What is Stretch Therapy Anyway?

Stretch Therapy is a method for creating strength and flex­i­bil­ity in the body and was created by Kit Laughlin over 25 years ago.

Few realize that the major limi­ta­tion to greater freedom of movement is actually a ‘map’ located in the brain that tells the body when its limits have been reached: you feel this as pain or tight­ness in the muscles you are trying to lengthen.

That ‘map’ is nothing more than the record of the usual movement patterns you use in your daily life. They may feel as though they are ‘set’ in the body, but nothing could be further from the truth.

There are a number of keys to ‘remap­ping’ this part of the brain. Stretch Therapy uses unique tech­niques that include the muscles, liga­ments, fascia, and bones as the means to do this.

Using these tech­niques and tools liber­ates your body in a way that has to be expe­ri­enced to be believed…

 

What You’ll Get From the Stretch Ther­a­pist Workshop

The Stretch Ther­a­pist workshop is based on Kit’s book and DVD, Overcome Neck & Back Pain.

It’s a 6-day, break­through program that will change how you teach and approach Pilates. As Pilates instruc­tors, it is common to see back pain, in fact very often people come to us specif­i­cally because they have back pain. The stretch therapy program addresses back pain in a way that you may not have consid­ered and has resulted in some remark­able ther­a­peu­tic benefits for pilates students.

The Stretch Ther­a­pist workshop has helped many Pilates instruc­tors approach teaching Pilates with new eyes and a whole new set of tools.

Here’s the “short” list of what you’ll learn when you take this workshop…

Relevant Current Theory
The causes of low back pain drawn from the latest research sources. This includes the relation between pain and dysfunc­tion, pain and elevated tension, pain and body image, the latest research from Western medicine (includ­ing Chiro­prac­tic) and other sources.

Kit’s Approach to Struc­tural Assess­ment
How to distin­guish struc­tural Leg Length Inequal­ity (LLI) from induced leg length differ­ences, and how to identify the presence of small hemi-pelvis. You will be taught the relevant tests to distin­guish these aspects of the problems.

Straight Leg Raising Test
Learn to more closely identify the causes of sciatica as well as stretches to precisely identify the causes of the problem.

Tests for Muscular Imbal­ances
You’ll learn a series of tests which focus on a ‘within-person’ compar­i­son of range of move­ments of hamstrings, hip flexors (includ­ing rectus femoris), piri­formis, gluteus medius and minimus, whole-spine rotation and lateral flexion. A focus of these exer­cises is a left–right compar­i­son of function, where this is possible.

Hip, Lower Back and Leg Exer­cises to Correct Imbal­ances, Optimize Function
You’ll learn all effec­tive exer­cises (both chair and floor versions) for quad­ra­tus lumborum are presented, as well as for hip flexors, piri­formis and the other groups iden­ti­fied by the tests. All exer­cises are taught as practitioner-applied move­ments initially; solo version (self-stretches) for the clients to take home are then taught. Effec­tive cueing is a focus.

Increased Confi­dence of Favor­able Outcomes
You will learn material that will allow you the prac­ti­tioner to recom­mend exer­cises with increased confi­dence that the outcome will be favorable. Many prac­ti­tion­ers recom­mend a variety of strength-developing exer­cises before under­stand­ing the relative strengths and weak­nesses in the client’s body. Occa­sion­ally, this worsens the client’s existing imbal­ances. Some­times the recom­mended exer­cises are inef­fec­tive due to poor under­stand­ing of biome­chan­ics or simply the wrong exercise for that partic­u­lar client.

Tests for Glutes, Lower Ab Flexion Capacity, Rota­tional Balance…
Tests will be taught for gluteus maximus, lower abdom­i­nal flexion capacity (lower fibres of rectus abdo­minis, internal/external obliques, and trans­ver­sus abdo­minis), rota­tional balance and compe­tence, upper abdom­i­nal domi­nance (a frequent predis­pos­ing cause of kyphosis), and left/right compar­isons when necessary.

The Earth­quake Test (Useful for Elderly and Ab Surgery Post-Op)
Kit will show an instant way to cue the action of trans­ver­sus abdo­minis, and a tech­nique that is partic­u­larly effec­tive for the elderly or those who have had abdom­i­nal surgery.

Essen­tial Tests for Muscle Sequenc­ing and Pattern­ing
This refers to the order in which muscles fire to achieve movement outcomes. Inef­fi­cient patterns are possible causes of common muscular problems like pulled hamstrings (often the result of over­ac­tive iliop­soas and rectus femoris and inactive gluteus maximus), and anterior pelvic tilt (inactive trans­ver­sus abdo­minis and a possible cause of low back pain).

