Demoy Henry talks benefits of stretch therapy before carnival day

With carnival season now in full gear, many physiotherapists like Demoy Henry are strongly recommending that, in addition to exercising at soca therapy pop-up sessions, people also undergo stretch therapy before hitting the road on road march day.

In a recent interview at his office inside HD Physio in St Andrew, the former athlete told Saturday Living that he was introduced to stretch therapy after sustaining a back injury during a training session years ago.

Since then, he has come to embrace the practice, noting that stretch therapy helps increase the range of motion in individual joints, allowing for optimal movement and, ultimately, improved overall health.

“Stretching aids in health by addressing muscle imbalances, knee pain and back pain, and it also helps to keep persons in alignment. Stretching helps to support this journey as it aids in you recovering from these physical activities and also can help to reduce your risk of injury. Thus, aiding you in achieving your ultimate goal to be your best self on the day of expression,” Henry said.

According to Henry, stretching also decreases muscle tension and increases elasticity which reduces one’s chances of strains and sprains.

“Both of which can limit your participation in the event and hamper your fun. Nobody would like to put in all that preparatory effort, only to ultimately be relegated to watching from the sidelines,” he added.

“It (parading on the road during carnival) is like doing a 5K or 10K run/walk. This stretching helps you to perform better, move better, walk better, and so on. It (stretch therapy) helps them [revellers] to feel much better walking to carnival. It makes the muscles not feel tired. It offers a more holistic feeling, and prevents injuries especially when revellers are tired, and it helps them to recover faster,” he said.

For those new to stretch therapy, Henry and his colleague Carlington Sinclair – both of whom operate out of HD Physio, typically start beginners off with three techniques: the ringing technique, the kneading technique, and the tapotement technique.

Sinclair explained that the ringing technique is a form of massage therapy, where the body is gently twisted, similar to the motion of wringing out a wet rag, to help release tension and improve circulation. The technique, he noted, involves guided manipulation of the body, often requiring precise control and experience to execute effectively.

“This is just to push the muscles from the bone area [and] one of the techniques used to free up the bone muscle,” he explained.

Explaining the difference between the kneading technique– which he compares the movement to that of kneading flour – and the tapotement technique.

“The kneading technique helps to free up the muscles in different directions, while tapotement is more of a therapeutic type of treatment.”

Henry’s journey as a physiotherapist started 15 years ago while he was a javelin thrower for Calabar High School. He continued working toward a career in the field while pursuing studies at The University of the West Indies, Mona, until he was injured.

Stretch therapy was one of the processes he underwent for healing, which opened him up to the idea of guiding others through sessions. Now, he works with everyone from the average corporate worker to highly active gym enthusiasts.

“I was able to see first-hand how [stretch therapy] improved my quality of life and just how impactful a [physiotherapist] profession this is. It was then a natural step thereafter for me. So it’s really just us identifying a gap in the preparation process that we believe stretching could help to fill. Recovery and injury reduction,” Henry said.

Outside of stretch therapy, Henry’s services include massage therapy and fitness instruction. He said his offerings extend to a much- wider audience, both active and non-active.

“However, during this time, many persons are preparing their bodies to be able to optimise their experience. Whether through recreational walking or running or entering 5KS to build endurance, so that they are able to manage the amount of walking required and also training in the gym to improve their aesthetics and strength,” he said

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com