This is not an entirely new form of treatment; both Structural Osteopathy and Cranial Osteopathy will affect the Fascia.

However, Fascial Stretching can help multisite problems that appear to have no obvious link, such as hip and shoulder pain or lower leg and low back pain.

Fascia Facts

Over the last 10 years, there has been much research into fascia. Fascia is a web of tissue that covers everything in the body - muscles, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, internal organs, and bone.

It has many nerve endings, including pain sensors and proprioception (where the body is in space). It allows the different structures of the body to glide over each other as you move.

Fascia dislikes hard pulling/stretching that happens with muscle stretching, or deep muscle massage. These treatments may have the opposite effect on fascia.

Fascia responds to flowing, smooth movements that are comfortable to do.

When the body has had trauma, does not move much, or does repetitive movements, the fascia can become thickened or stuck. This will then limit motion and can pull through different parts of the body, eg, a restricted hip can pull through muscle chains right up to the shoulder.

Sometimes, it is not easy to relax or target a specific area that needs stretching when trying to stretch yourself.

Fascial Stretching stretches whole lines of muscles, joints and tissues. It should be pain-free. Compare this to regular stretching that stretches muscle by muscle and can often be painful. 

A Fascial Stretch therapist directs a stretch through tight, restricted areas, including joints and gets results quickly. Fascial Stretching improves flexibility, increases joint space and improves posture.