Further Options
Muscle Energy Technique (MET)
MET primarily involves the use of the patients own muscular efforts performing an isometric contraction with gentle resistance provided by the therapist. MET is used in the clinic to enhance the effect of various procedures used in physiotherapy.
Muscle Energy Techniques can be used to:
- Lengthen a shortened, contracted or spastic (hypertonic) muscle
- Strengthen a weakened muscle or group of muscles
- Deactivating trigger points
- Mobilize a joint with restricted mobility
MET is particularly effective in patients who have severe pain from acute dysfunction such as a whiplash injury or with patients with severe muscle spasm from a fall. MET can also be used in older patients who may have severely restricted motion from arthritis or who have brittle osteoporotic bones. There are no contraindications to the use of MET if it is applied according to a patient’s particular condition.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a method of using very fine stainless steel needles inserted into various parts of the body to treat a wide range of conditions and is among the best known and most accepted of all complementary therapies. It involves the use of single use, pre-sterilised, disposable needles.
Acupuncture is used in the clinic to help alleviate pain which often acts as a barrier to other treatments, to address tight and overactive muscles and hence restore normal movement. It is primarily used in conjunction with other manipulative and soft-tissue techniques to facilitate improved function and patient outcomes.
This approach often involves inserting the acupuncture needles directly into muscles and is sometimes referred to as dry-needling or trigger point acupuncture.
Taso Lambridis has been using acupuncture as an adjunct to conventional physiotherapy since 1995 and has experience in using both Traditional and Western acupuncture.
http://apa.advsol.com.au/join/nsg/acu.cfm
http://www.aacp.uk.com/common/about.asp?ID=acupuncture
