Stretch your limits! The revolution of Active Isolated Stretching in massage therapy.
Like many runners, Robert Stein spent many years struggling with injury; in his case tight calf muscles. As an excellent amateur runner in college he was a victim of recurring muscle strains, causing him to eventually drop out of competitive athletics completely. Even worse, several years later, as an overworked New York City lawyer he was unable to use the only form of stress relief he knew and loved. Even a 5 minute jog resulted in pain and often another injury to his calves. When he came to me for massage treatment he was depressed, frustrated and sceptical about the possibility of improvement. After the first treatment incorporating focussed advanced massage work and active isolated stretching techniques to the lower extremities he was excitedly bouncing around the treatment room like Tigger exclaiming that had never felt his calves to feel so elastic and alive. Over the next few weeks I continued with weekly treatments and taught him a whole routine of active isolated stretching exercises he could use to improve flexibility and strength in his leg muscles. After 3 weeks he was able to go on short 10 minute runs without pain or injury; over the next few months we were able to increase this to regular runs of up to an hour. Robert has stayed injury free and an enthusiastic convert to massage and the power of active isolated stretching -good news for me as he referred all his very well paid New York City lawyer friends for bodywork!
So can this revolutionary stretching technique only be used with runners or athletes? Absolutely not - active isolated stretching techniques can be used to:
- prevent and treat musculo-skeletal injury and pain,
- improve range of motion,
- reduce stress
- and provide a general feeling of health and vitality in everyone.
As a massage therapist, if you incorporate advanced stretching into your work, you will have powerful tools for:
- treating low back pain,
- neck and shoulder tension,
- carpal tunnel syndrome,
- rotator cuff injury
- sprains and strains
- and much more.
You will enable your sporting clients to improve performance, prevent injury and treat it effectively when it occurs. You can use active isolated stretching with everyone from the athlete to the elderly and enable your clients to take greater control over their own health by teaching them to stretch between sessions. And those are just the benefits to your clients! The benefits for you are tremendous: you will have a unique selling point to widen your practice and increase your income. Even better, active isolated stretching requires minimal work from the therapist, saving your hands and your energy for when you need it most.
What is Active Isolated Stretching (AIS)?
So what exactly is AIS and how does it differ from the other forms of stretching out there? Unfortunately the way most of us have learned to stretch is ineffective, or in some cases even damaging to the body. Picture the last time you saw someone stretching before a run. Even if the person bothers to stretch (and many don't) the routine may consist of a few minutes, reaching towards the toes, bouncing up and down. Hold. Bounce. Hold. Hurt. This form of stretching called "ballistic stretching" was actually abandoned by serious athletes many years ago due to its potential for injury. The rapid bouncing in and out of positions caused soreness and even muscle tears.
Static Stretching
Another popular form of stretching is static stretching. This is the type of stretching that is used in yoga and can also be incorporated easily into your massage work. You, as the therapist, passively move your client into the stretch, working with the breath, hold your client in the position for 30-60 seconds. This is very common in bodywork modalities such as shiatsu or Thai massage. The idea is that static stretching promotes flexibility through gradual adaptation to the stretch.
Other stretching Techniques
Other stretching techniques that can be used effectively in bodywork include approaches such as PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation ) and MET (Muscle Energy Technique). These are effective in treating injury and are used by physiotherapists, athletic trainers and sports massage therapists.
Although both static stretching and PNF techniques are both excellent modalities and are an essential part of any good bodyworkers 'toolbox'; they are not always the answer.
Many experts believe that prolonged static stretching actually decreases the blood flow within the tissue creating localized ischemia and lactic acid build up and can create irritation or injury of tissues similar to the effects and consequences of trauma and overuse sydromes. Although PNF techniques can be useful on the table, it is time consuming and often difficult to teach clients effective self stretching routines using PNF. Similarly, teaching clients static stretches requires them to be very tuned into and aware of their bodies. A big factor is that client often find static and PNF stretches "boring" and simply just do not have the patience to incoroporate them into a regular routine.
