The Stretch to Win Center, a uniquely special place where people came from all over the world to Tempe, AZ, USA for personal and professional transformation, closed on January 31, 2012.

However the Fredericks continue to direct and operate The Stretch to Win Institute (StretchToWin.com), where professionals in rehabilitation medicine, health, fitness and sports come to get certified in a proprietary system of neuromyofascial manual and movement therapy and training for the whole body called Fascial Stretch Therapy.

Directors Ann and Chris Frederick wish to thank all of their clients and patients for entrusting us with their bodies, minds and spirits for the past 17 years to get out of pain, improve functional performance and live a truly optimal life.

The Stretch to Win Institute attracts highly talented professionals who want to help more people and make more money. The immediate benefit to students are the following:

> new assessment skills of the neuromyofascial system
> faster assessments = quicker treatment/training results
> quicker results = increased patient/client satisfaction
> increased satisfaction = more referrals

Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) is a complete system for the whole body to quickly get out of pain and back to function. It can be successfully integrated with what you do now and/or be a separate, cash revenue service that will double your income.

When Ann Frederick started her FST practice in January 1995 she grossed $12K. When Ann and Chris closed their doors, the Center was generating $600K, a 50 times earnings increase, with FST being the prime service!!

You get much more than uniquely effective, innovative manual and movement therapy and training with FST. You will get a “plug and play”, turn-key system based on the Fredericks proven, extremely successful prototype business model. Student support in marketing and business setup is available to insure success. What other course that you have taken can even compare?

Register NOW at StretchToWin.com (or call Marlene, our Institute administrator at 480-772-5913) and join the international FST family, who will help you with referrals and other opportunities that are only available to this group of highly sought after professionals.

In my last post (July 3) about the squat, I began with the simple biomechanics and common problems people have at the foot and ankle.

Now, the knee – not the simple hinge joint it appears to be…not at all.

The Knee

Basic anatomy: femur (thigh bone) connects to the tibia (shin bone), separated by a medial (inside) and lateral (outside) meniscus (fibrocartilage) and connected by the anterior (front) and posterior (back) cruciate ligaments. Other articulations or connections are at the patella (kneecap) and at the
fibula (outside lower leg bone that forms the outside ankle bone).

The reason why it’s not a simple hinge joint, is because where the thigh bone meets the shin bone ain’t so perfect. In fact, it’s downright so different from the inside thigh bone (medial femoral condyle) to the outside (lateral femoral condyle) that the joint has to also spin or rotate on its long axis just to lock the knee closed to be stable when you stand on it. Then, of course, it also has to rotate in the opposite direction to unlock the knee so it may spin, roll and slide to allow a squat to happen.

Consequently, all kinds of things can go wrong when the near or far reins of the knee, otherwise known as tendons (connects muscles to
bones), have less than cooperative lines of give and take. That is to say, if for example, the deep butt muscles known as the short lateral rotators are locked even shorter and make your foot turn out more than it should, then if you want your knees to go straight forward (or even slightly turned out) in a squat, you will experience torque at the knee joint.

While perhaps not painful at first, if one keeps squatting like this (and I don’t even mean in a gym, as it is a daily occurrence for all),
a very ugly, pernicious thing happens. Your cartilage — in the meniscus and/or behind the patella — starts to wear down, as if you were sanding down wood, a little at a time. Since no one in their right mind wants this, it behooves one to get attention and balance out this sad picture.

While there are many aspects to correcting this situation, Fascial Stretch Therapy™ can offer an immediate solution…as in exactly 1
session.

When a competent practitioner looks at the whole body and not just the knee, the solution and hence relief is more rapid and complete. In this case where the hip rotators are short and tight, say on one side (very common), the FST Provider uses traction-oscillation-circumduction, fancy words for gently warming up the hip for actual stretching. But more than simple warming up the hip, it also decompresses the hip joint, which is traditionally ignored by most practitioners.

This act of traction — at specific angles of force, direction and duration — reflexively  relaxes the tight tissue around the hip starts
the process of actually re-aligning the whole leg and foot, reducing the external rotation (turning out) of the foot and allowing much easier stretching of the short hip rotators to  finish the treatment, yes, most often in just 1 session. A home program is given to
maintain the new position and make faster progress in squats and other activities or training.

In my next post – the hip.

By Chris Frederick, PT, KMI Certified Structural Integrator, co-founder of
Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST)

* * *

The Stretch to Win Center in Phoenix (Tempe), Arizona is the world headquarters for Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions for clients and patients. We also offer Physical Therapy, Structural Integration, Pilates, Massage. . Call us at 480-394-0440 or email us at info@stretchtowin.com for an appointment or go to our website at www.stretchtowin.com.

