Kit Laughlin developed the posture & strength flexibility technique and courses at the Australian National University where they have been running for more than 20 years. It is a comprehensive system that includes stretching, strengthening, re-patterning, and relaxation. The core is the Contract-Relax approach (C-R) as a core. C-R is based on the method called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) or muscle energy techniques (MET)

The C-R approach has three stages:

• taking a limb into a stretch position and holding it there for 20 seconds or so (larger muscles are held for longer)

• gently pushing or pulling back against a suitable resistance using the muscle in which the stretch is felt

• on a deliberate breath out, re-stretching and holding that final position for 30 seconds or so (longer for larger muscles)

The C-R approach ensures that a deeper and longer-lasting stretch is attained, making P&F far more effective than simply stretching and holding a position.

Other key elements

Adding to the core principle of C-R, it evolved with input from Yoga, Pilates, dance, gymnastics and traditional Japanese exercise forms, as well as its own innovations:

• Using knowledge of anatomy to design many new stretches

• Incorporating results from work with athletes

• Adding partner poses to increase ease and effectiveness

• Adding partial poses to increase awareness of restrictions in the chain of muscles involved in a stretch

Safety and effectiveness

• Safety: all exercises have been subjected to a huge amount of testing by our teachers, therapists and students. Of the 100 standard exercise forms we use, we have probably rejected a similar number for failing this criterion.

• Effectiveness: all potential exercises are weighed against the criterion of efficiency. If two exercises are equally safe, the more effective one is selected.

DVD

The DVD contains 193 minutes of high-quality digital video --that is three-and-a-quarter hours of exercises!

Stretching & Flexibility is a comprehensive system that includes stretching, strengthening, re-patterning, and relaxation. Developed by Kit Laughlin, the core is the Contract-Relax approach (C-R) as a core. C-R is based on the method called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) or muscle energy techniques (MET).

Shot on location at the Posture & Flexibility headquarters at the Australian National University Sports and Recreation Association by Kit himself (he used to be a director with ABC TV), the program features all of Kit's senior teachers, and uses their dedicated studio and equipment.

The DVD will take you through all 96 exercises from Kit Laughlin's famous book Stretching & Flexibility.

The DVD features easy search menus to help you find an exercise quickly.

The program has a comprehensive set of instructions, both by voice and innovative visual 'cues' (key phrases and symbols), that appear on-screen during the presentation.

Arrows show you how to move, how to push or pull, and the pictures and sound are as clear as only professional-level digital video can be. The DVD includes:

• beginner's to advanced stretches, with variations
• many additional warm-ups and variations
• all Contract-Relax techniques demonstrated and explained
• all the new exercises developed by the team over the last five years
• exercises for all parts of the body, including hands and feet
• solo and partner version of all exercises

Recognising that many people with back pain will find it useful to see the exercises demonstrated 'live', this DVD will take you through the back exercises Kit presents in his book Overcome neck & back pain, and a number of new exercises, too.

Kit will take you through the whole range of back exercises developed in his clinic: upper, middle and lower back with specifics on: side bend, rotation, back bend, hip flexors, piriformis, quadriceps, quadratus lumborum, hamstring, lower abdominal, trunk rotations, and more.

It is no surprise, Kit says, that back problems are so common: many people hold tension in the muscles associated with the spine, caused by many different factors. Tension leads to pain and inefficient posture, which reinforce each other. Doing these exercises will bring you back into balance.

Running time: 69 mins.

This DVD will take you through all the neck and shoulder exercises Kit presents in the books Overcome neck & back pain and Stretching & Flexibility, with plenty of new exercises, too.

All exercises use the highly effective Contract-Relax (C-R) approach to increasing flexibility. Watch the most effective stretch for levator scapula, the culprit of neck pain. Other stretches includes: neck forward bend, side bend, flexion & rotation, extension, SCM, scalene, trapezius, pecs, suboccipitalis, splenius, rhomboids, latisiumus dorsi, biceps, rotator cuffs, and more.

It is no surprise, Kit says, that neck and shoulder problems are so common: these are the places where people hold the most tension. If not discharged, simple tension can lead to more serious musculo-skeletal problems in time.

Doing these exercises will also help you to identify any left-right muscular imbalances.

Running time: 54 mins.

RSI, or Repetitive Strain Injury (now called Occupational Overuse Syndrome), affects the muscles of the neck, shoulders, arms, forearms, and hands.

This DVD takes you through all the exercises Kit and his colleagues have found to be effective in both treating and preventing this common problem.

This DVD will show you the most effective ways to gently and safely stretch these areas. We have found that increasing the range of movement of these parts of the body, and reducing the tension held in the muscles controlling the movement of these joints is very effective in treating the problem, and will complement any other treatment. Includes Stretches for: scalene, pec major, pec minor, biceps, wrist flexion & extension, finger & thumbs, wrist rotation, aileron, brachialis and more.

Running time: 40 mins.

Books

The new edition is ALL NEW: text, illustrations, photographs, new exercises, and includes arm, shoulder and hand exercises.

This is the book that started a revolution in treating neck, middle and lower back problems, and a method that explicitly recognises the necessity of the patient being actively involved in the treatment. The book has been glowingly reviewed in all the peak medical journals as well as massage, shiatsu, chiropractic and complementary medical journals.

The Overcome neck & back pain system is used successfully by many practitioners around the country, including doctors, chiropractors and osteopaths, massage and other body work therapists: you will see one of our Certificates of Attendance on the wall of their clinics if they have done one of our intensive workshops.