Active Isolated Stretching- The Revolution.
AIS is a new approach to the traditional methods of stretching and has been described as "the best kept secret in the world of sports" as it has many advantages over both static and PNF stretching. Once introduced to this form of stretching, most people are quickly converted to its obvious benefits:
• "I always hated to stretch because it didn't seem to make a difference but now I use this programme every day and I haven't been injured" -Steve Spence, World Championships and Olympic Marathoner
• "Since introducing AI stretching to our teams, we've reduced overuse injuries by almost 100 percent" -Steve and Lori Taylor, athletic trainers at Virgina tech, USA .
• "AI stretching has made me more flexible. And the more flexible you are, the faster you can run and the better your muscles respond to your training"- Shelly Steely, Olympic 3000-metre runner.
AIS was developed by massage therapist and kinesiotherapist Aaron Mattes as a result of his 25 years of research and clinical experience with thousands of clients including Olympic champions, professional, college and high school athletes. AIS uses active movement and the theory of reciprocal inhibition to achieve greater flexibility. The amazing thing about AIS is that it combines 3 great physical benefits in one technique, namely:
• Strengthening: As active repetitive movements are used in the stretch, this enables strengthening of the muscles which intiate the movements.
• Stretching: At the same time as one set of muscles is being strengthened, the opposite muscles are being very precisely stretched.
• Cardiac workout: As active movements are used, the client also enjoys the benefits of cardiac exercise.
The stretch reflex
One of the reasons that other forms of stretching can feel painful is that all muscles have an inherent "stretch reflex" that is activated after 2 seconds in a stretched position. The stretch reflex causes the muscles to begin a slow contraction - this is the body's way of trying to protect itself from overstretching. If you continue stretching while your muscle is trying to contract it is like a tug of war - in many cases a tug of war that can even lead to muscle damage. This is why stretching can feel so difficult sometimes as you need to use your breath and an immense amount of patience to overcome the natural inclination of the stretch reflex.
One of the factors that differentiates AIS from other forms of stretching is that the stretch is only held for a maximum of 2 seconds. This means that there is no opportunity for the stretch reflex to kick in, meaning less patience and body awareness is needed to stretch the tissues and there is no possibility of damage.
How Active Isolated Stretching works
All AI stretches follow the basic steps below:
• Prepare to stretch one muscle at a time.
• Actively contract the muscle opposite the isolated muscle. This allows the muscle to relax in preparation for its stretch.
• Stretch it gently and quickly- hold the stretch for no more than 2 seconds.
• Release the stretch before the muscle reacts to being stretched (by going into its protective contraction or the stretch reflex)
• Return to starting postion and repeat 8-10 times.
Not just for Sports therapists
There is a common misconception that stretching is only used in sports therapy or by osteopaths or physiotherapists. Not so! Stretching benefits everyone and can be incorporated into all types of bodywork including aromatherapy, relaxation massage, or in a spa setting. It is a great addition to your practice and will give you a unique selling point that will encourage your clients to come back for more. Investing in your career by learning good stretching techniques will pay back a hundred fold and give you unparalleled confidence in your work.
Learning Stretching Techniques
At Jing Advanced Massage, our unique 3 day Foundation Course in Holistic Medical Massage techniques will introduce to you to a variety of advanced massage skills, including basic stretching. Our 2 day Advanced Stretching course takes your skills further by learning advanced stretches for every joint in the body. Techniques covered include static stretching, PNF and Active Isolated Stretching, giving you a powerful toolbox of skills for the treatment of pain.
About Jing
Jing Advanced massage + Training is an organisation dedicated to excellence in all aspects of postgraduate massage training. Offering a unique range of Holistic Medical Massage workshops for treatment of pain, we also offer courses in Hot Stone Fusion, Amma Fusion, On Site Massage and Pregnancy Massage. Based in Brighton , we offer courses around the country
Tel: 01273.628.942.
Email: info@jingmassage.com
www.jingmassage.com
Text Copyright Rachel Fairweather and Meghan Mari 2004
Photos by Meghan Mari