Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Balanced ligamentous tension
Introduction
Balanced ligamentous tension (also known as balanced ligamentous tension release, ligamentous articular strain, or simply BLT) is both an indirect and direct technique used in osteopathic manipulative medicine.
History
History
The technique was reportedly invented by A.T. Still. It was later described by his students Rebbecca Lippincott and William Garner Sutherland, who greatly expanded it.[1]
Execution
Execution
The technique has many variants. The general prescription is to disengage and exaggerate the diagnosed somatic dysfunction. This is the indirect component. The practitioner then waits for a change is the palpatory quality of the structure being treated, i.e. a change in skin tension, temperature, or muscle tension. This is followed by a balancing stage in which the practitioner slowly bring the joint into the diagnosed dysfunction (the direct component).
References
References
- ↑ DEileen L DiGiovanna, Stanley Schiowitz, Dennis J Dowling. An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment, 2nd Ed. Lippincott. 2004.