Integrative Manual Therapy
Integrative Manual Therapy
What is Integrative Manual Therapy?
What is IMT?
Integrative Manual Therapy or IMT is a unique set of theories and techniques that address pain, dysfunction, disease, and disability. Integrative Manual Therapy was developed by Dr. Sharon W. Giammatteo Ph.D., IMT.C. Integrative Manual Therapy encompasses a wide range of problem solving methods from many healthcare practices and hones them down to a specific hands-on manual therapy practice. It was devised to address the needs of complex patients not finding success with other modalities. IMT is a complex and holistic approach that achieves health and healing by taking into account the diverse systems of the human body and addressing dysfunction by finding and rectifying the underlying causes. IMT practitioners use their hands to diagnose and treat clients with a soft to medium touch.
Integrative Manual Therapy techniques approach healing disability and dysfunction by assisting in the great potential the body has to heal itself by assisting the body in what it is already trying to do. IMT practitioners use a hands-on gentle mobilization technique to address tension patterns in the body that are apparent from multiple types of trauma, illnesses, and wear and tear. Through these gentler mobilizations we can relieve tension patterns in all kinds of tissue of the body.
Integrative Manual Therapy is unique in that it has techniques to address many different types of structures including fascia, bone, nerve, artery, vein, lymph, organ, skin, and muscle. It addresses both the protection mode or tightening of the body’s tissues around the problem like a splint, as well as the underlying cause. The underlying cause is the pearl in the oyster and is what is important to address to allow proper healing and overcoming of pain, dysfunction, and disability. To illustrate, consider a patient with chronic low back pain not responding to other treatments. In this case, the IMT practitioner would first assess what is the primary issue causing the low back pain. Hands-on diagnostics would reveal if it was the L5 joint space, an organ(colon), a nerve problem, a hip issue, an allergic reaction, or something more global. The practitioner would also look at the L5 disc as well.
The L5 disc has multiple types of cells and fibers. Integrative Manual Therapy has developed specific techniques for addressing problems in these fibers. And, when used in combination with bone, joint, and nerve tension techniques, IMT can resolve the low back pain completely. Or for example shoulder pain. An IMT practitioner would assess shoulder pain by first finding the source of the pain. This could be local (at the shoulder), regional (neck or arm), systemic (inflammation of all joints, or immune system breakdown). IMT hands-on techniques would determine where the underlying cause would be and address it’ to allow the shoulder pain to resolve.
Nutritional wellness may also be a component of Integrative Manual Therapy treatment to allow full recovery.
IMT is a holistic and comprehensive treatment modality that benefits all patients, especially patients who have found limited success with other modalities. Integrative Manual Therapy specializes in Low back pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, and other painful joints, migraine headaches, fatigue, sports injuries, learning disabilities, autism disorders, anxiety, allergies, fertility, men’s and women’s health issues, pelvic type pain, cerebral palsy, strokes, motor vehicle accidents, and many other problems. Integrative Manual Therapy can also provide a patient with the tools to help them regain health, mobility, and energy. permanently. Make an appointment with one of our IMT physical therapists. For more information, Contact us in Avon, CT.