WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT

Our goal at Texas Manual Therapy is to facilitate healing and restore efficient movement and comfort as quickly as possible. We achieve this through proven hands-on techniques, one-on-one therapy, individualized rehabilitation programs and treatment plans designed for each patient.

 

We have been a leading Physical Therapy Clinic in Texas since 1999, and have developed a reputation as the place to go for treatment. The original clinic began in West Texas and has now moved to San Antonio. Get in touch to find out more and to book your first appointment.

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What makes Texas Manual Therapy so different?

 

This is a hands-on clinic. Traditional physical therapy typically consists of heat, massage, electrical stimulation, ultrasound and exercise. We use advanced manual techniques to address tight connective tissue (or fascia), relax muscles, restore joint motion, and relieve pain. Our list of advanced skills includes Joint Mobilization, Myofascial Release, and  Counterstrain.

 

What is Counterstrain?

An osteopathic physician named Lawrence Jones developed Strain and Counterstrain, originally called “positional release technique”, in 1955. He was one of the co-founders of the Jones Institute in 1988 along with physical therapist Randall Kusunose. The Jones Institute offers post-graduate Counterstrain seminars for health care professionals throughout the United States and internationally. Additionally, the technique has evolved into what is now called Fascial Counterstrain under the direction of Brian Tuckey, PT, OCS, JSCCI and Timothy Hodges, LMT, JSCCI, CACI. The Jones Institute and the Counterstrain Academy are the only two organizations that provide instructors who are certified and authorized to teach the Counterstrain technique developed by Dr. Jones and his successors. In observing a Counterstrain practitioner you will immediately be impressed with how gentle and non-traumatic this technique is for treating the painful patient. A clinician is quickly able to assess the entire body for areas of pain and dysfunction, and within minutes can usually produce lasting relief.

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How does it work?

Counterstrain is a manual therapy technique, meaning the clinician uses only their hands to manipulate fascia based on the identification of system-specific tender points. This anatomy-based technique provides a multi-system approach that goes beyond the standard treatments focused around muscle weakness. It is a treatment that identifies and removes trapped inflammation from all tissues in the body. The technique uses specific tender points to identify the location of inflammation, which may impact any tissue in the body including muscles, ligaments, nerves, organs or blood vessels and bones. This technique is subtle, incredibly specific, painless, and provides a powerful sense of release, which restores movement, function, and whole-person health. Counterstrain is more than symptom-relief. It treats the root cause of pain and disease, whether acute or chronic, and is limitless in its potential to heal.

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Who can benefit from Counterstrain treatment?

 

Counterstrain can be used to treat a wide range of physical problems. It is excellent for the very acute traumas (for example: sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, ankle and knee sprains, knee and hip replacements, post surgical, etc.) but also extremely effective on chronic conditions (such as osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, persistent swelling, TMJ pain, migraine headaches, chronic neck or back pain, etc.). Its value with the acute patient is unmatched because it is so gentle and non-traumatic. The clinician is guided by what feels good to the patient and often, dramatic changes are made in decreased pain, muscle guarding, and swelling. These changes help the patient’s healing process and lead to a faster and more complete recovery. Counterstrain is valuable for the chronic pain patient because it addresses long-standing neuromuscular problems by reducing fascial tone and restoring the joint function to normal. The gentleness of Counterstrain makes it safe and effective for treating fragile patients also. (Infants with neck spasms, elderly patients with osteoporosis, stress fractures, pregnancy or pelvic pain patients, post operative pain, etc.) If you or someone you know can benefit from this technique simply speak with anyone at Texas Manual Therapy and we will be glad to assist you.

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