Seated position – version 1

Stand behind your seated patient with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Ground and center yourself. Hold your patient’s head with your palms at the sides of their face around the area of the zygomatic arch and bring your thumbs to Fengchi GB20. Pressing with your thumbs into GB20 and holding the sides of their face firmly, lift their head up, gradually creating traction to the cervical vertebrae until there is a natural resistance. Hold the traction for about 10–20 seconds and then slowly release.

Repeat this 2–3 times. In between each stretch, apply some Na fa, Rou fa or other technique to relax the neck muscles. (Fig. 6.1)

Fig. 6.1 Ba shen fa stretching: neck, version 1, seated.

Seated position – version 2

For this version it is ideal to have your patient sitting on a low stool. Stand to one side of your seated patient, with your feet twice your own shoulder width apart and your knees bent, in a half squat position. Rest your patient’s chin in the cubital crease of your flexed right elbow, holding their head securely between your upper arm and forearm. With your left hand, support the back of their head either with your palm at the occiput or by holding just under the occiput with an ‘L’ shape formed between your thumb and index finger. Keeping the balance between the back and front even, gradually begin to stand up from your half squat. Lift steadily and slowly in a controlled manner, stretching the neck until there is a natural resistance. Hold this traction for about 10–20 seconds and then gradually and slowly release, coming back into a half squat.

Repeat this 2–3 times, relaxing the neck muscles with basic or compound techniques. Anything based on Rou fa or Na fa does this job very well. (Fig. 6.2)

Fig. 6.2 Ba shen fa stretching: neck, version 2, seated.

Lying down supine position

Sit at the head of your patient who is lying down supine without a pillow under their head. Put one hand under the back of their head and hold the occiput. Cup their chin in the palm of your other hand. Keeping your arms straight, gradually lean back into your back, stretching their neck to create traction until there is a natural resistance. Hold the stretch for about 20 seconds then slowly release.

As before, repeat 2–3 times, relaxing the muscles in between each stretch.

Lying down supine position

Stand at the feet of your patient who is lying down supine. Take hold of their lower legs just above the ankles and lift them up a little off the bench. If you are lucky enough to be working with a team of practitioners, in a pair or with an assistant, then ask them to hold under the patient’s armpits so that they can fix the patient’s upper body and provide some counter-traction. If you are working alone, ask your patient to take hold of the sides of the bench in order to keep their upper body steady while you apply the stretch.

Ask your patient to take some deep breaths into their belly. Working with their breath, slowly and steadily lean backwards, keeping your arms straight and using your body weight to gradually create the lumbar traction. With each exhalation, relax your body weight back a little more until there is a natural resistance. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds, then gradually release (Fig. 6.3). If you are working with an assistant they can either just stay put, fixing the armpits, or they can apply counter-traction by keeping their arms straight and leaning their body weight back.

Fig. 6.3 Ba shen fa stretching: lower back, patient supine.

Repeat 2–3 times. Try using Dou fa in between each stretch to release the hips.

Back-to-back lifting

This variation of Ba shen fa, or Bei fa as it is sometimes called, can only be performed on patients who are about the same height and weight as you are, or smaller and lighter. Do not even think about it if your patient is heavier and or taller than you are, or if you have any back problems yourself.

Stand back to back with the patient, with your feet shoulder width apart and link arms with your patient. Ask your patient to relax and to breathe deeply into their abdomen. On the patient’s out breath, bend forward from your waist, bending your knees slightly and lifting the patient off the floor to produce a hyperextension of the lumbar vertebrae and the extensor muscles of the Bladder channel sinew. The back of your patient’s head should be relaxed at the level of your nape and their waist supported by your hips.

While the patient is suspended on your back, ask them to relax as much as possible, continuing to breathe deeply into any tension that they feel. To add to the stretch and for further release of the muscles, alternate rhythmically between straightening and bending your knees. When your legs are straight, try and gently shake the patient using your hips. After about a minute, gradually come up, releasing the patient back to the floor. If at any time you or your patient feels any pain then come back up.

You can repeat this stretch several times. Try using Pai fa on your patient’s lumbar muscles in between stretches.

Straightforward shoulder traction in a seated position

With your patient seated, stand behind and to the side of the shoulder you want to stretch. Hold the shoulder just proximal to the joint with one hand and apply some pressure. Hold the forearm just above the wrist with your other hand, gradually raise the patient’s arm to 90 degrees and then stretch by keeping the pressure at the top of the shoulder and pulling away with the hand that holds the forearm. Lean your body weight in the direction of the stretch to help the traction and keep stretching gradually and smoothly until you feel a natural resistance.

Hold the stretch for 10–30 seconds. Encourage the patient to use their breath to help to release feelings of stiffness, restriction and discomfort. To encourage further release of the sinews and joint, sway or gently rock the arm back and forth during the stretch. (Fig. 6.4)

Fig. 6.4 Ba shen fa stretching: straightforward shoulder traction in a seated position.

Shoulder traction with the patient’s arm over your shoulder

With your patient seated, kneel down on one knee to the side you want to stretch. Put your patient’s arm over your shoulder. With interlaced fingers, hold the patient’s shoulder with both hands. Apply Ya fa suppression to the shoulder and at the same time gradually raise yourself up from the kneeling position creating a stretch, then lower yourself back down. Work gradually, moving up and down, rising a little more with each stretch, until you come to the place of natural resistance.

Hold the stretch for 10−20 seconds and then release. Because you are using the leverage of your own body, there is very little effort required on your part. This is particularly useful if you have a patient who is much bigger and heavier than you are. If you rock your body gently from side to side during the stretch, this will produce further release of the joint and surrounding muscles.

In between stretches, try applying some Rou fa to the shoulder, keep your fingers interlaced and use the heels of your palms. Cuo fa is another useful technique to use between stretches. (Fig. 6.5)

Fig. 6.5 Ba shen fa stretching: shoulder traction with the patient’s arm over your shoulder.

Shoulder traction with the patient supine

This method is similar to straightforward seated traction. With your patient lying down supine, abduct their arm, holding either the top or the anterior aspect of the shoulder with one hand and their forearm with your other hand. Fix the shoulder and gradually pull the forearm to create traction. Hold for about 20 seconds and then release. (Fig. 6.6)

Fig. 6.6 Ba shen fa stretching: shoulder traction with the patient supine.

Repeat a few times. Try combining this variation of Ba shen fa with compound technique pinching–grasping applied to the Zhongfu LU1, Yunmen LU2 area.

Generally, to apply Ba shen fa to the joints of the wrist, ankle, knee, elbow, fingers and toes, hold either side of the joint you want to stretch and steadily and evenly pull your hands in opposite directions, hold the traction as before and gradually release.