The practice offers unique benefits and is growing fast A relative newcomer to the health and fitness scene is already making waves, thanks to its permanent solutions to people's physical problems. Although it has yet to go professional in Hong Kong, stretch therapy's unique benefits and diverse range of beneficiaries means that its practitioners can enjoy booming business in years to come. Ho Sik-hon, director of Basic Massage.Stretch, said the difference between stretch therapy and other therapies such as physiotherapy and massage therapy was sometimes blurred. 'In my philosophy, massage and stretch therapy should involve an in-depth understanding of human anatomy, human physiology and pathology, which is pretty much the same as physiotherapy,' Mr Ho said. However, he said while medical professionals were responsible for dealing with clinical conditions, both massage and stretch therapists should excel in tackling pre- and post-clinical care and the prevention of injury and re-injury. Mr Ho said practitioners should ideally obtain both massage and stretching skills, as these worked best together. 'While stretching can elongate tensed muscles and enable muscles to work [at their] optimum length, massage can alleviate muscle tension and tone the muscles [at their] optimum working condition,' he said. Another difference between the role of a stretch therapist and that of masseur is that the former follows a process that takes time and incorporates several stages of treatment. 'Over that time, we try to create a permanent solution for the person's problem, [whereas] a massage is often viewed as a temporary reliever,' said Daniel Vart, stretch therapist at Physiocentral in Central. 'The main difference between stretch therapy and all forms of massage is that we affect the length of the soft tissue and decompress the joints in order to reduce symptoms,' Mr Vart said. He said clients using stretch therapists' services were extremely diverse, ranging from professionals such as doctors, pilots and bankers to frequent travellers, professional and amateur sportspeople, children and pregnant women. Some clients are referred directly by physiotherapists. 'During the middle of the day, we have many ladies of leisure looking to improve their posture and flexibility, while at weekends, 50 per cent of our clients are golfers preparing themselves for their upcoming game,' said Chris Watts, head therapist at Stretch Asia, whose clients mainly consist of corporate finance personnel. Despite a broad client range, Hong Kong has very few stretch therapists, which means that practitioners enjoy a niche in the market. 'There are very few of us, so I feel that the opportunities to expand and develop are vast,' Mr Vart said. 'There are more deadlines, with less work-life balance, and therefore some great opportunities to move our services inside big corporate offices,' said Mr Watts, adding that the business environment in Hong Kong was as good as it had ever been for body work of all types. 'We are talking closely with several big financial houses, as I do corporate workshops on health and well-being and 'stretch your office' sessions, and these events are becoming more popular,' he said. Despite a surge in interest, the profession is not without its challenges, one of which is creating an identity. Mr Vart said limited awareness of the therapy meant that it was still bracketed with yoga, Pilates and other types of alternative therapy. Mr Ho said one answer would be to earn the public trust and confidence by going professional, and establishing a formal registration system for stretch therapy. 'While there are not any recognised training programmes in Hong Kong, all 'therapists' can work without any licences or registration, and massage and stretch have yet to be recognised as a form of treatment,' Mr Ho said. Therapists can get training overseas, usually in the United States, Britain or in the European Union, where registration systems are offered. As a result, would-be practitioners take part in in-house training programmes, internships or train under top-notch specialists such as Aaron Mattes, the inventor of Active Isolated Stretching. Mr Watts teaches internships of up to three months that give people a taste of what it's like to work in the profession. Mr Ho, who also provides training and placements facilitated by physiotherapists and medical doctors, said: 'The training consists of lectures on anatomy, physiology and pathology, and 500 plus hours of hands-on placement.' With training and experience up their sleeves, new stretch therapists had plenty of career prospects within this growing market, and should not find attracting clientele a problem, he added. Mr Vart explained: 'There are very few players in the industry at the present time; it's a case of being a big fish in a small pond and, with increased awareness, the pond could grow.' Key players Physiotherapist Osteopath sports scientist Neuromuscular therapist Pilates practitioner Occupational therapist Jargon Thoracic kyphosis outward curvature of the thoracic section of the spine which is often caused by a forward head position and/or forward weight bearing Anterior pelvic rotation a forward and downward rotation of the pelvis, caused by excessive or prolonged hip flexion due to too much sitting down, leading to shortened hip flexors and quadriceps Torque a lateral rotation or twist in the pelvic region often caused by hip rotator imbalances Scoliosis an 'S' curvature of the spine usually caused by muscle imbalances (can be hereditary) Lumbar lordosis inward curvature of one of the lower sections of the spine often caused by core weaknesses and/or anterior pelvic rotation Scapular flare upward and lateral positioning of the shoulder blades, often caused by tension through the muscles of the chest and neck and weakness through the muscles in between the shoulder blades