Unlike the name would suggest, it has nothing to do with stretching one’s face.
Fascial stretch therapy (FST) is a relatively new therapy for people with chronic pain and mobility issues. Many athletes are also reaping the benefits of this therapy with increases in speed, agility and power.
Fascia is a structure of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, binding some structures together, while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other.
When fascia gets tight or restricted its like putting on a pair of jeans straight out of the dryer; it doesn’t feel great. As you walk about and the fibres in the jeans relax, the jeans start to feel looser and more comfortable – that’s the “magic” of FST.
One of the fundamental principles of FST is “gain without pain.” It is a program of assisted stretching that not only allows for maximum lengthening of the muscles but also works on the joint capsule.
Some of the conditions being treated today include disc herniation, facet joint dysfunctions (when two discs in the vertebra aren’t articulating properly), chronic headaches, plantar fasciitis (a common issue for runners or people who stand on the arch, involving serious pain in the arch of the foot) and pinched nerves.
People have also noted improvement in posture, ease of movement and Sports performance.
There is no medication that can improve fascia and no supplement that can optimize it. Exercise alone does not optimally balance, align and improve fascia. It is the most prevalent tissue in the body and probably the most misunderstood.
A typical session lasts an hour, but the benefits last much longer than that. I had a teacher who told me that a therapy should pass the parking lot test. If your client feels better after a session but it doesn’t last until he/she gets to their car, it’s a fail. I guarantee that FST will last well beyond the parking lot.
Kelly Offer is a personal trainer in Fergus. For more information contact her at koffer@trainingbodies.com.
