Know the Difference …       Tightness vs. Tension.

Why is this important to people with pain and limited motion?  A person can feel better a lot quicker with greater success if their physical therapist can determine which they have, tightness or tension, and then provide the correct treatment.  The treatments are very different but the pain is felt exactly the same!

Tightness – refers to micro scar tissue within the muscle (tendons, ligaments around joints and other soft tissues included), which causes pain and limited motion.

Tension – refers to an over active stimulation through the nerves to the muscle, telling them to over contract all the time, and even at rest.  This also is accompanied by pain and limited motion.

How can I tell the difference?  The answer is… you can’t… unless you are examined by a manual physical therapist that knows A.A.TTM (Associative Awareness TechniqueTM).  He is the best trained professional to accurately perform this dual assessment and then provide the correct treatment.

Problem  =  Tightness——– treatment = Manual Therapy including Soft Tissue Mobilization, Myofascial Techniques, Stretching, Joint Mobilization, and more…
Problem  =  Tension——— treatment = A.A.T.TM(Associative Awareness TechniqueTM)”Reboot Your Hard Drive”

***The Physical Therapy Doctor, P.C. in Bayside, Queens, is the only clinic in the New York area that has a fully trained staff for treating both tightness and tension.  Dr. Morea also has 5 years experience with A.A.T. and 15 years experience with Manual Therapy techniques. This combination helps save weeks or months of unnecessary weaker treatments.  In many cases A.A.T. works when nothing else can.