Fascial Counterstrain
The origin of fascial counterstrain began with an Oregon osteopath, Dr. Lawrence Jones, in 1955. He discovered that when a painful or inflamed tissue is put into a position of ease, shortening that tissue, the pain would resolve and the inflammation would decrease. More recently an osteopathic physical therapist, Brian Tuckey, trained and certified by Dr. Jones, began mapping out on the cranium areas of dural tension that relate consistently to tender points on the body which indicate tension on a tissue in that area. It could be muscle, ligament, bone, blood vessel, or nerve. Directly slackening that tissue resolves the tension on the corresponding spot on the cranium and the tender point on the body, the normal flow of blood and lymph is restored, the inflammation clears, range of motion is restored, and the pain resolves. This system is used to treat chronic conditions and pain. Examples include musculoskeletal conditions throughout the body, trauma (emotional or physical), digestive dysfunctions, headaches, poor immune function, post-Covid sequelae, arterial diseases and peripheral neuropathy, fibromyalgia, edema, scar tension, postural abnormalities, dizziness and tinnitis.
The treatment is gentle and relaxing, painless and enjoyable. After even one or two treatments patients find lasting improvement in conditions they have tolerated over time. With more treatment deeper health issues can be addressed. The combination of acupuncture and counterstrain together is sublime and extremely effective.
Brian Tuckey's research culminated in an article appearing in Frontiers of Pain Research in 2021. This article has been the most often downloaded and cited research article to appear in this journal. For a thorough understanding of impaired lymphatic drainage and interstitial inflammatory stasis, his article may be found here: https://frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/f.pain.2021.691750/full