By Sharon Truelove
The challenges of avoiding injury in the process of stretching a client that may be twice my size motivated me to find and use techniques that protect myself, and also create a feeling of safety and security for my client and still give my client a thorough stretch.
Many years ago, I read a fascinating article about using sheets to help stretch and do range of motion on clients. I tried the techniques and loved them. They took the effort out of stretching my client and also allowed me to give them a much better stretch. Since then I’ve expanded this method for use on various body areas. I want to share some of my most used stretches using this wonderful technique.
First you will need a length of material about 60” in length and approximately 36” wide
- Muslin purchased from a fabric store with the raw edges hemmed works very well
Torso Twist
Take the muslin and fold in half twice length-wise
- Have your client lie supine on the massage table
- Stand on the client’s right side
- Anchor one end of the muslin between your thigh and the table’s edge
- Ask the client to arch their back
- Push the other end of the folded muslin under the client pulling it through until it is tight
- Ask the client to put their left arm across their chest
- Support and pull their left shoulder up with your left hand
- With your right hand pull the muslin on the client’s left side up to and under their left shoulder
- Gently lower you client’s shoulder onto the muslin
- With the loose end of the muslin cradle their left shoulder
- Have the client bend their right knee and put the right foot on the outside of their left leg
- Make sure there is not slack in the length of muslin by wrapping the length through your left fist (and if need be, wrap the remaining length around your left wrist and back through the same fist)
- Make sure you are firmly grounded in your body mechanics
- Have the client take a deep breath and release it as you smoothly pull the cradled shoulder toward you with the fisted muslin while holding the client’s right knee in place
- Hold for at least 20 seconds
- Repeat on the other side
Hamstring Stretch
- Fold the muslin as for the Torso Twist
- Client is supine on the table
- Stand facing the head of the table on the client’s right side
- Gently reach under the medial side of the client’s right knee with your right arm lift and cradle the leg while passing a muslin end under their leg with your left hand pulling it through about half way
- Lay the client’s right leg down
- Holding both ends of the muslin together, gently pull till there is no slack
- proceed to the head of the table and face the foot of the table
- Put yourself in a lunge position and have the client take a deep breath and release it as you smoothly pull the cradled leg toward the top of their head and right shoulder
- Hold for at least 20 seconds
- Repeat on the other side.
Piriformis Stretch
- Fold the muslin as for the Torso Twist
- Client is supine on the table
- Stand facing the head of the table on the client’s right side
- Gently reach under the medial side of the client’s right knee and with your right arm lift and cradle the leg
- place the arch of their right foot on your right shoulder
- pass the muslin end under the lifted leg with your left hand pulling it through about half way with the right hand
- Pull both ends of the muslin together around the client’s right ankle
- gently pull till there is no slack
- proceed to the head of the table and face the foot of the table
- Put yourself in a lunge position and have the client take a deep breath and release it as you smoothly pull the cradled ankle toward the top of their left shoulder on a plane parallel with the floor
- Hold for at least 20 seconds
- Repeat on the other side
Please share these stretches with your friends and family…….watch them try to offer themselves as guinea pigs!
Let us know your thoughts as you try the stretches above and see for yourself how easy they are. It truly takes the ’hard’ work out of stretching your client.