The Stretch to Win Institute trains professionals in Fascial Stretch Therapy, a manually performed, table-based complete system that stands alone as a new service or integrates perfectly with your current services.

Go to http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute, call 480-394-9121 bor email us at info@stretchtowin.comfor more information.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/StretchToWinInstitute

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

LinkedIn: http://LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

In most cultures outside of Western ones, one may still see elderly people being able to squat. It appears that they were impervious to the hip and knee arthritis that plagues everyone else, not to mention hip replacement surgery.

What can we do to prevent us or our clients from losing the squat? What can be done for fit people to improve their squat? In this post, we will focus on the foot and ankle, working from the ground up, saving knees, hips, low back and the upper body for future posts.

Foot and ankle

By far, the most common limitation to the squat in today’s world of people that mostly work at desktops, is at the ankle. But let’s start with foot wear: most shoes, even for males, have a heel. We weren’t born with an elevated heel, which puts the foot into what professionals call ‘plantar-flexion’. This fixed position tends to shift the whole body forward onto the ball of the foot, the more so with higher heels. Besides increasing pressure into the joints of the ball of the foot, called ‘metarsal-phalangeal joints’, the entire back of the body from the plantar fascia on up through the
legs, hips, back and neck increase in tone and tension. And people wonder why they get knots in their muscles… .

Fortunately there has been a small, but growing movement away from heels, in dress and athletic shoes but for most people, this has been a lifetime issue therefore the body does not simple accept going barefoot all day without you knowing about it. The reason is all the compensations that have occurred over a long period of time. Compensations, like developing an anterior pelvic tilt, work for the short term to bring the body back to an acceptable alignment to deal with gravity and the mechanical forces of life. However, compensations become their own problems, as joints get mal-aligned and muscles get functional imbalances. The good news is, these compensations can be removed with Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST).

Fascial Stretch Therapy and the Ankle

The most common problem for trainers and therapists when assessing someone’s squat, is decreased dorsiflexion (or reduced bending to lower the body). Most often to blame is one of the muscles in the calf called the ‘soleus‘. Unlike its fraternal twin, the gastrocnemius, it only crosses over one joint, at the ankle. So it gets the blame for being tight and adhesed, locking the ankle and preventing a smooth, deep squat.

Recent evidence in dissection studies by Carla Stecco, MD show that the fascia of the lower leg is not only the most resistant to stretch, but also has criss-crossing patterns of spiraling connective tissue pathways that demand much more movement than just a traditional calf and achilles
stretch. Even the stretches specifically targeting the lateral (outside) and the medial (inside) soleus are not enough to get the full range of motion that traps the flexibility and strength potential in the ankles. One big reason is that traditional stretches do not decompress the joint and release impingment.

In FST, we use a weight bearing/closed kinetic chain method of assisted stretch that creates traction/decompression and widening at the talo-crural (ankle) joint, while simultaneously accesses the spiraling lines of fascia previously mentioned. In the process, any hypomobility of the fibula at the knee and/or ankle is also corrected. Additionally, lack of talus glide posteriorly is corrected as well. The result is a full range of motion perfect squat in just one treatment, if the restriction was relegated to lack of ankle dorsiflexion mobility.

By Chris Frederick, PT, KMI Certified Structural Integrator, co-founder of Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST)

* * *

Part 2 in this series of ‘FST helps you Squat’ will take us to the knee, a joint more complex than the simple hinge that it appears to be.

——————————————————————————————————————

The Stretch to Win Center in Phoenix (Tempe), Arizona is the world headquarters for Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions for clients and patients. We also offer Physical Therapy, Structural Integration, Pilates, Massage. . Call us at 480-394-0440 or email us at info@stretchtowin.com for an appointment or go to our website at www.stretchtowin.com.

The Stretch to Win Institute trains professionals in Fascial Stretch Therapy, a manually performed, table-based complete system that stands alone as a new service or integrates perfectly with your current services. Go to http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute, call 480-394-9121 bor email us at info@stretchtowin.com for more information.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/StretchToWinInstitute

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

LinkedIn: http://LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

Running as exercise is easy, inexpensive and convenient & for millions of people, it’s their primary form of staying in shape – physically & mentally.

Not so for endurance runner Laurie (fictitious name, real person), my new patient who came in last week to see me for help. She was frustrated, desperate & depressed after getting many treatments from many well intentioned professionals but NO RELIEF. She had chiropractic, ART (active release technique), prolotherapy by a naturopath, and physical therapy 3x per week for 12 weeks and NO CHANGE! I’m a PT so it made me sad then angry to hear that my colleagues just made her exercise–NO HANDS ON manual therapy except for stretching that was painful & ineffective. This, despite the fact that Laurie told me she practically begged them to dig deep in her pelivis above the hips where she felt “it just needs that”.

