Manual Therapy

Manual Therapy for Pelvic and Abdominal Pain, Spinal Dysfunction, and other Structural Issues

Manual Therapy is a hands-on approach in physical therapy steeped in the science of joint mechanics and myofascial planes of tension. Training and clinical experience like Leigh’s enhance palpation skills, helping the practitioner to be attuned to the presence of minute changes in the tissues of the body. Injury usually presents in the structures of the anatomy: the joints, soft tissues, nerves, arteries, spine and skin, etc. A manual therapist can differentiate, through careful palpation, testing and observation, which tissues are in the greatest need of repair. The physical therapist then can introduce and track change from treatment to treatment. A flexible and therapeutic ongoing treatment plan is the result of a step-by-step analysis of change in a person’s symptoms, coupled with observation of improvements in mobility and functionality.

Leigh has more than 28 years of training and experience in these manual therapy approaches:  cranial and visceral manipulation, myofascial release and other soft tissue mobilization techniques, nerve and joint mobilization, neuromuscular reeducation through movement training and imagery work, and adapted stabilization/strengthening programs. She is skilled at palpating, testing and evaluating variations in tissue change as a result of pathology. She has a long-standing reputation for determining which structure is the most restricted or injured. Her mechanical analysis and subtle structural work result in a precise and curative repair process. Her assessment and treatment approaches are not limited by adherence to a single treatment paradigm or body work technique, such as trigger point release or skin rolling. She will vary her techniques and ongoing remediation based on repeated testing, evidence-based reasoning, and reassessment of change within a session and between sessions.