Feeling stiff, tight or restricted? Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST™) is assisted stretching on a treatment table. A certified CARESPACE practitioner moves your hips, legs, arms and spine through a series of gentle stretches while you relax, to help you move more freely. Our certified practitioners see clients from across Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.
Why CARESPACE
Stretching that fits into your life
- Certified practitioners. Everyone listed on this page holds the Fascial Stretch Therapy certification.
- Times that work for you. We are open 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 6 pm on weekends.
- Easy to start. No referral is needed. Pick a practitioner below and book online.
- One team behind you. If your body needs more than stretching, your practitioner can bring in physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy and other CARESPACE services, on one plan.
Certified Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) practitioners
These CARESPACE practitioners are certified in Fascial Stretch Therapy. Each card shows where they work and when they are next available.
-
Evening availability Weekend availability
Jessica Hérault, BSc, CSEP-CPT, MOT
Osteopathic Manual Practitioner
Pain and restricted movement can quietly change the way you work, train, sleep, and move through ordinary routines.
-
Evening availability
Aliya Malek, BPT, DOMP
Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, Assistant Director
You don’t need another rushed appointment when your body is asking for careful, skilled hands and a plan that finally makes sense.
-
Evening availability
Tejinder Paul, DOMP
Osteopathic Manual Practitioner
I am a dedicated Osteopath committed to helping clients improve their overall well-being, movement, and quality of life through personalized, hands-on care.
-
Available this week
Ian Alishaw, BHSc, CPTN, RKin, FST
Kinesiologist/Fitness Trainer/Fascial Stretch Therapist, Clinic Director
You should not have to choose between getting stronger and respecting a body that needs a smarter plan.
The technique
What Fascial Stretch Therapy is
Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around and between your muscles. FST is a system of assisted stretching that works along whole lines of muscle and fascia and around the joints, where ordinary stretching usually works on one muscle at a time.
It was created in the 1990s by Ann Frederick, a former dancer who first developed it for athletes, and built into a full system with her husband Chris Frederick, a physiotherapist. They teach and certify practitioners through their Stretch to Win Institute.
In a session you lie on a treatment table. Soft straps hold one leg steady while your practitioner moves the other, using gentle pulling on the joint, small rhythmic movements and stretches where you push lightly against their hand and then relax.
Who it suits
Who comes for FST
People usually come because they feel stiff or restricted: athletes who want more range for their sport, people who sit for most of the day, and people getting back to activity after time away. It is also used alongside treatment for an injury or long-standing pain, as one part of a plan.
FST is not an assessment of an injury. If you have pain that nobody has looked at yet, start with a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor, who assess and treat at the first visit and can tell you whether stretching belongs in your plan.
At CARESPACE
Who provides it
FST is a certification, not a profession, so at CARESPACE it is provided by certified practitioners from several services: osteopathy, kinesiology, personal training, massage therapy, physiotherapy and chiropractic. Each one uses it within their own scope of practice, so a Kinesiologist may build it into an exercise plan and an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner may combine it with hands-on treatment.
Your first visit
What to expect
Your practitioner asks what you want to be able to do and looks at how you move, then takes you through the stretches on the table. You should feel a strong stretch, not pain. Say so if anything hurts and they will ease off.
You leave with a plan. Most plans include a few stretches to do on your own between visits, because what you gain fades if the stretching stops.
Good to know
Questions about Fascial Stretch Therapy
Is Fascial Stretch Therapy the same as massage?
No. Massage works on muscle and other soft tissue with the hands. FST moves your joints and limbs through stretches.
Does it hurt?
It should not. You should feel a strong stretch that you can relax into. Tell your practitioner if a position is painful and they will change it.
I have an injury. Should I book FST?
Have the injury assessed first by a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor. If stretching would help, they can bring in a practitioner certified in FST and you stay on one plan.
How often should I come?
It depends on what you want from it. Your practitioner will suggest a schedule after the first visit, along with stretches to do yourself so the gains last.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book directly with any of the certified practitioners on this page.
Where can I get Fascial Stretch Therapy near me?
CARESPACE has locations in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. Each practitioner on this page shows the location they work from, and you can sort the list by the location closest to you.
The research
What the research says
Stretching done regularly does increase how far a joint can move. A 2024 review that pooled 77 studies found a moderate improvement in range of motion, with contract-and-relax stretching and held stretches doing better than bouncing or moving stretches. FST includes a contract-and-relax method.
Research on FST itself is limited to a few small studies, so it has not been shown to do more than other kinds of stretching, to prevent injury or to treat a condition. The gains also depend on keeping it up: a 2025 review found that range of motion slips back somewhat within two to six weeks of stopping, though it stays above where people started.
Sources
- Konrad A, Alizadeh S, Daneshjoo A, et al. Chronic effects of stretching on range of motion with consideration of potential moderating variables: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2024;13(2):186–194.
- Konrad A, et al. Detraining effects following chronic stretching training on range of motion: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine – Open, 2025;11:141.
- Frederick A, Frederick C. Fascial Stretch Therapy, second edition. Handspring Publishing, 2020.
Ready to move more freely?
Pick a certified practitioner and book online, or call 519-208-2273 and our Central Reception Team will book you with a practitioner certified in Fascial Stretch Therapy at the location closest to you.