Stretchtopia

10/24/2025

Welcome to Beyondrecovery! Come and take a look around

10/29/2024

Stretchtopia is now at a new location. Come and try it out for yourselves and see if you could benefit from my style of bodywork, corrective exercise and deep tissue and active release therapy.

Message for more info.

07/19/2023

The IT (Iliotibial) band is a thick band of fascia that runs along the outside of the thigh, from the hip to just below the knee. It plays a crucial role in stabilizing the knee joint during movement. When the IT band becomes tight or inflamed, it can lead to a condition known as IT band syndrome.

The primary movement that can cause the IT band to stiffen and contribute to IT band syndrome is repetitive bending and straightening of the knee, particularly during activities like walking or running. Specifically, the position of the leg during the stance phase of walking can be a factor. The stance phase is when the foot is in contact with the ground.

The typical leg position during walking that can cause the IT band to stiffen is when the foot strikes the ground with the foot turned excessively inward (also known as overpronation) or when the foot lands too far across the midline of the body. In this position, the leg and knee tend to roll inward, causing the IT band to rub against the outside of the femur bone. Over time, this repetitive friction and compression can lead to inflammation and pain along the IT band.

Factors that can contribute to this faulty leg position and IT band stiffness during walking include:

1. **Weak hip muscles**: Weakness in the muscles around the hip, especially the gluteus medius, can lead to poor control of the leg and increased inward rolling of the knee during walking.

2. **Tight muscles**: Tightness in the muscles around the hip and thigh, such as the hip flexors, quadriceps, and tensor fasciae latae (TFL), can pull the leg into a position that stresses the IT band.

3. **Improper footwear**: Wearing shoes that do not provide adequate support and stability can affect the alignment of the foot and contribute to overpronation.

4. **Overtraining or sudden increase in activity**: Engaging in excessive or intense physical activity without proper conditioning can put extra stress on the IT band.

To prevent IT band stiffness and reduce the risk of IT band syndrome, individuals can take the following measures:

- **Proper warm-up**: Always warm up before engaging in physical activity to prepare your muscles for movement.

- **Strength training**: Incorporate exercises that target the hip muscles, such as glute bridges, lateral leg raises, and clamshells, to improve hip stability.

- **Stretching**: Regularly stretch the hip and thigh muscles to maintain flexibility and reduce tension.

- **Appropriate footwear**: Wear shoes that provide good support and are suitable for your foot type and gait.

- **Gradual training progression**: Increase the intensity and duration of physical activity gradually to allow your body to adapt.

If you are experiencing IT band stiffness or pain, it is essential to consult with a healthcare professional or physical therapist for a proper evaluation and personalized treatment plan. They can help identify any contributing factors and recommend specific exercises and interventions to address the issue.

04/12/2023

A video for those who always have tight hamstrings

Stretching your tight hamstrings is only a short term fix. For a long term and more permanent solution we have to loosen the hamstrings using a combination o...

04/04/2023

https://youtu.be/01LbcCDTwF4

I've never been convinced that stretching was important. That is...until now. Why? One word: Fascia.Try Olipop today! Use code KIANA to get 15% OFF your Va...

04/04/2023

https://youtu.be/g1pb2aK2we4

Dig into the science of stretching, and find out what it actually does to your muscles and how you can improve your flexibility.--An athlete is preparing for...

03/30/2023

STRETCHING REIMAGINED

Stretching has been around for a long time but, not everyone knows the true benefits it can bring to one’s life. It has always been an option, an after thought, I don’t have the time or it’s just to painful because nobody showed you how.

Well what if I was that person and I stand here today and swear by it as a lifestyle and something that should be as much of your routine as shopping for food or training at the gym. Stretching has come so far from what it was taught, as to what it can now be. Stretching can heal…yes, it can heal your body so well that you can eliminate aches and pains, prevent surgeries, increase athletic performance and keep you so fit you could be more flexible than people half your age.

Your muscles get used everyday, your body gets used everyday and if that was any other moving part or machine, it would need to be fixed or maintained, yet how often do you stretch?

Stretching can change your life in was you probably never thought possible, and with proper techniques and ex*****on, your body will be in your control and not limited by pain, stiffness, improper balance. While most of all improve your happiness.

03/30/2023

Migraines No More…

I met one lady, she came to me with stiff upper shoulders and neck and mentioned she was always having migraines. So I got to work and found that she carried most of her stress in her shoulders, this cause lots of inflamation around the nerves in that area.

I got to work on releasing the muscles in the neck and shoulders. After that I explained to her what was happening subconsciously when she got stressed. She was not aware that she was carrying that much stress in her life in just those areas of her body.

After stretching these areas and giving her some breathing techniques and strengthening exercises, the next 2 weeks went by and she came back and told me since our last session she hasn’t had any more migraines since. Just amazing news to hear.

03/30/2023

Shin Splints No Sprints

I met a man who loved to run long distance, he had been training for a long time and was finding it very hard due to his shins aching after just a short while of running. This had been going on for sometime and was impacting his life in a big way.

So I looked at the relationship of the foot, ankles and knees in correlation to his stance, I noticed when he stood his feet turned outwards from his knees causing his ankles to take a different path of direction upon movment while walking and running. When I asked him to bring his knee directly over his toes keeping his heels on the ground, he found this very difficult due to the limited range of the ankle joint.

Right time to work, firstly I worked on releasing the Calfs and improving his ankle flexibility, then we got him to work on straight directional movements bringing his knee forward over his toes without compensating with angles. Within a few sessions and him doing the exercises at home, he currently no longer has shin splints and has improved his 5mile run time by a whooping 2min.

Amazing

03/16/2023

Muscular imbalances in the kinetic chain can cause various problems for the body. However by stretching and strengthening the right muscles we can undo most of the problems associated with these bad relationships.