Stretch Therapist (ST) workshop

Description

The Stretch Therapist (ST) workshop is presented by Kit Laughlin and is based on Kit’s book Overcome Neck & Back Pain. The 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 in the diagnosis and treatment of 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.

We want you to demonstrate that you can teach your clients how to help themselves.

You will be able to apply techniques suitable for every body immediately, from rehabilitation to performance enhancement.

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. Read more ...

Prerequisites

Participants are expected to have read Kit’s 4th edition book Overcome Neck & Back Pain (this is the course text) and have sufficient anatomical knowledge.

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 recognises 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.

Guide Program

Six-day format (pdf, 97kb)

Accreditations

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

2010 workshops

Wodonga, Australia (Stage I) - March

Carlton, Melbourne, Australia - August