REFINE THE WAY YOU MOVE
Book with one of our expert Fascial Stretch Therapists to help relieve your sciatica pain, neck pain, low back pain & more
Fascial Stretch Therapy at Axis Therapy is provided by our Massage Therapists and can be covered under your insurance plan
What is Fascial Stretch Therapy?
Ever try and twist your body into a position to try and get a good stretch? Love the way your body feels after a relaxing deep yoga class? Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) is all of that in a practitioner assisted session. Similar to Thai massage, a Fascial Stretch Therapist holds and manipulates the client’s body into dynamic and passive stretches that cannot be achieved on their own. FST specifically targets and unwinds the different fascial nets that run through the body.
Exactly what is Fascia?
We are made up of more than just skin, muscle and bones. There is a network of connective tissue that integrates and wraps throughout the body that keeps us upright and aligned. It’s encompassing, from head to toe, connecting deep internal organs to external skin. When certain areas are tight or weak, it causes a chain reaction that impacts others parts of the body.
Fascial Stretch Therapy is not just a treatment but also a diagnostic method that can identify patterns and areas of dysfunction. By combining the use of breath, traction, and movement, FST effectively opens up all these restrictions. This is a form of movement therapy that can be beneficial for everyone at all levels of strength and mobility. From helping athletes enhance performance and improve recovery, to desk workers, to ease that chronic built up tension.
What is Fascial Stretch Therapy Good For?
● Limited range of motion post injury or surgery
● Reduced flexibility and mobility from sports or weightlifting
● Nerve impingements (sciatica, thoracic outlet syndrome, etc)
● Movement and strength imbalances (squats, bench presses, etc)
● Low back, hip, upper neck pain and tension
● Chronic nagging aches and pains
● Decreasing stress
What to expect during and after a Fascial Stretch Therapy Session
Stretches take place on a massage table with the client wearing stretchy/exercise clothes. There will be a lot of focus on deep abdominal breathing and allowing the body and joints to relax as the therapist slowly works your body into the different stretches. The stretch should be pain-free, but felt deeply and along those fascial trains. It’s not uncommon to feel what looks like a “hip stretch” in the mid/upper back. That’s the beauty of FST.
After a stretch session you can expect improved joint mobility, range of motion, decrease in pain and tension. It can also improve recovery time and performance for sports and training. Realigning the fascia in the body also directly impacts our internal systems as well. By opening up the hips and the abdomen it can have a positive impact on digestion, bowel movements, menstruation regularity and cramping, just to name a few. Improving chest and thoracic mobility improves our ability to breathe normally, allowing for deeper breaths.
Most of all FST is an amazing modality to down-regulate the nervous system. Chronic prolonged stress (good or bad, psychological or mechanical), as we all know, has detrimental impacts on any living thing. By calming the nervous system, we allow our bodies to rest and digest which is key to a good quality of life.
How Can Fascial Stretch Therapy Help You?
Check out some of these instagram posts for more information on how Fascial Stretch Therapy can help you relieve pain, improve range of motion, and increase your mobility!
Did you know fascial stretch therapy (FST) was initially used by professional athletes regularly to improve performance, improve flexibility and help prevent injury.
So what is FST? It is a unique and complementary system of table-based assisted stretching, focusing on the muscles and connective tissue that surround and encompass the joints.
When fascia and joint capsules are restricted, it can lead to conditions such as osteoarthritis, increased muscle tightness, strains, tendinopathies, headaches, scar tissue formation, decreased blood flow and lower energy levels.
Fascial Stretch Therapy to Improve Tight Hip Flexors
For most people the biggest culprit for tight hip flexors are what we all do every day: sitting at our desks!
Common signs that you may have tight hip flexors besides the obvious of experiencing tightness in the hips are:
▪️Tightness or ache in your lower back
▪️Poor posture
▪️Pain or Tightness in your neck
▪️Pain in your glute
Fascial Stretch Therapy in conjunction with simple at home exercises such as glute bridges, mountain climbers and single leg squats can really help strengthen and loosen the hip flexors to alleviate some of the Tightness and pain.
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Our Expert Therapists in Your Corner.
Client Experience. We have no greater goal than to get you feeling better, moving better & help you get back to doing the things you love.
Full Assessment. To identify the root cause of your issues, our therapists will always perform a full assessment.
Hands On Treatment. We don’t believe in hooking you up to a machine/putting a heat pad on and walking away. Every session includes hands-on treatment to help relieve your pain right away.
Expert therapists. On top of the many years of school & formal education, our therapists are always learning more. Annual continuing education courses, team skill building & case study sessions are just a few ways our team is continuously learning.
Locations
Axis Therapy & Performance – Physiotherapy, Chiropractor, RMT Scarborough
1585 Markham Rd, Unit 308
Scarborough, ON M1B 2W1
(647)350-2766
scarborough@axistoronto.com
Axis Therapy & Performance – Physiotherapy, Chiropractor, RMT, Naturopath Riverdale
377 Broadview Ave, Unit 101
Toronto, ON M4K 2M7
(416)462-0005
riverdale@axistoronto.com