What are FAKTR Treatments?
FAKTR is the common name for a procedure known as “Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization”. This style of treatment utilizes stainless steel instruments and an emollient to resolve any fascial scarring, muscular over activity, or in its advanced usage, can be used to re-educate muscular activity in terms of posture or sports rehabilitation.
This technique requires more advanced screening to ensure the patient is not at risk for any vascular conditions that may increase bleeding, slow healing, or promote blood clot formation.
The treatment feels like an aggressive deep tissue massage. It is always conducted to a patient’s tolerance and to a therapeutic threshold. Minor bruising may occur, but should only last about a day. It is quite common for the treated area to be sore the next day, after which the patient should begin to feel better.
What are FAKTR Muscle Treatments?
FAKTR (pronounced FACTOR) is actually a concept, not a technique. The acronym stands for Functional and Kinetic Treatment with Rehab. The most layman’s way of defining how this works, is that it encourages the fibers of the tissues back into their typical presentation. This definition is very VERY general, however. There are so many ways for FAKTR treatments to be applied, and so many structures that it can be used for, that this previous definition is nearly inaccurate. The primary tissues this treatment works on, are the muscles and fascial tissue surrounding them. Fascia has been addressed more in-depth previously.
The treatment’s purpose is to cause very controlled, localized tissue damage, while increasing blood flow to the area to promote more effective healing of the tissue, that may previously had healed in a much more resistant/fibrotic way.
The benefits of FAKTR Muscle Treatments
FAKTR can treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions including tendinopathy, sprains, strains, entrapment syndromes, fascial restrictions such as plantar fasciitis, ITB syndrome, myofascial pain syndromes, adhesive capsulitis, shin splints and post-surgical recovery. This list of conditions that can be treated with FAKTR protocols are too numerous to list here!
Instead, I’ll give a moment to demonstrate how it works. Once a tissue becomes stressed, or overworked, it inflames. This is normal. This process is how to body heals. However, if the area is not regularly moved gently, or continues to be overworked (or the whole host organism is chronically stressed) the tissue may become more fibrotic, or “tougher” than it needs to be. When this happens, the muscle/tendon/ligament becomes much more resilient to movement than normal. This further stresses the local tissues that have to move in conjunction or in opposition (muscles typically work in opposing pairs. If the pulling requires more force, this will eventually stress the opposing muscle.)
Chronic inflammation will also cause the slippery fascia that allows fluid gentle sliding, to become more similar to rubber cement. It’s thick and harder to stretch/slide. Any nerves or blood vessels in the area are now going to be “tugged” every time the muscle moves, rather than allowing the vessels to easily slide free. When this happens repeatedly, it starts to cause very typical pain pathways that don’t resolve easily *unless you go to a doc who knows what they are dealing with*
Who can benefit from FAKTR Muscle Treatments
FAKTR is typically best applied to athletes or competitive sport practitioners, who injured themselves and need aid in restore movement while maintaining strength.
It is Dr. Herrington’s firm belief that we are all competing against something or someone, and as such, this treatment protocol can be altered to best suit most any patient.
Employees at a corporate desk job are competing against the stressors of the job and the sedentary life they are forced to have for several hours a day. Factory workers are competing against a job that is physically demanding with little to know physical training to prepare themselves for a 10 yr career to withstand it. Stay at home parents have high mental stress mixed with high sedentary then sudden bouts of heavy lifting.
While not every patient is an athlete, there are instances in everyone’s life of “competition” where a treatment to make you more resilient can be applied.
Contraindications for FAKTR Muscle Treatments
FAKTR is not effective in all conditions and is not appropriate for all patients. There are both indications and contraindications for the use of FAKTR. As a registered and certified FAKTR provider, Dr. Herrington will determine if your condition is appropriate to receive FAKTR treatment.
Are you experiencing joint, neck, or back pain? Work with a Buffalo Chiropractor that can help you.
Here at Herrington Family Chiropractic, not only does Dr. Herrington excels at spinal manipulation, but is also highly proficient at soft tissue manipulation. Utilizing techniques such as Myofascial Release Technique (MRT), FAKTR, Soft Tissue Massage, Ultrasound therapy and Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) to ensure patients can be effectively treated for all their aches and pains.
If you have been living with joint, neck, or back pain, please contact us to schedule your consult.