Do you know how to stretch?

Chances are, you don't know how to stretch. I see many people who think they know how to stretch, and put a lot of energy into it with little result. I see even more who have been taught the wrong way, and give up on it because they figure it must not be for them. Before you try to lengthen your soft tissues, there are a couple things you need to know.

The first bit of knowledge deals with Reciprocal Inhibition. This is a term used to describe the way two muscles or muscle group work in harmony to allow a joint to move. For example, when you flex your bicep, the triceps have to allow that to happen. You can imagine the damage if the quadriceps and hamstrings of a 100-meter sprinter lost communication with each other during an all-out effort. Anyway, knowing about this can help you get better results when stretching, because when you want to 'turn off' the neuromuscular signal to the muscle you are stretching, it is done by flexing the opposing muscle(s). This will allow a much deeper stretch more quickly. Quickly, you say? Yes, and that leads to the second piece of information, the Stretch Reflex.

I've explained the Stretch Reflex in depth in an earlier post. It has been found that a stretch that last longer than 2 seconds will induce the Stretch Reflex, limiting the effectiveness of the stretch. It is an instinctive reaction of the soft tissue to protect itself from over-stretching. Of course, if you know what you are doing, and are not propping up your body in some unbalanced position, this is not a problem. So to stretch effectively, you need to be relaxed in a supported position, and you need to recruit what you now know about Reciprocal Inhibition and the Stretch Reflex. It also helps to isolate the muscle you need to stretch.

I can teach this to you in a simple, hands-on manner so that you will become a smart stretcher!

ComfortCraft!

I received my power massage table today! It took me no more than 2 hours to haul it into the cupola, and get my sister MaryAnne to take the first ride. It is perfect. If you've never heard of a power massage table, here is the deal. It splits at the waist and lifts your hips, which opens up the lumbar spine while face down, and opens up the abdomen while face up. Not such a big deal you say? Add a professional massage to the mix, and it really does wonders for your spine, and whole body! The face rest also slides to allow your cervical spine (neck) to adjust as I increase the space between vertebrae. A massage on any other table feels like getting massaged on a concrete slab - no joke. I better go wake up MaryAnne...

Uncle Bob

I lost a good uncle this past week. Uncle Bob was one of those guys you could count on to enliven any situation. One of the first memories I have of Bob was when my dad and I were pulled away from the weekend fun to get the cows milked on Sunday nights, Bob would always hang out with us in the barn. (Quite often, he had to drive from Kilkenny all the way to Silver Bay afterwards!) I think Dad was probably wishing Bob would quit distracting me with his jokes so we could get done quicker, but I know Dad will remember those times as good ones too. Bob would be the one to step up whenever anyone needed help. I specifically remember a cold November day when I was building my house; I still hadn't gotten tar paper on the roof, and it started raining. I was praying for snow, so it wouldn't flood my basement, but it was one of those frigid cold rains that was really messing up my worksite. About halfway through that day, Bob shows up with a truckload of plastic tarps - all the store had for sure - and we threw 'em over the house for a quick fix. It did more for my spirits than anything. With guys like that on your side, life was quite a bit more enjoyable. I'm gonna miss his old predictable lines...'How's the car running?' or 'Boy, that's good...you could eat the dogsh** out of that, couldn't ya?' I also remember that smile on his face after he decided to retire from his job early. He had lots of friends, and I think work just cut into his visiting time. I also remember him and my brother Brian playing guitars Sundays at Gramma Bonnie's; I think one of the songs went something like 'We were hunting ducks...ducks so thick we used rakes instead of guns.' Miss ya, Bob.

MIX105

Ok, I sold my first gift certificate on the radio last week! Mix105 is a station based in Luck, WI. They do a weekly on-air auction of goods and services of local businesses. The caller last week got an hour of massage for only $35. Can you believe that? Check it out at www.mix105.ws before the word gets out, because it is an auction!

Another recent development is that I will be available for massage at Bont Chiropractic in St Croix Falls on Mondays and Wednesdays. Give them a call at 715-483-3913 to book an appointment.

The Stretch Reflex

People often ask me 'What makes you different from this other therapist?' I sometimes get into a long ramble about how as a human being with my own unique life experiences, everything about me makes me different from someone else, but then hopefully I snap out of it and answer what they really want to know. What they really want to know is 'Am I going to be wasting my money with you?' Or, 'What is so good about your style of massage?' So I try to boil it down for them, without letting my ego get in the way. (I have a healthy ego, which is really just confidence in what I do, but it can be read the wrong way sometimes.) I tell them that I was trained at a school where anatomy and physiology were emphasized. I tell them I've got strong hands. I tell them I have a caring touch. I tell them I have used massage to maintain my own health. I tell them I have been trained by the best sports massage therapists about assessing soft tissue injuries. But none of this necessarily makes me different from anyone else.

What makes me different is that I'm willing to use all of this knowledge to eliminate the guesswork during massage, saving people's time and money. I also get results for my clients. One of the main reasons I get results is that I learned about the Stretch Reflex. It's taught in anatomy and physiology, but not all massage schools have this class. And even if they do, most students don't think it's important. But it is, because in order to relieve muscle tension, you first have to know what makes muscles tight and painful. The average massage therapist does what's called a 'full body' massage no matter where you are tight. Or worse yet, they get tired of doing generic 'full body' massages and try to still please clients by hammering away on isolated areas where the client says it hurts. Both approaches are mistakes if attempting to treat muscle tension properly. The first style, full body, is just a shotgun approach. Every once in a while, the therapist finds a trigger point, and if you say it feels good, they may even give you a little extra time there, but that's the extent of their knowledge. Then it's back to the full body routine. The latter style, hammering on sore, overstretched muscles can actually cause more damage. What I have learned while studying the Stretch Reflex is that the body will not be forced into a state of relaxation. It's a physiological fact.

When a muscle is elongated past a certain safe limit, the Stretch Reflex will contract the muscle in order to try and prevent muscle fibers from being torn. This is a survival instinct. Anyone who has been in a life or death situation knows that survival instincts are VERY strong. I will not fight the Stretch Reflex, because it is a losing battle, and a waste of the client's time and money. Instead, I use neuromuscular techniques to coax the contracted muscles to relax (which are usually not located where the pain is) , letting the painful, overstretched muscles regain their normal length and tone. If this is done regularly for a while, the body may begin to remember how to hold the relaxed pattern, creating a kind of muscle memory. I will also teach you ways to maintain the relaxed state. This approach requires more knowledge of which muscle groups balance each other, and how the body will react if it senses a damaging force. I have this knowledge, and want to pass it along to you. That's what makes me different.