The ancient Greek and Biblical proverb, “Physician heal thyself“, summarizes the development of, and the thought process(es) that have come to define Stretch Therapy™ and microStretching®. Following a motor vehicle accident suffered years ago (Jan. 25th, 1989), that resulted in a neck spinal fusion at C5 – C6 (1992), the need to relieve myself of the pain as well as maintain normal range of motion post surgery was paramount. Pain is not only a great teacher but a very complex experience involving learning at both a sensory and a reactive dimension, with the former being the severity of the pain, and the latter being the degree to which pain interferes with a person’s function and quality of life (1)
The severity of the pain drove my urgency and energy to seek a method for interrupting but more importantly facilitating a gradual and gentle change in the sensation of pain, with the operative words being both “gradual” and “gentle“. Although pharmacotherapy was and continues to be a primary means available for modulating the sensation of pain, my personal experience prior to surgery biased their use and questioned their validity as the primary means of alleviating pain. Years prior to my operation, and months following my motor vehicle accident, I trained at a very high level as a track cyclist, with the aspirations to compete at an Olympics. This drive and passion was fueled by the copious oral use of diclofenac (Voltaren). This became my new “LIFE SAVERS” candy, no pun intended. The reduction in pain and inflammation made it possible to train consistently, and at a high level. However, it also masked the pain associated with a bulging disc at C5-C6. Eventually the disc bulge triumphed, and instead of showcasing at an Olympic Games, I was the lone star at a surgical theatre.
Following surgery, I was fitted with a cervical spine immobilizer, that I needed to wear when vertical for 6 – 8 weeks. This immobilizer ensured that the small piece of bone removed from my right hip, and placed between C5 – C6, would mesh and ossify fully with the vertebrae forming a single unit, since the disc at C5 was completely removed. After 6 – 8 weeks I started rehab, and it was during this time period that I revisited my concept of Stretch Therapy™ and microStretching® that I developed in the mid 1980s.
As mentioned previously, the quality of pain is determined by the properties of a stimulus: in particular its intensity, duration, frequency, and volume. These attributes in conjunction with the two principles 1) Body (stretch) Position (SBC™) and 2) Stretch Sequencing (SS), have become the pillars and foundation of the microStretching® system.
With human regenerative powers having limits, as witnessed by the presence of scar tissue, diminished mobility, and weakened function(2), therapeutic interventions and applications should consist of methods stimulating the body’s regenerative capacity, while modulating and resolving the inflammatory response (3).
To create a better understanding of the influence of an injury or training on the body, one needs to refer to the same attributes of training, intensity, duration, frequency, and volume. These are key for the development of an approach focused on alleviating or modifying the influence of an external stimulus (pain, injury, etc.) ensuring the proper recovery, regeneration, and adaptation of the body. Although generating the right provocation is important during therapy and during the proper recovery and regeneration protocol following training, ‘one glove does not fit all’, for perception of a stimulus and the ensuing response(s) and duration is a unique process (4), with the amount of change needed depending on the initial intensity of the stimulus (5). For instance, an individual learns about the perception of the word ‘pain’ through their own experience (6). Therefore, a proper response to a stimulus is creating contrasting properties consisting of a minimum stimulation needed for detection of the intensity of a stimulus, in conjunction with duration, frequency, and volume. This was my Eureka moment and the foundation of Stretch Therapy™ and the practice of microStretching®.