Stretch­ing Versus Strength­en­ing
The rela­tion­ship between stretch­ing and strength­en­ing exer­cises will be explored in detail. The essen­tial core strength­en­ing exer­cises will be taught, using rolled towels, Swiss balls, and other insta­bil­ity exercises.

Medial Knee Movement and Ankle Prona­tion
The relation between medial knee movement and ankle prona­tion and inactive external hip rotators will be explored.

Correc­tive Exer­cises for Ab Muscle Domi­nance
You will be taught how to deter­mine which of the abdom­i­nal muscles are dominant when the trunk is chal­lenged, and correc­tive exer­cises for the patterns found.

Reac­ti­vat­ing the External Hip Rotators
Simple, effec­tive exer­cises for reac­ti­vat­ing the external hip rotators together with the lower abdom­i­nal muscles will be taught and prac­ticed. You’ll be able to demon­strate and teach these tech­niques properly by the end of this session.

Complete Range of Back and Neck Exer­cises
The whole range of middle, upper back, and neck exer­cises from the latest edition of Overcome Neck & Back Pain will be introduced.

Even More Exer­cises for Upper Back and Shoulder Exer­cises
You’ll also learn extremely effec­tive exer­cises for the paraver­te­brals, upper and middle trapez­ius, levator scapulae and the sub-occipitals, often the starting place for headaches. Take-home versions of all exer­cises are taught as well.

Compare Internal and External Rotator Cuff Strengths
You’ll learn all the best shoulder exer­cises from the latest edition of Overcome Neck & Back Pain and Stretch­ing & Flex­i­bil­ity, includ­ing how to compare internal and external rotator cuff strengths (imbal­ances in which are a common source of shoulder pain and dysfunc­tion), and how to increase their flex­i­bil­ity if desired.

Correct Rounded Shoul­ders
You’ll also learn a partic­u­larly useful series of exer­cises to correct rounded shoul­ders and inter­nally rotated arms, empha­sis­ing biceps brachii and pectoralis minor

Rotator Cuff Strength­en­ing Exer­cises
Rotator cuff strength­en­ing exer­cises will be demon­strated and practiced.

Effec­tive Stretches for RSI
You will learn stretches that have proven to be partic­u­larly effec­tive for RSI.

Thoracic Outlet Compres­sion Syndrome
The latest research will be presented on the rela­tion­ship between Thoracic Outlet Compres­sion Syndrome and the scalenes group. You’ll expe­ri­ence both on-the-table practitioner-applied exer­cises and solo versions (self-stretches, done on the floor) for this stubborn muscle group. Floor versions of the same exer­cises will be taught too, for those prac­ti­tion­ers who do not work on a table.

Compre­hen­sive Arm, Wrist and Hand Exer­cises
On the final day, a compre­hen­sive series of arm, wrist and hand exer­cises will be shown and practiced.

The Stretch Ther­a­pist workshop is presented by Kit Laughlin and is based on Kit’s book Overcome Neck & Back Pain

This workshop is designed for people who want to use the latest reha­bil­i­ta­tive stretch­ing and strength­en­ing tech­niques to overcome neck, back, shoulder, arm and hand pain.This workshop will train bodywork prac­ti­tion­ers, Pilates, Yoga and other instruc­tors to recog­nize and provide solu­tions for, neck, back, shoulder, arm and hand pain caused by muscular and skeletal asym­me­tries. Partic­i­pants will gain mastery of relevant solo and practitioner-applied stretch­ing and strength­en­ing exer­cises and neural re-patterning tech­niques for the analysis and correc­tion of dysfunction.

 

 

Presen­ter

Kit Laughlin is a world author­ity in stretch­ing and strength­en­ing tech­niques. He is the author of the best-selling books Overcome Neck & Back Pain, Stretch­ing & Flex­i­bil­ity, and Stretch­ing & Preg­nancy. Kit has presented work­shops to over 3,000 indi­vid­u­als world­wide and is a strength and flex­i­bil­ity consul­tant to elite teams and athletes. He studied Oriental medicine and Shiatsu for three years in Japan and founded the Shoshin Centre in Canberra, Australia, where he assists clients to overcome pain related to muscular and skeletal asymmetries.

Prereq­ui­sites

Partic­i­pants are expected to read Kit’s book Overcome Neck & Back Pain, 4th Edition, and view the DVD update (these items are the course text) prior to the workshop, and have adequate anit­o­m­i­cal knowl­edge (the book provides adequate detail.)

I’m not a Pilates instruc­tor. Is this workshop appro­pri­ate for me?
If you are in the field of bodywork (physical ther­a­pist, massage ther­a­pist, yoga instruc­tor, personal trainer, etc) this workshop is appro­pri­ate for you.

 

Outline

The Causes of Low Back Pain
The current theory on causes of low back pain will be covered. You will learn struc­tural assess­ment of leg length and hemi-pelvis inequal­i­ties as well as calf, piri­formis and hamstring stretches relevant to the Straight Leg Raising Test (SLRT).

