00:01
Counterstrain is also called spontaneous
release by positioning.
00:05
It’s one of the newer forms of manipulation
that uses body positioning
and body placement
as a way to release motion
and enhance comfort.
00:14
What you do is, you find a tender point—
an area in the muscle
that’s a little bit mushier, a little bit
more tender, maybe indented,
and feels differently than other tissue.
00:23
If they’re uncomfortable there,
you then try and find how
you can position them
to make them comfortable to
get rid of that tenderness.
00:32
And once you find that point,
and you get them from that point
to a position of comfort,
you hold them that way for about
90 to 120 seconds.
00:41
You monitor it with your fingers
and you see how the tissue changes.
00:45
You generally start to feel
a little bit of a pulsation
or a little bit of motion in the muscle
while you’re holding it.
00:52
And then after the 90 seconds,
you bring them back to the normal position
and you’ll generally feel a greater motion,
and an enhancement of how the muscle feels.
01:02
So treating the tender point
is a big part of counterstrain.
01:06
And it does enhance motion and functioning.
01:11
That is counterstrain.