Massage.
TechniqueneuromuscularBeyond Cert IVDraft

Positional release

A gentle, indirect method where a tender point is monitored with a fingertip while the body part is moved into a comfortable, shortened position that eases the tenderness, held for about 90 seconds.

Purpose
  • Offer a very gentle, passive option when firm pressure or stretching is not welcome
  • Find a position of comfort that the client reports eases a tender point
  • Show how position alone can change what a client feels under light pressure
Pressure
1–3 / 10 · pressure scale
RhythmSlow and still. Find the position, hold for about 90 seconds, then return very slowly to neutral.
HandsOne fingertip lightly monitors the tender point; the other hand and your body support and position the limb
Cautions
  • The client must stay completely passive; you support the full weight of the limb.
  • Monitoring pressure is light, just enough to check the point, not a trigger point hold.
  • Return to neutral slowly. A quick return is the most common way to lose the effect.
  • Positions should always feel comfortable; stop if any position causes pain elsewhere.

Step by step

1 / 6
  1. 01 / 06
    Prone: a fingertip presses lightly on a tender point in the calf to set the baseline

    Find the tender point

    With the client prone, press lightly on the calf to find a tender spot. Ask the client to call its tenderness 10.

  2. 02 / 06

    Keep monitoring

    Keep one fingertip resting on the point with light pressure throughout. It is your gauge for the rest of the technique.

  3. 03 / 06
    Knee bent and foot pointed to shorten the calf until the tender point eases

    Find the position of ease

    Slowly bend the knee and point the foot, shortening the calf. Fine-tune the position until the client reports the tenderness at 3 or less.

  4. 04 / 06
    Position of ease held still while the monitoring finger stays on the point

    Hold

    Support the leg fully and hold still for about 90 seconds while the client relaxes and breathes. Keep the monitoring finger in place.

  5. 05 / 06

    Slow return

    Very slowly bring the leg back to neutral while the client stays completely relaxed.

  6. 06 / 06

    Recheck

    Press the point again with the same light pressure and ask for a new rating out of 10.

Common mistakes

  • Pressing hard on the tender point as if doing trigger point work.
  • Letting the client help move or hold the leg.
  • Not fine-tuning the position until the tenderness drops clearly.
  • Returning the leg to neutral quickly.

How it should feel

  • Giver: the tissue under your fingertip softens as you find the right position; the limb feels heavy and settled.
  • Receiver: the tender spot fades as the leg is placed; the hold feels restful and easy.

Self-check

Drills

This technique is beyond Cert IV scope and should be practised only after appropriate training. It is included here for awareness and future study.

Positional release is an umbrella term for indirect methods that place tissue in a comfortable, shortened position rather than stretching it. The best-known version is strain-counterstrain, developed by the osteopath Lawrence Jones. Practitioners have mapped many specific tender points and positions; this note uses the calf (Gastrocnemius and Soleus) only as a simple example.

It is the gentle opposite of Muscle energy technique, which works towards the restriction instead of away from it. Research on counterstrain is limited, so describe what the client reports (the tenderness easing) rather than claiming to fix anything.

Muscles

  • Gastrocnemius — Two-headed superficial calf muscle that runs from above the knee to the heel and points the foot and helps bend the knee.
  • Soleus — Broad, flat calf muscle lying under the gastrocnemius that points the foot and keeps the body from tipping forward when standing.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Counterstrain (Developed by osteopath Lawrence Jones in 1955; position minimises tenderness at the point, held for 90 seconds, then slow return to neutral.)
  2. StatPearls: Physiology, Counterstrain and Facilitated Positional Release (FPR) (Position of comfort reduces tenderness by at least 70%, held about 90 seconds while the practitioner monitors, then return to neutral and reassess.)