What is Fascia?

Fascia is essentially all of the connective tissue in the body. It is a tough covering, that surrounds every muscle. It forms a vast supporting network found throughout the body and is continuous from head to toe. The tendons that join the muscle to the bone, the joint capsules and the ligaments are all fascia. Scar tissue and adhesions occur within the fascia; these areas are typically more restricted and disorganized. In some places the fascia is thinner than nylon pantyhose, but in other places, such as the Iliotibial Band on the outside of the leg, it can be much thicker. Fascia is extremely strong.

FST vs. Yoga:

Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST™) is an assisted manual stretch therapy technique, that focuses on elongating, re-aligning and balancing the connective tissues of the body. The rapid and pain-free results occur within one session and not only improves flexibility but also strength, balance, coordination, body awareness and posture. It's a fact that when you try to stretch yourself, you will never be able to relax enough or target specific areas optimally enough. Having an FST™ therapist work on you, will help achieve specific fitness or medical goals that one cannot attain on their own.

When should I stretch?

And the answer is...it depends. There really is no perfect time to stretch, but there are factors involved when it comes to dictating how to stretch. Variables like stretch tempo (fast, slow, etc..), duration, and intensity can all be adjusted depending on the timing and desired outcome. I've stretched athletes and clients right before competing in marathons, right before and after workouts, and right after completing triathalons. All of these times are completely safe and appropriate. There really is no bad time to receive a stretch. However many athletes find getting a session a day or two before an event is even more beneficial as they're bodies move much smoother and feel much more fluid. This gives a greater sense of control and coordination to their movements, which improves athletic confidence. As well as greatly lessens the feeling of fatigue by reducing wasted energy from trying to move immobile joints and poorly coordinated limbs through space. Adjusting stretch variables dependent on the situation is also important when it comes to self stretching programs. A pre-race warm-up stretch should look very different and elicit a distinct physiological response, than a cool-down post-race stretch routine. The pre-event stretch will be up tempo and ideally involve dynamic movements that mimic the event, with the purpose of increasing heart rate and blood flow, and activating the sympathetic nervous system. While a post-event cool-down stretch will be a much slower tempo with the focus on restoring flexibility and easing the body back into the parasympathetic nervous system.

Do I participate?

It is very participant oriented. The participant needs to contract and relax a muscle as the therapist moves it through stretch positions. This uses the participant’s nervous to help improve the muscle response by manipulating the muscle stretch reflex.

What do I wear?

Clients stay fully-clothed, wearing comfortable clothing that you can move freely in (such as workout clothing). There is no use of massage oils or creams. Clients will leave a session feeling renewed and relaxed.

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