Mobilization | ALTA Physical Therapy & Pilates

As one of the leading physical therapy clinics in Boulder, CO, ALTA is proud to offer mobilization services that will speed up your recovery and help you achieve optimal performance. Our professional therapists are trained to decrease your pain, reduce stress on your joints, and improve your range of motion, helping you return to a healthy and active lifestyle.

What Is Mobilization?

Mobilization uses passive movement to increase motion. Effective mobilization, like a good lubricant, makes movement free and easy. It can be employed in a variety of ways, from a high-speed “crack” of bones to a gentle, precise release of bones or soft tissues such as muscles, fascia, organs, blood vessels, and nerves. No matter what the method is, all mobilization involves a skilled manual therapist imparting force to a tissue or group of tissues to increase the range of motion available to the patient.

How Does Mobilization Work?

Lack of motion or joint stiffness can occur for a variety of reasons. Scar tissue in the joint can limit motion, but so can muscle tightness around the joint. Swelling can also make a joint feel tight and stiff.

Our skilled physical therapists at ALTA will determine which types of mobilization are appropriate for your specific problem. An acute problem may require a gentle correction to decrease edema and muscle guarding so that pain is eliminated and range of motion can be restored. Chronic problems often require a direct force on the joint to improve motion.

Besides passive mobilization, certain kinds of exercise are also considered mobilization. Assisted exercise helps maintain the range of motion that you gain during physical therapy and also increases lubrication to the tissue, further improving motion while decreasing pain. Specific stretching exercises work to lengthen tight muscles and make movement easier.

Your therapist’s extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology — combined with their clinical experience and training — enables them to choose the right treatment technique for you. The result? Less pain, greater motion, and the ability to return to an active lifestyle!