fascial counterstrain & sports bodywork
what it is:
A session combining Fascial Counterstrain (FCS) and active fascial release techniques to achieve specific health or range of motion goals. This bodywork is done fully clothed and is designed to be active and therapeutic rather than relaxing.
who it’s for:
Best suited for someone looking to:
address an acute or chronic injury
maintain or improve their sports/activity performance
recover from or prepare for surgery
reduce/manage chronic pain such as from fibromyalgia, spondylosis, or scoliosis
increase range of motion and mobility
recover from a concussion or head trauma
what it is NOT:
FCS & Sports appointments are not designed as a spa or relaxation session. If you’re looking for something more calm and meditative, check out Myofascial Release Therapy sessions.
Fascial Counterstrain (FCS)
A unique, painless technique developed by Brian Tuckey, PT, based on osteopathic skills and positional release therapies. FCS uses motion testing and a cranial scan to map areas of dysfunction and trapped inflammation within all the body’s systems - arterial, venous, lymphatic, visceral, musculoskeletal, and nervous. Gentle, pain-free positions are utilized to release those areas of dysfunction and return the body to a state of relaxation and ease.
Incredibly powerful and efficient, FCS is effective with patients suffering from chronic pain, inflammation, decreased range of motion, head traumas, autoimmune disorders, and athletes of all kinds. To learn about the science behind Fascial Counterstrain and its direct effects on the body’s lymphatic pump system and interstitial tissue inflammatory response, head over to Frontiers In Pain Research to read Tuckey’s article:
To learn more about Fascial Counterstrain and the practitioners that established it, visit:
Trigger Points (TRPS)
Small, hypersensitive spots within a tight band of muscle that, when pressed, also refer pain to another part of the body. Most often they’re described as “knots”, but actual TrPs are usually no larger than a pea, though you can have several close together. “Active” Trigger Points cause pain regardless if they’re pressed. “Latent” TrPs just muck everything up around them silently, causing weakness or decreasing range of motion.
Tender Points (TPs)
Similar to Trigger Points in size, hypersensitivity, and ability to make your life miserable. However, they can be found not just within skeletal muscle, but also joints, veins, arteries, you name it. They also don’t cause pain to refer elsewhere, but tend to stay localized to a small patch of tissue. In Fascial Counterstrain, TPs are a symptom of trapped inflammation within the body’s various systems, and can be released via positional release.
muscle energy techniques & isometric exercises (MET & IE)
Both METs and IEs utilize your own muscle power to get specific results. If you want to get really geeky, METs manipulate the reflexes in golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles (receptors for monitoring change in tension and stretch within each of your muscles) in order to increase range of motion, lengthen muscles, and improve joint function. IEs utilize light contraction of specific, targeted muscles to gently (and almost magically) correct imbalances within your musculoskeletal system.
I use both frequently throughout my sessions, but especially in pelvic and gait rebalancing, and for athletes or those with physically demanding jobs.