The book Overcome neck & back pain (and associated DVDs) presents a comprehensive self-help exercise-based approach to treating these problems.

Chapter 1, Self-diagnosis, tells you how to determine whether there is a structural cause of your problem and corrections for its treatment. It includes a comprehensive set of testing exercises to help you determine whether muscular imbalance is one of the causes of the problem. The explanation of the testing procedure is detailed but assumes that the reader has no prior knowledge of the area: it is written for you. Another way to find the exercises you need is to use the Where am I sore? illustrations at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 2 discusses what stretchign really is, and the processes involved.

Chapter 3 presents the solo lower back and hip exercises, 1–10.

Chapter 4 presents partner-assisted lower back and hip exercises, 11–16.

Chapter 5 presents the middle back exercises, 17–24.

Chapter 6 describes the neck exercises, 25–32.

Chapter 7 offers additional and stronger exercises, 33–37.

Chapter 8 focuses on the shoulder, arm and hand exercises, 38–44.

Chapter 9 presents a range of strengthening exerises, 45–50.

Chapter 10 discusses relaxation, and presents the relaxation script, Kit's approach to acquiring this elusive physical and emotional state. You can order a version of this script already recorded: one side of the tape features the script plus Pacific Ocean background sound; the other side features the ocean sounds alone.

Chapter 11 investigates the causes of neck and back problems and all the latest relevant statistics and essential information from the leading medical and other journals will be found there, too. Sciatica is considered closely, and the best, completely-new exercises to treat piriformis syndrome (a common cause) are presented. Similarly Thoracic Outlet Compression Syndrome: if this is your problem (or RSI or Occupational Overuse syndrome) you will find the most effective scalene and other neck stretching exercises there, too.

Download Overcome neck & back pain Sample

This is the book based on the Posture & Flexibility classes. Everyone says they need to do more stretching for all sorts of reasons, but the most important reason is too-rarely mentioned: stretching the right way simply feels great to do and leaves you feeling wonderful.

Questions remain, though, like: which stretches, done what way, and how often? In Stretching & Flexibility, you will find effective exercises for all the usual places people want to stretch: hips, hamstrings and legs-apart movements.

In addition, however, you will find hand, wrist and forearm exercises, a full range of neck and shoulder exercises (including the hard-to-stretch rotator cuff pairs) and a variety of ankle and feet exercises. There are even exercises to help you spread your toes and strengthen your arches!

As well, you will find rotation and backward-bending exercises, sideways-bending movements and a large number of unique warm-ups too. There is an exercise for every muscle of the body, and the associated tendons, ligaments and fascia.

The book is organised into 16 lessons and begins with very easy-to-do movements. Gradually, the subsequent lessons build on these basic 'functional units of flexibility', and in time you will find yourself being able to do the more difficult stretches.

The Posture & Flexibility system is a combination of three elements: the Contract-Relax (C-R) approach in a framework of partial and complete poses, many of which are partner-based. It is a rapidly evolving form being constantly tested and reassessed against two criteria: is it safe? and does it work? The book features:

• 96 stretching exercises, plus warm-up movements
• exercises presented from very easy to hard
• exercises for athletes, grouped by sport
• exercises for the whole body, including hands and feet
• exercises shown in partner and solo versions
• over 700 photographs, showing all the essential details
• full explanations, including what to do in the exercise and how to get in and out of the positions
• 20 detailed illustrations of key anatomical points

Download Stretching & Flexibility Sample

"Kit's new book Stretching & Flexibility will change your way of thinking about flexibility and will certainly improve the way you go about achieving it. Everyone will find exercises to suit his or her body type and level of flexibility."

From the foreword by Greg Chappell, arguably Australia's most elegant batsman of all time

About Kit

Kit Laughlin is one of the world’s authorities on the subject of stretching.

Kit studied oriental traditional Japanese medicine during a four-year stay in Japan and was the personal Shiatsu practitioner for the Japanese Ambassador in Australia. He was also asked to treat a Japanese Prime Minister during a visit to Australia in 1988.

Formerly he had been a middle distance runner and weight lifter, becoming a student of exercise forms: he attended dance and gymnastics classes; he studied anatomy and physiology, and studied Yoga and Pilates.

He was awarded a Master of Letters by the Science Faculty of the Australian National University in Canberra (1992) and was granted an Australian Postgraduate Research Award (1993-96) for Ph.D. research, where back pain was the main case study.

Kit developed the principles of Posture & Flexibility over 24 years, and has been teaching them for 21 years at the Australian National University Sports and Recreation Association. He is assisted by 20 P&F Instructors whom he trained, who also run up to 20 in-house classes for Public Service departments in Canberra.

Kit has published two best-selling books about the principles of P&F, Overcome neck & back pain (for injury rehabilitation, now in its 4th Edition) and Stretching & Flexibility (for injury prevention and performance enhancement, now in its 5th printing) and numerous DVDs, videos and articles. Kit is the founding President of the National Association of Stretch Therapists (NAST).

Kit teaches P&F to practitioners of Chiropractic and Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, medicine, Yoga, Pilates and Massage Therapy and to people everywhere who want to rehabilitate or avoid injury, enhance performance or maximise wellbeing, in Australia and around the world.

Articles by Kit

Integrating diagnosis and treatment for massage Full article

What makes a good massage good? Full Article

Hidden muscular causes of neck and back pain. Full Article

Undiagnosed back pain. Full article

Piriformis and its role in sciatica. Full article

The role of iliopsoas in neck and back pain & its treatment. Full article

The downside of the high heel. Full article

Hidden causes of back problems. Full Article