Are you looking for pain relief without having to consume pain killers or use messy balms and ointments? Try a new ‘cup of joy’ instead!
Soft tissue pain (muscles, ligaments, tendons) are one of the most common pain among office workers. From shoulders to neck, most of them suffer because of long hours of duty using computers or mobile phones.
In order to ease the pain and find relief comes a different style of physiotherapy done with physical manipulation, including graston tools massages, dry needling, dry Hijama (cupping) , joint adjustments such as mobilisation and manipulation of the joint among many.
Located in south Ghubra, this American Speciality Clinic started in 2022 offering manual-therapy treatment in contrast to physiotherapy based on electrotherapy for relief from musculoskeletal pain.
Seyed Amin Mohimanian, manual-therapist from the clinic says, “Nowadays we are facing musculoskeletal disorders much more than the last few decades due to our new lifestyle”. To ease the pain, many practitioners use methods like massages and cracking. These do relieve tension from the tissues, but what is not understood is that there are certain tensions or stiffness that are, indeed, needed for joints and muscles to function well. One needs to understand and use a specific style of treatment for specific pains.
There are types of stiffness that actually support the vertebrae, and if we release these support, all pressure is transferred to the discs in between vertebrae which is harmful to the body. That is why, there are many cases when the pain gets worse even after massage. We must remember that massage for relaxation is much different than therapeutic massage, he asserts.
Dry needling and dry cupping are some of the popular ones in this form of treatment. These increase blood circulation and, thus, eases the pain quickly.
He added, “while cupping, I do not take blood like the traditional method, but instead, I use different method to ease the pain. When soft tissues work well, many issues get solved. However I must say that more than 70 per cent of physiotherapy is based on exercises. I always guide my young patients to do regular exercises, like gymming or TRX, even football, and for seniors, I ask them to go for regular walks, swimming or take up yoga.”
However, the same exercise cannot be given to all patients as it depends on the type, age and condition of the pain. In many cases, the pain is so deep in the muscles, that acupuncture plays a crucial role in the treatment and can give fast relief. There are many physiotherapy clinics in Oman but few employ manual methods.
“We also use laser-based methods when it is necessary, like for conditions such as inflammation or ruptured tissues” he said.
(Text: Anirban Ray)
