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.