By: Brian Schulte, CSCS, FAFS, FIT Trainer and Austin Kitteringham, CSCS, FAFS, FIT Trainer
Have you ever walked into a fitness facility or one of our physical therapy clinics and wondered about those big, crazy looking cages? You’re not alone! These large structures can play a crucial role in helping patients improve range of motion, strength, and recovery. But what exactly are they, and why are they so loved by both patients and therapists alike?
Spooner FIT Trainers Brian Schulte, CSCS, FAFS and Austin Kitteringham, CSCS, FAFS shared some insights on how they utilize the “cage” to help their clients achieve their goals!
What are those big cages in the clinic?
Brian: The big stretch cage you see in Spooner clinics is formally called a “TRUE Stretch Cage”. A “TRUE Stretch Cage” is a piece of equipment used in physical therapy, fitness, and rehabilitation settings. It is essentially a stretch cage designed to facilitate various stretching exercises, allowing users to perform effective, full body stretches in a safe and controlled environment.
But let’s back up and talk about the history of the cage. The cage was invented by a physical therapist named Gary Gray. Gary Gray is recognized for his innovative contributions to functional movement and rehabilitation, and he is a mentor to many of us at Spooner. He worked with Tim Spooner early in the 90s and 2000s to help shape Spooner as we know it now. Austin and I have both done year-long fellowships with Gary at the Gray Institute. So, we know it very intimately because we’ve studied it extensively and understand the methodology behind it.
So, the TRUE Stretch was designed to help with functional movement, a method that Gary Gray created. But what exactly is functional movement?
Brian: Functional movement is a way of getting people to do exercises, treatments, and interventions that look and feel like what they’re going to do on an everyday basis. If I’m a golfer, golf is a sport that’s played standing up, thus it is likely advantageous to stretch standing up. If I’m a runner and I run, well again, that’s another activity that I do when I’m vertical, with the effects of gravity and ground reaction force.
The cage is a tool that allows people to stretch while standing (or other positions if desired), rather than doing everything on the ground or having someone do it for them. It’s intentionally designed so that you can hold on to multiple areas, meaning multiple connection points, and use it for whatever biomechanical purpose you want. I like to tell people what makes the cage the cage is that it provides more stability to enhance your mobility.
I’ll often demonstrate this to clients by elevating my foot on a chair for a hamstring stretch. If you asked me to mobilize that tissue in three planes of motion by driving my hips in said planes, my body will only move so far and well because it can’t control all that mass and momentum in space with that minimal contact with the ground (in this case, my feet).
However, if you give me something to hang on to while I do that, like the bars in the cage, I can move and shift around a lot more freely, than if I didn’t have that support. That’s inherently what makes the Cage what the Cage is, it provides that stability to enhance your mobility. I also think it’s unique in the sense of there’s no moving parts or pieces to it. YOU are the moving part!
Who can use the TRUE Stretch? Is it for all ages and abilities?
Austin: The TRUE stretch cage can, and should be utilized by everyone. Because you’re adding more stability and establishing a foundation for them in the movement, it can be a comfortable environment for beginners. It is also a great tool for varying abilities and will meet the individual where they’re at as they make progressions.
Can you explain the benefits of using the TRUE Stretch vs. just stretching on the floor?
Austin: You know, I think if we want to look at static stretching and holding a position for a prolonged period of time and comparing that to the cage stretches, we’re adding dynamic movement to get a more intentional movement that will improve mobility.
The TRUE stretch cage is great place to use what we call “drivers” (A driver is when you’re using a body part or even something internal to help create a reaction in the body), that helps us couple movements together to create dynamic movement globally throughout the body. You can make a stretch on the ground dynamic, but you’re not necessarily going to leverage verticality, as Brian alluded to earlier, to make it a little bit more specific to your sport or even just your day-to-day activity. So, it takes it from a nonspecific movement to functional and dynamic movement.
How do you use the TRUE stretch cage when working with athletes?
Austin: I think it’s important to focus on making the rehabilitation process more sports-specific, especially when athletes are ready to transition based on their surgery or specific rehab needs. The goal is to position them functionally so that their rehab exercises mimic the movements and demands of their sport. This includes loading the tissue and creating tension throughout the body in ways that resemble the demands they will face on the field or in the cage. By incorporating various positions and motions, we can make the rehab process highly specific to what the athlete will be doing when they return to their sport.
Brian: I think it’s also worth noting that at the end of the day, it’s just a piece of equipment. There’s no magic behind the actual equipment. It’s the methodology and what you’re ultimately doing in there that makes the difference and makes it effective. A dumbbell is just a dumbbell. It’s just weight, and how I use it can change from person to person. If Austin hops in there and does 10 reps in 10 seconds versus me who does 100 reps in 5 minutes, there is going to be a very different effect between what he feels and what I feel because the dosage has changed and what we’re doing in there has changed.
To me, whether an athlete is using it or a nonathlete, the effects are the same. This just gives you a tool to help you accomplish your goals whether it is for strengthening, rehabilitating, or stretching.
Do you have any success stories from patients who have used the True Stretch?
Austin: The cage is a hit with just about everyone—it’s great to start with, wrap up your routine, or just keep building on your workouts. I’ve had a few clients purchase one for their own homes after trying it here.
One of the best parts is that it puts the patient/client in control. Whether they’re doing resistance work or stretching, they get to decide how far they want to go. It’s like their own safe zone where they can figure out what works best for them without feeling pushed around by a machine. But at the end of the day, like Brian said, they know they’ve got to put in the effort themselves to see the benefits. We are here to help patients go through every step of the process together!
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Connect with Brain Schulte at Spooner Scottsdale
Connect with Austin Kitteringham at Spooner East Chandler
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