Unlocking the Spine; A Therapists Guide

Our brand new one-day practical course teaches you how to unlock the muscle groups around the spine and effect real change for your clients. Chris Phillips, Principal of the Cotswold Academy and Sports Massage Tutor, teaches techniques being introduced on the Sports Massage Level 4 syllabus.

Ideal for Level 3 massage, aromatherapy or sports massage, chiropractors, physiotherapists, osteopaths and alike looking to refresh or update knowledge and hand skills.

The course focuses on how we can rethink our work with clients presenting with rounded shoulders. How can we open up posture and reduce headaches, tight necks, shoulder blade pain and thoracic outlet syndrome. It can all be achieved through our work with a shift in our focus to the spine. Chris will talk us through which muscle groups are locked-long or short and share techniques for how we can we start to think differently about the front of the body to open up posture.

How to book your place on the course.

Take a look at the course overview, syllabus and course dates here.

What lies beneath the surface when a client presents with rounded or protracted shoulders? Visualising that the ideal posture here would be that your ear lobe sits in line with the acromion (top of the shoulder), which in turn sits in line above the greater trochanter (hip bone). When the shoulders are protracted the head is visibly forward and the shoulders have become rounded inwards and elevated.

• Range of movement issues such as not being able to wash hair or undo your bra
• Referred pain between the shoulder blades where a knot in the muscle presses against a nerve
• Headaches behind the eyes linked with trigger points in upper trap
• Respiratory restriction compounding complaints such as asthma due to reduced movement for upper ribs

Review the surface anatomy of rounded or protracted shoulders Here Chris Phillips, Principal of the Cotswold Academy, talks us through the muscles involved and how to find them.

It's here! We have now launched a one day practical course that will take the theory introduced here and unpack it in far greater depth and enable hands on learning of all of the actionable and impactful techniques. Take a look here.

Interested in learning more about Anatomy & Physiology?

If you would like to learn more about Anatomy & Physiology take a look at our ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Anatomy & Physiology, which can be studied online or in the classroom.

Interested in becoming a Sports Therapist?

If you would like to find out more about training from complete beginner to professional sports therapist take a look at our ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage.

Interested in our Level 4 Certificate in Sports Massage?

If you would like to take it up a gear into our ITEC Level 4 Certificate in Sports Massage take a look here.