This course was inspired by my fellow massage therapists who were requesting a class to blend the benefits of passive stretching with therapeutic massage appointments. With the popularity or businesses that offer just stretching for athletes and gym clients, many massage clients have been inquiring about therapeutic passive stretching and its benefits.
Enhance your therapeutic massage sessions with over 20 Passive Stretches
In this 8 hour NCBTMB Approved course students will learn a new full body therapeutic massage sequence incorporating over 20 possible passive stretches. We will learn passive stretching for all the major muscles and joints of the body.
This course is intended to help massage therapists broaden their techniques to include use of more passive stretching to help with relaxation and mobility, enliven their massage practice by learning a completely new set of passive stretches, and also save their hands from repetitive use injuries.
PASSIVE STRETCHING IN MASSAGE THERAPY
As massage therapists, you’re likely aware of the numerous benefits of stretching for your clients, but let’s dive deeper into the advantages of Passive Stretching.
Understanding the Benefits of Stretching: Stretching enhances circulation, flexibility, and range of motion. It plays a crucial role in preventing and facilitating the healing of back pain and improving posture. Additionally, stretching can have calming effects, helping to alleviate tension associated with headaches.
What is Passive Stretching? Passive stretching involves holding a position for a set duration while the client relaxes. As the therapist, your role is to extend and intensify various stretches by applying external pressure.
Your Role in Passive Stretching Therapy: During a session, you will identify and stabilize one side of a muscle group to be stretched. Utilizing the joints that the muscle crosses, you’ll deliver a stretch to the muscle tissue. Holding this position, you’ll guide your client to breathe slowly and relax.
How Does Passive Stretching Work? Engaging with damaged or injured tissues through stretching aids in the healing of muscle injuries by mobilizing scar tissue and fascia, promoting functional healing patterns. There are layers of fascia in the body that connect and support us, and maintaining their health requires movement, warmth, and proper hydration.
From a neurological standpoint, stretching helps condition previously stiff joints to move pain-free throughout their entire range. Passive stretching can also teach clients how to move comfortably during their daily activities.
Why Focus on Fascia Health? The state of fascia directly impacts overall health. Within fascia, adipose tissues help regulate homeostasis, while vascular structures and nerve receptors reside as well. When fascia becomes tight or unhealthy, it can lead to widespread discomfort, joint misalignments, and increased pain.
Benefits of Passive Stretching: As you stretch your clients’ muscles and tissues slowly, holding each stretch, you facilitate relaxation and increased circulation. This process helps release pressure around joints and nerves, enhancing overall comfort. With reduced pain and compression, blood pressure stabilizes, allowing oxygen and blood flow to return to symptomatic areas, promoting natural healing and reducing inflammation.
What Clients Can Expect During a Passive Stretching Session: At the start of the session, clients will lie on their backs, and you will guide them in abdominal breathing to maximize the therapy's benefits. As they relax, you’ll perform an assessment by gently squeezing, moving, and kneading their muscles from feet to hips, and similarly for their arms. After the assessment, you will position their limbs, holding them firmly while guiding their breathing, and gradually releasing pressure. This can be repeated 3-6 times until the full stretch is achieved, ensuring clients feel no discomfort. It’s essential for clients to communicate any discomfort immediately.
All passive stretching can be combined with other massage techniques as well. Typically, massage first, then stretch for the best benefit, once the tissue is warmed.
Sessions will conclude with a few deep, relaxing breaths, leaving clients feeling better even after the session has ended.
· Skin diseases
· Inflammation due to bacterial action
· Rheumatoid arthritis
· Calcification in soft tissue
· Bursitis
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