She quit PT because they said “until you can do 100 clams on each side, you cannot run” (clams are done in sidelying, feet together then separate knees to strengthen glutes & hip external rotators) because her glutes weren’t getting any stronger no matter how many glute exercises she did with them.

Then she went to a professional sports team orthopedist who diagnosed her with: 1) Iliopsoas impingement anterior right hip, 2) Congenital/developmental dysplasia of the hip, 3) Labral tear left hip. Her treatment was Kenalog(triamcinolone) injections (basically steroids) & she was told to give up endurance running for good. STILL NO RELIEF after 1 1/2 years of suffering & now her hope to return to the only sport she has a passion for was taken away! Need less to say, she was skeptical when she saw me last week (but still a little hopeful).

Her past medical history is significant for: no menstruation for 8 months, stress fracture right hip 5 yrs ago (doctor told her that this was caused by years of running on a treadmill so was ordered never to do this activity again), orthotics for many years (Runners World analyzed her on video running in her old shoes & said that her running shoes were wrong & “over-corrected” her foot, as she wasn’t a pronator; they refitted her to a guided neutral shoe 2 days previous, which she said now caused a new hip impingment pain on both sides. I asked her if they looked at video of her running in her new shoes & she said no, they didn’t do that, which made no sense to me). 

Here are the significant general findings seen on her first visit:

- 1/4″ short left leg

- inflare bilateral innominates (lay-person: pelvis was “locked”)

- gait: athletic, with reduced sway, increased stride, no pelvic motion (all in hips)

- extremely tight hip flexors, especially the high fibers of her right > left iliopsoas; tight quadratus lumborum on left  

- weak gluteus medius both legs

I evened out her legs with Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST), then performed deep fascial manipulation using Kinesis Myofascial (Structural) Integration to release the adhesions that had formed from compensations over the years, especially in the left low back and both hip flexors. Followed this with more FST, glute strengthening and gait training to reduce stride and increase sway. I gave her the following home program: 1) self -massage, 2) stretch, 3) strengthen, 4) walk to maintain the changes that happened after treatment. Laurie, holding back tears, gave me a big, long hug & told me “that is exactly what I asked others to do–dig in deep in my pelvis & hips but they didn’t listen, they didn’t get it”.

Her gait was much improved, as Laurie exclaimed “I feel actual space in my hips, no impingement!” Her demeanor soften, there was a warm glow in her face & a smile that made me feel blessed with the work I am permitted to do for others. Now she ain’t running yet, but she hasn’t felt this good in a very long time, so I feel confident that we are laying a new foundation for proper structural alignment so that her hips will not prematurely wear & thin out her cartilage, with lengthened hip flexors and stable, strong glutes.

By Chris Frederick, PT, KMI Certified Structural Integrator

The Stretch to Win Center in Phoenix (Tempe), Arizona is the world headquarters for Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions for clients and patients. We also offer Physical Therapy, Structural Integration, Pilates, Massage and Hypnotherapy. Call us at 480-394-0440 or email Barbara at barbara@stretchtowin.com for an appointment or go to our website at www.stretchtowin.com.

The Stretch to Win Institute trains professionals in Fascial Stretch Therapy, a manually performed, table-based complete system that stands alone as a new service or integrates perfectly with your current services. Go to http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute, call 480-394-9121 or email us at info@stretchtowin.com for more information.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/StretchToWinInstitute 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

 LinkedIn: http://LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

In this video, Kevin tells us how Fascial Stretch Therapy helped transform a potential disaster on Day 2 of Ultraman when his body simply locked up right before he had to run a DOUBLE-MARATHON!

Cathy Walker, his Fascial Stretch Therapist and a graduate student of mine from the Stretch to Win Institute conducts this fascinating interview with a super athlete who inspires all of us to achieve goals if we put our mind to it. Enjoy!

By Chris Frederick, PT, KMI Certified Structural Integrator, ‘Creators of Fascial Stretch Therapy™’

www.StretchToWin.com 

The Stretch to Win Center in Phoenix (Tempe), Arizona is the world headquarters for Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions for clients and patients. We also offer Physical Therapy, Structural Integration, Pilates, Massage and Hypnotherapy. Call us at 480-394-0440  or email Barbara at barbara@stretchtowin.com for an appointment or go to our website at www.stretchtowin.com.