Correc­tive Exer­cises For Lower Back Pain, Sciatica and Piri­formis Syndrome
You will learn to identify the causes of sciatica using the Straight Leg Raising Test. Tests and correc­tive exer­cises (solo and practitioner-applied) will be done for muscular imbal­ances in the hamstrings, hip flexors, piri­formis, glutes, whole-spine rotation, lateral flexion, quad­ra­tus lumborum. We will focus on left–right compar­i­son of muscular function.

Correc­tive Tech­niques For Middle Back, Upper Back, Shoulder and Neck Pain
You will learn correc­tive stretch­ing and strength­en­ing tech­niques for middle back, upper back and neck pain (e.g. paraver­te­brals, upper and middle trapez­ius, levator scapulae, scalenes, sub-occipitals). We will cover exer­cises to overcome thoracic outlet compres­sion syndrome, shoulder pain and rotator cuff imbal­ances, and how to correct rounded shoul­ders and inter­nally rotated arms target­ing, for example, biceps brachii and pectoralis minor. Correc­tive exer­cises for arm, wrist and hand pain We will cover a compre­hen­sive series of correc­tive stretches for RSI injuries in the arm, wrist and hand, includ­ing exer­cises for brachioradialis,and flexors and exten­sors of hands and fingers.

Strength­en­ing and Repat­tern­ing Exer­cises
Through his work with athletes and patients, Kit recog­nizes the urgent need to teach prac­ti­tion­ers how to assess func­tional strength patterns and their biome­chan­i­cal causes. His work with an Olympic sprinter, for example, showed that her hamstring pulls were caused by inactive glutes, which were the result of tight hip flexors. Kit will address the causal rela­tion­ships between muscular problems (e.g. pulled hamstrings) and neural sequenc­ing. You will learn tests for glute activity, lower versus upper abdom­i­nal domi­nance, hip flexor and quadri­ceps domi­nance, and rota­tional left–right comparisons.

You will also learn assess­ment and correc­tive exer­cises for knee tracking problems and ankle prona­tion, includ­ing repat­tern­ing of the external hip rotators and adductors.

Accred­i­ta­tions

The Stretch Ther­a­pist workshop is accred­ited with a number of bodywork asso­ci­a­tions, in the United States and overseas. Click here to view a current list, includ­ing educa­tional credits this workshop attracts.

Read More…

 

Workshop Details

2012 dates coming soon!

 

Location

Pilates Tonic
401 North Market Street
Suite B
Chat­tanooga, TN
37405
Contact: Sydney@pilatestonic.com
(423) 702‑5233

 

Cost

Both weekends: $1300

Weekend 1 only: $699

*Weekend 2 only: $699

REPEATING BOTH sessions (limited to five/workshop) –$800

 

Click on the “Register Today” button to sign up.

From there, select the work­shops tab on the upper right hand side of your screen.

 

 

 

I learned how much I really didn’t know about stretch­ing. After all the contro­versy and lack of defin­i­tive­ness in the fitness industry on stretch­ing as a physical benefit and neces­sity, I was grateful to finally have found an answer to many aspects of physical perfor­mance and correc­tion as they relate to muscle tension.

Eryn Krieger
Pilates and Yoga instructor

Very bene­fi­cial on many differ­ent levels. Person­ally, for the first time in many years I believe I can phys­i­cally help myself (in regards to my low back) without hurting myself. This will allow me to help others better. Profes­sion­ally, apart from the immense skill set you’ve passed onto us Kit, your attitude, peace and touch is inspir­ing and chal­leng­ing. I am now more aware and can function more without fear!

Roger Norris
Phys­io­ther­a­pist

I have person­ally used Mr. Laughlin’s stretch­ing exer­cises for a year and they remain a staple of my condi­tion­ing routine. I also refer Mr. Laughlin’s books and videos to my own patients in the emer­gency room, who often present to me with their own end results of years of de-conditioning and neglect.

Eric Roter MD
Cleve­land Clinic at Sagamore Hills

 

Thank you for empow­er­ing me, when I have so often felt despair­ing and almost giving in to the real­i­sa­tion that pain is some­thing I just have to live with.

Annika Wandel
Back pain sufferer, Mt Eliza, Australia

 

Cancel­la­tion Policy

Partic­i­pants who wish to withdraw more than eight weeks prior to the sched­uled date will receive a full refund of money paid, minus a $500 admin­is­tra­tion charge unless you transfer regis­tra­tion to another participant.

There will be no refund on with­drawal from a workshop if noti­fi­ca­tion is received less than eight weeks prior to the sched­uled commence­ment date.

A full refund will be given if the course is canceled.