Which technique is best for my condition?

That is decided at your evaluation, and the honest answer is usually 'progressive exercise, with hands-on treatment to make it possible.' The techniques on this page are ways of reducing pain and restriction so that the exercise can happen; which one depends on what is restricting you.

Does Graston or IASTM hurt?

It can be uncomfortable and may leave mild bruising for a day or two. Your therapist works within your tolerance and stops if you ask. It is never required — there are other ways to treat the same tissue.

Does kinesiology tape actually work?

For pain and function, the evidence says it does not outperform placebo. It may help with swelling and with joint awareness, and many people find it reassuring to wear during activity. We use it when it helps you, and we are honest about why.

Are these techniques available at every clinic?

The McKenzie Method, taping and instrument-assisted soft tissue work are widely available across SportsCare. ART and structural integration depend on individual therapists' training; call the clinic nearest you to ask.

Services

Innovative Techniques

Physical therapy has a lot of named techniques, and every clinic lists them. What matters more is knowing what each one is for, how strong the evidence behind it is, and where it fits inside a plan — because none of them is the plan. This page is that account. Where a technique has good evidence we say so; where it has less, we say that too, and explain why we still sometimes use it.

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Why SportsCare

How SportsCare uses techniques

Inside a plan, not instead of one
Every technique here is a way to reduce pain or improve movement so that you can do the exercise that produces lasting change. A session that is only passive treatment is not one we would design.
Therapists who keep training
Our clinicians attend continuing-education courses every year, with CEU days and reimbursement built into their jobs, so what we offer reflects current practice rather than what was fashionable a decade ago.
Evidence, stated plainly
Some of these have strong support; some have modest support; some are mainly useful for how they feel. We tell you which is which before we use them.

The techniques, and the evidence for each

McKenzie Method (MDT): What it is used forBack and neck pain, especially with symptoms that travel into a limb; finding the movements that centralise symptoms; EvidenceModerate. Reviews find it at least as effective as other active treatments for chronic low back pain, with a strong role in classification and self-management.
Graston / IASTM: What it is used forStiff, scarred or irritable soft tissue — tendons, fascia, post-surgical scar; EvidenceLimited. A 2016 systematic review found some short-term gains in range of motion, with little evidence of lasting benefit over exercise alone.
Active Release Techniques (ART): What it is used forMuscle and nerve entrapment, tight soft tissue, overuse injuries; EvidenceLimited. Small studies show short-term improvements in flexibility and pain; larger trials are lacking.
Kinesiology taping: What it is used forSupport and feedback during activity; swelling after injury; EvidenceWeak. A 2012 meta-analysis found little evidence of benefit beyond placebo for pain, though it may help with proprioception and feels supportive to many people.
Structural integration: What it is used forWhole-body posture and movement patterns; EvidenceLimited. Evidence is mostly small studies; used selectively for specific patients.
Injury-prevention programs: What it is used forReducing injury rates in teams and athletes; EvidenceStrong. Structured neuromuscular warm-ups reduce injury rates by roughly a third in football and lower ACL risk in adolescents.
Return-to-sport testing: What it is used forObjective clearance after injury or surgery; EvidenceStrong. Passing strength and hop criteria before return is associated with lower re-injury rates after ACL reconstruction.

Treatment techniques used at SportsCare, what they are for, and the strength of the evidence
Technique	What it is used for	Evidence
McKenzie Method (MDT)	Back and neck pain, especially with symptoms that travel into a limb; finding the movements that centralise symptoms	Moderate. Reviews find it at least as effective as other active treatments for chronic low back pain, with a strong role in classification and self-management.
Graston / IASTM	Stiff, scarred or irritable soft tissue — tendons, fascia, post-surgical scar	Limited. A 2016 systematic review found some short-term gains in range of motion, with little evidence of lasting benefit over exercise alone.
Active Release Techniques (ART)	Muscle and nerve entrapment, tight soft tissue, overuse injuries	Limited. Small studies show short-term improvements in flexibility and pain; larger trials are lacking.
Kinesiology taping	Support and feedback during activity; swelling after injury	Weak. A 2012 meta-analysis found little evidence of benefit beyond placebo for pain, though it may help with proprioception and feels supportive to many people.
Structural integration	Whole-body posture and movement patterns	Limited. Evidence is mostly small studies; used selectively for specific patients.
Injury-prevention programs	Reducing injury rates in teams and athletes	Strong. Structured neuromuscular warm-ups reduce injury rates by roughly a third in football and lower ACL risk in adolescents.
Return-to-sport testing	Objective clearance after injury or surgery	Strong. Passing strength and hop criteria before return is associated with lower re-injury rates after ACL reconstruction.