The Stretch to Win Institute trains professionals in Fascial Stretch Therapy, a manually performed, table-based complete system that stands alone as a new service or integrates perfectly with your current services. Go to http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute, call 480-394-9121 or email us at info@stretchtowin.com for more information.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/StretchToWinInstitute 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

 LinkedIn: http://LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

For those of you not impressed by those distances and times, an Ultra-triathlon event (yeah, sexist terms abound) requires even longer distances than in the Ironman. With that, I now introduce Kevin Cutjar, the ONLY man to win BOTH the Ironman Hawaii event and Ultraman Canada! Ultraman Canada is limited to 40 solo participants, is by invitation only and is a 3-day, 318.6 mile (512.6 kilometer) triathlon of epic proportions:

Stage 1 – 6.2 mile (10.0 km) swim followed by 90.0 mile (144.8 km) bike ride.

Stage 2 – 170 mile (273.5 km) bike ride.

Stage 3 – 52.4 mile (84.3 km) double-marathon run.

Time Limits – Swim (Stage 1) must be completed in 6 hours plus bike in 12 hours total, bike (Stage 2) in 12 hours, run (Stage 3) in 12 hours.

In my interview with Kevin and his equally remarkable Fascial Stretch Therapist, Cathy Walker (a student trained by Ann and Chris Frederick), we find out how Fascial Stretch Therapy was a unique deciding factor in helping Kevin become a champion athlete.

[NOTE: I could not edit out a slight echo when my guests speak in this video, so apologies for that. Just listen, watch the speakers lips, pay attention to the spoken word & not the echo & it should still work fine. Thank you.]

Fascial Stretch Therapy Helps Only Man to Win Both Ironman Hawaii & Ultraman Canada from Stretch to Win on Vimeo.

The Stretch to Win Center in Phoenix (Tempe), Arizona is the world headquarters for Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions for clients and patients. We also offer Physical Therapy, Structural Integration, Pilates, Massage and Hypnotherapy. Call us at 480-394-0440 or email Barbara at barbara@stretchtowin.com for an appointment or go to our website at www.stretchtowin.com.

The Stretch to Win Institute trains professionals in Fascial Stretch Therapy, a manually performed, table-based complete system that stands alone as a new service or integrates perfectly with your current services. Go to http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute, call 480-394-9121 or email us at info@stretchtowin.com for more information.

Today, Pilates is a billion dollar industry and a name whose original meaning has perhaps been lost, as lots of different schools with different takes on ‘The Method’, as Pilates was originally called, evolved to train and certify instructors. The public doesn’t know the difference and thinks if they go to a private session or group class called Pilates, then that’s what it is and they expect the results that they may have heard or read about.

In this video, our Pilates instructor, Crystal Bartos, explains a little about what makes her Pilates class different, unique and better than what is commonly offered in generic Pilates sessions and classes. Crystal custom designs the session for YOUR individual body and mind and goals. 

Examples of this are:

• Young athletes/dancers/students: increased core strength & flexibility eliminates ‘growing’ pains and reduces injuries.
• Pregnancy: improves strength and flexibility for an easier pregnancy, birth and post-partum recovery.
• Professional athletes: fine tunes core strength, balance & coordination way different than your coach.
• Middle age: slows down aging of joints & muscles by maintaining space & alignment, avoiding compression & staying tall.
• Elderly: gently, safely & effectively helps osteopenia & osteoporosis; Crystal has advanced training and certification to help this population.

In the video below, Chris Frederick interviews Crystal to help you be informed about what makes Pilates different at the Stretch to Win Center in Tempe (Phoenix), Arizona.

By Chris Frederick, PT, KMI Certified in Structural Integration

Center: http://www.stretchtowin.com/

Courses: http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute

http://budurl.com/STWIFacebook

http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

Answer From the Stretch To Win Center: 

We often get asked by people who know about Yoga, what’s the difference between that and Fascial Stretch Therapy since they both involved stretching, so let’s set the record straight. 

Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) is an assisted manual stretch therapy technique that “The Stretch Lady” Ann Frederick created in 1995, that was further developed together with Chris Frederick, PT into a unique system performed with a client comfortably secured to a table. FST focuses on elongating, re-aligning and balancing the connective tissues of the body. The rapid and pain-free results occur within one session and not only improves flexibility but also strength, balance, coordination, body awareness and posture.

It is a fact that when you try to stretch yourself, you will never be able to relax enough or target specific areas optimally enough compared to a Certified Fascial Stretch Therapist working with you.  

Instead of having a person try to treat themselves by taking yoga, FST is performed by certified therapists working on clients and patients to help them achieve their specific fitness or medical goals of reducing pain and increasing mobility after a thorough evaluation.

