How to Save your Hands as Manual Therapists

As manual therapists, our hands are our greatest asset. It takes years to really feel the soft tissues and find the exact spot to release tension in muscles and their insertions to restore movements that have been lost.

The days of no pain no gain are all but gone. I call this Physio-terrorism. We don’t want to hurt our clients, or they might not come back. We also don’t want a career ending injury either, when we’ve invested so much energy and money in our careers.

And the best tool I've found to date is the Low Level Laser.

Being hypermobile I had to find a way of working that was gentle on my hands and got the job done effectively and efficiently with a minimum of discomfort. For much of my career I have used low-level laser release trigger points in muscles painlessly to the delight of my clients.

The laser is the one tool I would not be without, and in my practice is called the “magic wand”!

While dry needling trigger points is used by many practitioners, this modality doesn’t suit all clients, and there are places we should avoid. For example, we should avoid the thorax to avoid damaging the lungs, and in the soles of the feet to avoid the many nerves, blood vessels and thick fat pad.

One of my clients told me she’d experienced dry needling in her foot and described it as worse than childhood, and she’d had four kids! Needless to say, she loves the laser!

I use the Handy Pulse low -level laser which sells for around $600, and it fits in my handbag!. It’s simple to use and has settings to control the depth of penetration. This laser treats trigger points in 30 seconds and is also effective treating nerve irritation.

Thanks to Chow Roberta seminal research over many years, we now understand how low level lasers work on nerves. Irritated nerves form varicosities along the nerve, which interferes with the flow of axoplasm required for healthy nerve function. The laser removes these varicosities immediately all the way back to the spinal cord.

Low-level lasers have an immediate and cumulative effect, so the effects can hold between treatments. To avoid damaging the eyes, the laser is only operated when in contact with the skin.

To see demonstrations of the low level laser in action and for more hand-saving techniques, download my three-part Complementary Course as I treat a client to restore movement and treat a saphenous nerve irritation videoed in real time.

You can download the course at www.afaat.com.au (at the bottom of the page).

Robyn is passionate about sharing her expertise in treating complex foot and ankle injuries through an innovative, integrative approach. With a Master’s Degree in foot and ankle movement, she's spoken at conferences, taught workshops to physiotherapists and podiatrists, and mentored staff. Her unique problem-solving method connects foot function with the rest of the body to overcome recovery roadblocks. Robyn is on a mission to share her extensive knowledge and support your journey to success with transformative foot and ankle manual therapy, helping you fast-track your success and achieve remarkable results for your client.