KCR – Kinetic Chain Release, is one of the more popular modalities we offer at our Living Health clinics in Edinburgh and West Linton with great success.
It’s one my favourite more gentle treatments suitable for all age groups. Let me give you some more background on what it is, how it can benefit you and what to expect during a KCR session.
What is KCR?
Kinetic Chain Release (KCR) is a gentle full body treatment protocol, that involves specific joint mobilisations and muscle stretches.
Individually, these stretches and mobilisations are medically recognised, but it wasn’t until the Glasgow born Hugh Gilbert, a registered Physiotherapist and Advanced Myofascial Release Practitioner, made them into what KCR is today: a specifically crafted sequence designed to restore balance in the whole body.
As an experienced clinician of many decades, Hugh brought his strong expertise, his deep intuitive insight and the vision of affordable effective healthcare into the development of KCR.
Through the KCR protocol, he was able to demonstrate, that when the physical body is balanced, we can frequently experience a high degree of relief and, very often, instant resolution from pain and discomfort.
Living Health’s KCR/CTR therapist, Veronika, with the KCR founder, the physiotherapist Hugh Gilbert in 2016.
Who can benefit from KCR?
Very much everyone and anyone, from children to elderly, from everyday office workers to a professional athletes and anyone in between.
Based on my own experience of using KCr in our practice, and the feedback from our clients, it is a wonderfully soothing and effective treatment.I would recommend everyone to try it at least once, no matter what issue they might or might not be experiencing.
Even if there is nothing to ‘fix’, there is always maintenance to do. Today we can open to the possibility of feeling better than yesterday. I am a firm believer that we don’t have to wait until something goes wrong to do self-care.
Apart from performance enhancement and general maintenance, other key areas that KCR can be beneficial are:
- weak ankles
- knee problems
- hip or joint pain
- scoliosis
- pelvic discomfort
- back, shoulder and neck pain
- TMJ
- headaches
- chronic stress
- fibromyalgia
- or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Is a KCR therapist treating these problems specifically?
No. But based on the philosophy of restoring balance within the body, we have found that the overall feel and function can improve when we perform KCR.
Who should not have KCR?
- after first trimester in pregnancy
- if you have osteogenesis imperfecta
- if you had a stroke within the last 12 months (a doctor’s clearance is needed before treatment)
- if you are post-surgery and still under surgeon/consultant care (their clearance is needed before treatment)
Other than that, a KCR therapist should always proceed in line with their client’s limitation.
How many KCR sessions should you get to maximise the benefits?
That depends. In general, between 2-4 weekly sessions, but in some cases it might be more. Monthly maintenance or pre/post sporting events are also recommended.
How effective is KCR?
Will it work for everyone and every single time?
No matter what modality is used to treat, there is a multitude of factors that come into play. The mind-body relationship, stress levels, long standing movement and survival patterns we hold in our body and might not be ready to let go of, injuries, how we eat, our lifestyle, the interaction and trust between the therapist and the client and the therapist’s skill set.
So there are no guarantees. But based on my experience and the data collected, majority of our clients feel the benefits of KCR.
Independent validation on the effectiveness of KCR
What we also have as a reference are some strong objective data showing the average efectiveness of KCR between 82% and 99% on musculoskeletal problems. I invite you to watch the short video below, showing the results from January 2019.
FOTO Inc. is basically a very sophisticated independent quality measurement system used by over 23 thousand clinicians in the USA and Canada. According to these results, KCR is ranked as the number one treatment in the USA and Canada.
What does a KCR session look like?
During the session you are fully dressed, wearing something loose and comfortable. You will be expected to lie down on a massage table for part of the session and sit for another part of the session.
Here’s a short video we made to show you what you can expect:
Before and After KCR
Ready to give KCR a go?
Book your Kinetic Chain Release appointment with us in Edinburgh city centre or West Linton.
