What is counterstrain technique and how is it applied?

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Counterstrain is a passive osteopathic technique that treats somatic dysfunction by placing the body in a position of ease at a tender point. The clinician moves the affected area to a position that yields the greatest relief from tenderness, allowing the muscle to relax rather than tighten. This position is held for about 90 seconds to let proprioceptive input and muscle spindle activity decrease, reducing reflexive hypertonicity. After the hold, the patient is slowly returned to neutral to avoid reactivating spasm and to let the muscle spindle reset. The result is decreased pain, softer tissue texture, and improved range of motion as normal neuromuscular tone is restored. The other options describe different techniques—active contraction against counterforce is muscle energy technique, sustained fascial stretch is a fascial release method, and rapid joint mobilizations refer to HVLA or articulatory techniques.