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Active Isolated Stretching Principles Demonstrated by Bruce Baltz

A licensed massage therapist demonstrates Active Isolated Stretching on a massage table. The client actively contracts the opposite muscle while the therapist supports the limb and adds a little extra range at the end. He stretches the calf at several foot angles before moving on to the hamstrings.

Active Isolated Stretching Principles Demonstrated by Bruce Baltz · OakworksInc · YouTube

Length6:07
RatingClarity 4/5 · Credibility 4/5 · Relevance 3/5
Licensed massage therapist and educator. Teaches Active Isolated Stretching, a branded method that is close to, but not the same as, the library's active-assisted stretch.
Coverstechniques/active-assisted-stretching · muscles/gastrocnemius · muscles/hamstrings
Watchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIrFleIRg4c

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Introduction
  2. 0:48 Active Isolated Stretching Principles
  3. 2:33 Lower Body Stretching
  4. 3:06 Hamstring Stretching

Key points

  • {‘The client does the work’: ‘they contract the opposing muscle (for example, pulling the toes up to stretch the calf) and the therapist only assists at the end of range.’}
  • Each stretch is held for only about two seconds, then released and repeated, often around ten times.
  • Turning the foot in or out changes which part of the calf is stretched.
  • The calf is stretched before the hamstrings, because a tight calf limits a straight-leg raise.

Cautions

  • Active Isolated Stretching is a specific system with very short holds. Follow the library note for the basic Cert IV-level method.
  • The explanations of blood and oxygen flow are the presenter’s own and are not backed by evidence in the video.
  • Filmed partly as a demonstration of a brand of massage table.