- Clinical Assisted Stretch Therapy

Clinical Assisted Stretch Therapy

Clinical Assisted Stretch Therapy

At FYZICAL Bridgeville, PA, located in South Fayette Twp, we provide Clinical Assisted Stretch Therapy services that benefit patients in many ways.

What is Stretch Therapy and what are the benefits?

Clinical Stretch Therapy is an assisted treatment where our clinician uses different types of stretching techniques to help you achieve improved range of motion and flexibility, and decreased risk of injury. The overall goal is to treat imbalances and restrictions in the muscles, joints, and tissues. Stretching is important as the improvements are cumulative, so over time the proper and consistent stimulation of neural receptors becomes “memory” and functional movement benefits from these changes to the tissues.

The important aspect to note is consistency – Stretch Therapy can help in the short term immediately following the session, but must be applied 2 to 3 times a week for a certain amount of time (depending on your body’s responsiveness and medical history) for your affected area to adapt and create this “memory” and to see more long-term and permanent effects.

Who can Stretch Therapy benefit?

When many people think of stretching, they think of dancers, yoga, athletes, etc. And although stretching is integral for this population as part of a warm-up, cool-down, and maintenance routine for better performance and injury prevention; Clinical Stretch Therapy can help nearly anyone, at any fitness level with functional limitations, achieve effective benefits.

For example, if a person had an injury or a surgery and as time passed the person developed compensatory movement in the affected area, this person now has an imbalance in the muscles and tissues and risks further injury. Other factors that can limit movement are pain, lifestyle, and medical history.

How does Clinical Stretch Therapy work?

Depending on your goals and initial evaluation, our clinician may use a variety of techniques. All are assisted and may use devices along with manual therapy. With myofascial release, trigger points are activated with pressure for 30-60 seconds and may be combined with traditional massage. Passive stretching involves maneuvering the limb or trunk in certain positions to create a “pull” on the muscles and is held for about 30 seconds in each position in a specific grouping of movements. Dynamic stretching is actively moving at the joint in a repetitive motion, while enlarging the motion with each pass. This is best performed after passive and myofascial stretching. Finally there are PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretches that create resistance in the muscle through cycles of contracting, tensing, and releasing into the stretch. Our clinician will work with you to determine the best stretching techniques for your situation.