Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is hands-on physical therapy: your clinician uses their hands to move stiff joints and loosen tight muscle and soft tissue, so movement hurts less. At Elevate615 in Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville, manual physical therapy is delivered one-on-one by a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, and it always comes with exercise.
What orthopedic manual therapy covers
Manual therapy is a family of hands-on techniques. Your therapist picks what fits your problem after examining you.
The hands do the work
Instead of a machine or a handout, a clinician moves the joint or works on the tissue directly. Every session is one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Names you will hear
Joint mobilization is slow, controlled movement of a stiff joint. Soft tissue mobilization is hands-on work on tight muscle and the tissue around it. Spinal manipulation is a quick, small movement of a joint, sometimes with a pop.
Which technique, if any
That choice comes from your exam, not from a script. Your therapist explains what they plan to do before they do it, and you can tell them what you feel as it happens.
Why hands-on care never travels alone
Hands-on work
Eases stiffness and pain so the area moves more freely and you can load it.
Progressive strength loading
Exercise chosen for your problem, with the load raised step by step as you get stronger.
Movement retraining
We teach your body the better pattern, so relief does not depend on someone else’s hands.
What a visit looks like and how long it takes
A session runs about 55 to 60 minutes. You review your history and goals, we assess how you move (strength, mobility and control), and treatment starts that day. Many patients see meaningful change within 4 to 6 visits, and more complex cases or performance goals can take longer with visits spread further apart.
Our clinicians have different strengths. Carl Haley, for example, has built his skills in manual therapy, dry needling and strength and conditioning, and he works with active adults and athletes. If a tight, knotted muscle is the main problem, dry needling may be added to the plan. For costs and what your plan covers, see our insurance page.
Where manual therapy is part of the plan
Hands-on work is one tool in the care for these problems.
Manual therapy care in Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville
Elevate615 treats manual therapy at our Franklin clinic in Cool Springs, and we also see patients at our Brentwood and Nashville clinics.
You do not need a physician referral to start physical therapy at Elevate615: Tennessee allows direct access. If longer care later needs a physician involved, we coordinate with them.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.