McKenzie Method

Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy is less a technique than a way of examining: repeated movements are used to find the direction that reduces or centralises your symptoms, and that direction becomes your home program. It gives back and neck pain a structure, and it hands control to you. Reviews of the McKenzie Method for low back pain find it at least as effective as other active approaches, and its classification system is one of the best-supported in the field.

Graston and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization

Stainless-steel instruments are used to apply pressure and shear to soft tissue — scar, tendon, fascia — with the aim of reducing restriction and pain. It can be uncomfortable and can leave short-lived bruising. The evidence is limited: a systematic review found short-term improvements in range of motion but little evidence of lasting benefit beyond what exercise produces. We use it selectively, for stubborn stiffness and scar, as a way to get you moving into the exercise that does the lasting work.

Active Release Techniques

ART combines sustained manual pressure with movement of the limb to treat tight muscle and nerve entrapment. Patients often describe immediate improvement in flexibility. The trials are small and short-term, so we do not claim more for it than that; it is a useful way to reduce pain and restriction within a session so the strengthening can proceed.

Kinesiology taping

Elastic tape applied over a muscle or joint. It feels supportive, many athletes like it, and it may help with swelling and with the sense of where a joint is in space. What it does not do, according to a 2012 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine, is reduce pain or improve function beyond placebo in any consistent way. We use it when a patient finds it helpful for confidence or swelling, and we are candid that its benefit is mostly in how it feels.

Injury prevention and return to sport

The two entries in the table with strong evidence are not hands-on techniques at all. Structured neuromuscular warm-up programs reduce injury rates by roughly a third in football and lower ACL injury risk in adolescents. Objective return-to-sport testing — strength symmetry, hop tests, sport-specific drills — is associated with fewer re-injuries after ACL reconstruction. Both are part of our sports medicine program, and both do more for an athlete than any tool in a drawer.

FAQ

Common questions

Which technique is best for my condition?: That is decided at your evaluation, and the honest answer is usually 'progressive exercise, with hands-on treatment to make it possible.' The techniques on this page are ways of reducing pain and restriction so that the exercise can happen; which one depends on what is restricting you.
Does Graston or IASTM hurt?: It can be uncomfortable and may leave mild bruising for a day or two. Your therapist works within your tolerance and stops if you ask. It is never required — there are other ways to treat the same tissue.
Does kinesiology tape actually work?: For pain and function, the evidence says it does not outperform placebo. It may help with swelling and with joint awareness, and many people find it reassuring to wear during activity. We use it when it helps you, and we are honest about why.
Are these techniques available at every clinic?: The McKenzie Method, taping and instrument-assisted soft tissue work are widely available across SportsCare. ART and structural integration depend on individual therapists' training; call the clinic nearest you to ask.

Sources

The clinical claims on this page are drawn from the following. Where the evidence is limited, we say so above rather than round it up.

1.Effectiveness of the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy for Treating Low Back Pain: Literature Review With Meta-analysis — Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2018
2.The efficacy of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization: a systematic review — Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2016
3.Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness — Sports Medicine, 2012
4.Effect of specific exercise-based football injury prevention programmes on the overall injury rate in football: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the FIFA 11 and 11+ programmes — British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017

Talk to a therapist about innovative techniques

Availability varies by clinic. Call the location nearest you and the front desk will tell you whether it is offered there and whether it suits your condition — or reach our main office at (973) 887-9000.

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64 clinics across New Jersey, New York and Florida.