniques. Having said that manipulation is something they are very skilled at.  It involves applying a specific force to an area of the spine, sometimes accompanied by a pop or a click. This is not the joint cracking or being pushed back into place, it is air bubbles within the joint capsule forming and popping. The same as when someone “cracks” their fingers.

Manipulation is used to relieve pain and restore function to areas of the body. It is  recommended on the NICE guidelines for low back pain. Manipulation can provide instant pain relief for some.

Dry needling (Acupuncture)

Acupuncture at Prime Therapy Clinic
Acupuncture at Prime Therapy Clinic

Dry needling is a form of acupuncture but rather than being based on an ancient eastern Chinese methodology it is based on a Western medical understanding of the body. Acupuncture needles are used to help reduce muscle tightness, help with relaxation and decrease pain. There is some evidence that used along side manual therapy it is effective method for reducing pain. Mark, our Chiropractor offers Dry Needling as part of treatment.

Soft tissue Techniques

Soft tissue refers to areas of the body such as muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia. Various soft tissue and muscle techniques are used at the clinic. These include vibrational massage, myofascial release techniques and instrument assisted soft tissue work. The soft tissue technique we use will depend on what the problem is and your preference. You may be referred to our Massage Therapist if a strong component of your problem is related to the muscle.

Exercise

Exercise is probably the best form of treatment for many conditions. You will almost always be prescribed some sort of home exercise. This will be used to help, maintain and build upon the benefits gained from treatment. It can include stretches and home mobility exercises,  specific strengthening exercises or general exercise. Exercises will be tailored specifically to you and your needs at that moment in time. As you progress through treatment, these exercises will be developed.

Education

Education is our mission. Advice about what is happening to cause your pain and what you should and shouldn’t do is a vital part treatment. However more research is now emerging as to how education can be used as a treatment in its own right. At Prime Therapy Clinic we use something called “therapeutic neuroscience education” which is education about the science of why we feel pain. This has been shown to decrease pain in its own right, even without any other treatment. When combined with other treatment it can enhance  treatment outcomes. You will learn about pain science and how outside factors also affect pain. These tools will enable you to make the right choices and help you to get out of pain faster.

Using a combination of the techniques described above often provides the best results to get you out of pain and feeling better.