Welcome to the Orthopaedic Manipulation website. OrthopaedicManipulation.com is a simple website that aims to provide information to trainees and practitioners of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy.
Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy is a form of skilled, physical treatment used by Orthopaedic medicine specialists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Physical therapists to manage neuro-musculoskeletal conditions in order to regain movement and reduce disability (1).
The American Association of Physical Therapy (APTA) has defined mobilization/manipulation as “a manual therapy technique comprised of a continuum of skilled passive movements that are applied at varying speeds and amplitudes, including a small amplitude/high-velocity therapeutic movement” (2).
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT), Orthopaedic Manual Physical therapy (OMPT) is defined as: “OMPT is any “hands-on” treatment provided by the physical therapist. Treatment may include moving joints in specific directions and at different speeds to regain movement (joint mobilization and manipulation), muscle stretching, passive movements of the affected body part, or having the patient move the body part against the therapist’s resistance to improve muscle activation and timing. Selected specific soft tissue techniques may also be used to improve the mobility and function of tissue and muscles” (1).
In order to have a consensus on using the terms ‘manipulation’ and ‘mobilization’, the APTA has established the terms ‘thrust’ and ‘non-thrust’ manipulation to emphasize that these manual therapy procedures are applied on a continuum. The APTA has further defined thrust manipulation as a “high velocity, low amplitude therapeutic movement within or at the end range of motion and, non-thrust as manipulations that do not involve thrust” (3). These procedures require an ongoing evaluation in order to progress along the continuum with the modification of speed, amplitude, and direction of forces.
The International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) defines Orthopaedic Manual Therapy as “a specialized area of physiotherapy / physical therapy for the management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions, based on clinical reasoning, using highly specific treatment approaches including manual techniques and therapeutic exercises. Orthopaedic Manual Therapy also encompasses, and is driven by, the available scientific and clinical evidence and the biopsychosocial framework of each individual patient” (4).
Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy is practiced by diverse healthcare professionals such as Physicians, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Physical Therapists. The American Osteopathic Association defines ‘Osteopathic Manual Treatment’ as “the therapeutic application of manually guided forces to improve physiologic function and/or support homeostasis that has been altered by somatic dysfunction” (5).
A.T Still (1874 AD) has explained the term Osteopathy as: “It is a scientific knowledge of anatomy and physiology in the hands of a person of intelligence and skill, who can apply that knowledge to the use of man when sick or wounded by strains, shocks, falls, or mechanical derangement or injury of any kind to the body” (6).
Considering the trans-professional use of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy (7, 8), the aim of this website is to:
- To consolidate the knowledge related to Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy generated and practiced across professions under one domain, for the benefit of the patients.
- To be one of the best resources in the field of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy.
- To educate the health care professionals using Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy to make the best decisions for their patients.
- To encourage and facilitate evidence-based practice across professions that practice Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy.
1. Rowe RH, Tichenor CJ, Bell S, Boissonnault W, King PM, Kulig K. Orthopaedic manual physical therapy: description of advanced specialty practice. Tallahassee, FL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. 2008.
2. American Physical Therapy Association. Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. American Physical Therapy Association. Physical therapy. 2001 Jan;81(1):9.
3. O’Donnell M, Smith JA, Abzug A, Kulig K. How should we teach lumbar manipulation? A consensus study. Manual therapy. 2016;25:1-10.
4. OMPT Definition. Retrieved from: http://www.ifompt.org/About+IFOMPT/OMPT+Definition.html
5. Education Council on Osteopathic Principles. Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology. Chevy Chase, MD: American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine; 2009.
6. Still AT. The Philosophy and Mechanical Principles of Osteopathy: LULU Press; 2018.
7. Degenhardt, B., van Dun, P. L. S., Jacobson, E., Fritz, S., Mettler, P., Kettner, N., … Standley, P. (2024). Profession-based manual therapy nomenclature: exploring history, limitations, and opportunities. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 32(1), 96–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2023.2288495
8. Ottosson, A. The Manipulated History of Manipulations of Spines and Joints? Rethinking Orthopaedic Medicine Through the 19th Century Discourse of European Mechanical Medicine. Medicine Studies 3, 83–116 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12376-011-0067-3