WHY DO I GET
STRETCHES OR EXERCISES
AS HOMEWORK?
If you've ever had any kind of injury and sought help from a manual therapist, chances are they've given you some degree of movement "homework".
Why do they give us work to do when we're paying them to do their job and make us better? Shouldn't a few treatments be enough to heal me?
Unfortunately not. Good therapists aim to not only resolve present issues but also establish strength and mobility in an effort to reduce the likelihood any of these issues will occur in the future.
On top of that, one of the biggest misconceptions of massage/manual therapists is that we're "fixers". We're not.
A much more accurate term for our role in the healing process is "facilitators". We have an understanding of the body that allows us to interpret a map of tension and imbalances within the tissues that can either result from injury or result in injury.
We can also begin to aid in unlocking mobility and range of movement that is otherwise inhibited through tension/injury/poor posture.
BY DREW HUME
Our role in the long-term effects of treatment is limited for a number of reasons. First and foremost, there is only so much work that we can do in the space of one/two hours every couple of weeks.