It stimulates proprioceptors and can inhibit over activation in chronically tight muscles. I love the metaphor that massage is teaching your muscles how to be, how to get out of unhelpful cycles. By adding stretching, we can help that muscle find a better state. Add stretching before massage and see how much better the muscles respond.
It feels good. Clients who are chronically “tight” get a huge dopamine release when that feeling gets relieved. It’s like finally scratching a big itch, the rewards center in the brain just lights up. This greatly contributes to the clients feeling of well-being and relaxed state. That sounds rad to me.
I can use it to teach my client how to stretch. We love to give clients home care and stretching is a great one to get clients moving and more mentally connected to those areas you work on. When I stretch I tell them what I’m doing and where they should feel it. This helps them find it again at home and feel a sense of success in their self care.
There is nothing wrong with stretching, as with anything in massage, as we work to be more evidence based we need to update the way we talk to our clients. “Let’s stretch your quads to help them let go of this tension.” That’s a phrase a client understands and they know you have the same goals.
One last thing about stretching, when working with a clients joints, we need to be aware of the normal range of motion degrees for each joint. When we move a joint into a stretch, do not go beyond that degree. Either the opposite side needs to be stabilized, and then you can stretch, or the client doesn’t need that muscle stretched and maybe they need to strengthen!
However you incorporate stretching, stay in communication with your client and encourage them to listen to their bodies.
-Lindsay ✨
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