In-person vs Online therapies
In-Person vs. Online Soft Tissue Therapy: What’s Best for You?
In-Person vs. Online Soft Tissue Therapy: What’s Best for You?
At SpringBack Rehabilitation, I often get asked:
“Do I really need to come in for hands-on treatment, or can virtual sessions work just as well?”
The answer? It depends on your needs, goals, lifestyle and condition/ injury.
Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of in-person vs. online soft tissue therapy to help you decide what’s right for you or someone you know.
👐 In-Person Soft Tissue Therapy
✅ Pros:
- Hands-On likely Diagnosis & Treatment: Nothing beats skilled palpation and real-time manual release techniques with a thorough history taking, working with your therapist like a detective to build the whole story.
- Immediate Feedback: I can spot compensations, restrictions, or imbalances as they happen and potentially treat them directly.
- More Modalities Available: From manual therapy to joint mobilisations and soft tissue work like cupping, taping and blading — it’s all at your disposal.
- Faster Changes for Complex Cases: Chronic pain, postural dysfunctions, and injury recovery often respond more quickly in person.
⚠️ Cons:
- Travel & Scheduling: You’ll need to travel to the clinic and consider your work/ lifestyle routines, which may not always suit your schedule.
- Limited Outside My Area: If you’re not local to the clinic, it may not be practical to see me regularly.
💻 Virtual/Online Sessions
✅ Pros:
- Accessible from Anywhere: Whether you’re at home, on holiday, or abroad, I can still support you.
- Brain based: Ability to work thoroughly with the neurological brain based aspect of healthcare.
- Self-Empowerment: You’ll learn to manage your own pain, posture, or rehab—skills that serve you for life.
- Flexible Scheduling: Easy to fit around your work or training without the commute.
- Progressive Programming: Online rehab plans with regular check-ins keep you accountable and on track.
⚠️ Cons:
- No Hands-On Treatment: The therapeutic power of touch is one of the most impactful tools in soft tissue therapy. In virtual sessions, we lose the ability to make manual changes to the tissue, mobilise joints, or offer tactile reassurance.
- Limited Nervous System Regulation: Touch, breath work, and guided physical support can down-regulate the nervous system more effectively in person. Without those, it can be harder to shift someone out of a protective or pain-dominant state.
- Missed Body Language Cues: In clinic, I can spot subtle shifts in posture, movement quality, or discomfort even if you don’t mention them. Online, those cues can be missed or misinterpreted.
- Reliant on Your Setup & Tech: A poor internet connection, limited space, or low camera angles can disrupt the quality of the session and make detailed observation more difficult.
- Greater Responsibility on You: Online therapy places more responsibility on you to follow through with guidance and stay consistent between sessions, without the added accountability of being physically in the room.
✨ So, Which is Best?
If you’re in pain, recovering from injury, or need manual treatment to unlock progress, in-person is likely the best starting point.
If you’re motivated, seeking rehab guidance, or want to maintain progress between hands-on sessions, online support can be powerful and effective.
Some of my clients use a blended approach, combining hands-on treatment with online check-ins and rehab progressions.
🙌 Ready to Take the Next Step?
Wherever you are—in Somerset or across the UK—I’m here to support your recovery.
👉 Book an appointment or message me directly to get started.
📍 SpringBackRehabilitation.co.uk Explore online support options
📞 Or drop me a message on Instagram @springbackrehab
Ready to Move Better?
If you want help integrating exercise into your daily lifestyle or have an ongoing or acute injury, get in touch. You can follow us on Instagram @springback_rehabilitation for weekly tips, drills, and rehab/ exercise content.
Let’s get you back to your best—pain-free and powerful.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to seeing you soon, next time we will back back to some practical applications looking at lower back pain; wishing well in all your health.
Tom
