Helping Incorporate Research and Manual Techniques into your Massage Therapy Practice!
Quick Story:
Over the last 8yrs I had the privilege to treat a patent with severe OA of the right hip. Manual Therapy along with Active exercises prevented him from having surgery until 1 week after we shot videos for the Online Hip and Pelvis Course. You can view the Facebook Live videos below after the research. It’s nice to have research supporting Manual Therapy treatment with cases such as OA Hip. Too many times, therapists are fearful of causing more damage the affected area. Although that is a consideration/precaution with any treatment strategy and your common sense should always be primary, you can be confident that with research papers such as this one to support you, that the risk is minimal and the benefits are great.
Enjoy the Research and the Videos below.
Clinical Practice Guidelines Linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health from the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association
FULL ARTICLE HERE
“Some evidence exists for using manual therapy to increase hip joint ROM and reduce pain short-term in patients with hip OA, especially in patients who do not have signs of severe hip OA (eg, osteo-phytes and significant joint space narrowing).
One study has recommended mobilization/manipulation as a component of the management program for patients with hip OA. This randomized controlled trial compared the use of manual therapy and therapeutic exercises in patients with hip OA. The manual therapy session consisted of (1) stretching techniques of shortened muscles surrounding the hip joint, (2) traction of the hip joint, (3) traction manipulation (high-velocity thrust technique) in each limited position. All manipulations were repeated during each session until the therapist concluded optimal results of the session were achieved. The focus of the therapeutic exercise intervention was to improve hip ROM, muscle length, and strength along with walking endurance. The outcomes for hip function (Harris Hip Score), ROM, and pain as measured by the visual analogue scale were compared for specific subgroups of hip OA depending on limited function, ROM, or level of pain. After 5 weeks of intervention, the success rate (primary outcome) of manual therapy was 81% versus 50% for exercise therapy (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% CI: 1.30–2.60). Manual therapy was found to be superior to exercise therapy in some patients with hip OA but was not shown to be any more effective than exercise in patients with highly limited function, ROM, or high levels of pain. When intervention stopped, the improvements in function declined after 5 weeks. However, some improvement lasted up to 29 weeks for the patients in the manual therapy group.
Patients exhibited reductions in pain and increases in passive ROM, as well as a clinically meaningful improvement in function. There are no studies documenting an increased risk for serious adverse events associated with manual therapy of the hip. Clinicians should consider the use of manual therapy procedures to provide short-term pain relief and improve hip mobility and function in patients with mild hip osteoarthritis.”
I was fortunate to have a long term patient of mine with advanced OA of the Hip donate his time so that I could document what we can accomplish as Massage Therapists with conditions as advanced as his.
These Video Samples are from some Facebook live Videos we took while shooting footage for my upcoming Online Course for the Hip & Pelvis.
Enjoy the Videos and leave your comments down below.
Leave a Reply