Integrative Manual Therapy | ALTA Physical Therapy & Pilates
As a leading clinic in Boulder, CO, ALTA is proud to offer Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) to members of our community. IMT is a flexible therapeutic approach that can alleviate pain, tension, stress, headaches, digestive problems, and more.
What Is Integrative Manual Therapy?
Developed by Sharon Weiselfish-Giametto, Ph.D., PT, in the early 1980s, IMT is a system of evaluation and treatment that continues to evolve today. Using non-invasive, light touch techniques, IMT allows your body to tap into its incredible self-healing capacity.
How Does It Work?
IMT diagnostic techniques are used to assess tissue motion and find areas where normal motion is disrupted. One such technique is myofascial mapping. During mapping, a change in tissue motion will occur over the structure that isn’t working properly. This change can be detected by the skilled touch of a trained physical therapist.
Mapping is an invaluable diagnostic tool, and here’s why: Where you hurt isn’t as important as why you hurt! For example, shoulder pain can have many causes. Determining whether the shoulder pain is caused by joint, muscle, tendon, fascia, or even vessel or organ restrictions makes a huge difference in how quickly and completely the problem resolves.
During IMT treatment, the therapist imparts gentle hand pressures on specific tissues, allowing those tissues to relax and move in a normal, pain-free way. The therapist must have a good three-dimensional understanding of anatomy to apply these forces precisely and effectively. This is truly a case where less is more: You may think your therapist is doing very little, but then notice huge changes in your body when you get off the table and start to move. IMT techniques frequently result in wonderful, lasting physical changes without the painful and aggressive stretching used in traditional physical therapy.
If you haven’t had success with other, more traditional methods of treatment, you’ll want to make an appointment with an IMT-trained therapist who will have a different way of looking at your whole body. When your body is integrated, all systems work well together. The result is less pain, greater ease of motion, and a healthier you!
How Can It Help You?
These are just a few of the common conditions that respond well to Integrative Manual Therapy:
- Musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck pain, foot and ankle weakness, and stiffness in the hips or shoulders
- Visceral/fascial problems such as menstrual cramps, bladder incontinence, acid reflux, and digestive problems
- Overuse syndromes like rotator cuff tendinosis
- Patellar tendinosis and plantar fasciitis
- Headaches — both tension and migraine
- Sleep apnea and snoring
Our office is open to the Boulder community and beyond, and the ALTA team is ready to guide you towards a quick and pain-free recovery. If you’re ready to reap the incredible benefits of IMT, make an appointment with our Colorado clinic today!