The client is given a specific progressive home stretch program that focuses on the fascia to maintain the positive changes and benefits gained from an FST session with a stretch therapist.

*  *  *

To contact us:

Center: www.StretchToWin.com

Courses at our Institute: www.stwinstitute.com

 To follow or network with us:

http://budurl.com/STWIFacebook

http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

http://www.linkedin.com/in/annfrederickstretchtowin

Exactly 1 week prior to Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009) the Stretch to Win Super Bowl team arrived on the AZ Cardinals private jet in Tampa Bay, Florida. Team captains, Ann and Chris Frederick, directors of the Stretch to Win Center in Tempe, AZ put together a star-studded cast of the best who had all worked together the entire season to keep the Cardinals underdogs still in the game. In addition to Ann and Chris who provided Fascial Stretch Therapy, Structural Integration, Cold Laser and Kinesiotaping, we had 2 amazing chiropractors (one was also an acupuncturist, ART and Graston provider), a deep tissue massage therapist and a sports naturopathic physician, who provided individualized IV therapy, PRP and prolotherapy.

Well the team was back in full force yesterday at the Stretch to Win Center, getting the Cardinals ready for tomorrow night’s first season football game with the St. Louis Rams! Ann’s large treatment room was packed with big men on IVs, one on the table getting Fascial Stretch Therapy and the others watching MTV and ESPN on the big plasma screen while munching on Aussie bites and bananas.

Athletes like our Cardinals clients know the importance of coming to Stretch to Win to keep them performing and recovering optimally. Non-athletes also get out of balance structurally which can lead to pain, weakness and a whole host of medical conditions like low back pain that are completely preventable or treatable without medication. Come see us if you are in Arizona or go to our home page to receive our free guide to Fascial Stretch Therapy at www.StretchToWin.com.

P.S. We miss you Kurt Warner!

By Chris Frederick, PT

Center: http://www.stretchtowin.com/

Courses: http://www.stretchtowin.com/stretchtowininstitute

http://budurl.com/STWIFacebook

http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin

Ok, Ok, of course his genes have something to do with it too!

Just recently announced, Darnell Dockett, a Stretch to Win Center client who is #90 on the Arizona Cardinals football team, received a 4 yr contract extension of $48 mil and $30 mil guaranteed. Ann and myself have worked on Dockett using Fascial Stretch Therapy and fascial manipulation techniques ever since he came in as a rookie 7 years ago. We also had the amazing experience of going to Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1, 2009 with Darnell Dockett and the Cardinals. Of course, we also worked with him and the team this summer at camp in Flagstaff, where we have gone for the last 15 seasons to help players get through those extra stressful training periods.

Many of our clients ask us, why do professional football players and other athletes come to see you when they supposedly have the best training facility and best staff taking care of them for free? Well, the Cardinals staff of 4 athletic trainers and 1 physical therapist does a great job with what they are able to do but they are out-manned with 53 players on the roster needing almost daily care of some sort. So the players are willing to pay out of pocket so they can have more private time with therapists off-site to help them recover faster and play better.

Such is the case with Darnell Dockett, who has some of the thickest legs you will ever see in the NFL! Despite this, his power and speed are incredible at 290 lbs and his flexibility is off the charts. So it is this combination of traits, along with the right genes and hard work that have made 2 time Pro Bowler Dockett, what he is today. Fascial Stretch Therapy, creation of Ann and Chris Frederick, PT not only keeps Darnell Dockett flexible but actually increases his power and strength. This is because athletes, like everyone else, get structurally out of balance, with some muscles actually becoming more dominant while they simultaneously inhibit others. While athletes are even better than us at masking this and still play at a high level, over time, this imbalance will inevitably lead to injury, in many cases ending careers. Ask Dockett and he will tell you that we have helped extend his career (the average NFL career is only 2.6 years) and therefore his contract!

While athletes get out of balance with over-training and extreme training, the rest of us can get out of balance from under-training or from not training at all. Too much activity is just as toxic to the body as is too little (and there is no magic number of hours or parameters, as activity tolerance is highly individual specific) but to start training without getting a structural check is risky too. A doctors physical is only one type of check and a very poor one when it comes to assessing you for proper strength, flexibility, and structural analysis. If you’re living in or visiting Arizona, stop in for a proper and complete evaluation and assessment by our physical therapist, Chris Frederick, PT so we can help you reach your goals faster and more completely.

Center: http://www.StretchToWin.com
Courses: http://www.stwinstitute.com

http://budurl.com/STWIFacebook
http://twitter.com/ChrisAndAnn

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/chrisfrederickstretchtowin