At Eastern Shore Natural Health, we specialize in Fascial Counterstrain, an interactive hands-on therapy that releases your body of various tensions it’s holding.
As a holistic approach, FCS addresses the nerves, organs, arteries, veins, tendons, ligaments, muscles and the fascia encasing connective tissue in your body. All of these can actively spasm and produce pain in a natural, protective response to injury or inflammation.
But these reflex spasms, once triggered, can persist, spread and form hundreds of tender points.
As a complementary therapy to other modalities (such as massage and acupuncture), FCS works in stepwise fashion to release the tender points and tissue spasms by gently sensing the locations of strain and reseting the body’s response back to normal function.
Many of our clients are surprised at how a session can feel so light but so effective.
These are some of the common conditions that Fascial Counterstrain can treat.
Each FCS session is highly individualized and involves continuous patient feedback.
Assessment
We ask you to fill out a description of what physical symptoms you are experiencing followed by an in-person conversation and arranging an appointment invitation.
When you arrive for your appointment wear comfortable and loose clothing.
Position of Ease
You will be comfortably positioned on a treatment table while the therapist gently moves parts of your body into positions that feel easier and more supported. There is no cracking, stretching, or forceful manipulation.
Interactive Checking
While on the table, the therapist conducts a thorough, gentle hands-and-fingers palpation on your skull and spine and associated places on your body to determine locations of strain—all the while asking for your feedback whether the locations are correct. The therapist uses deep knowledge of anatomy to perform checking for size, shape, firmness, texture, location, and pain in organs and tissues. Often guided by intuition, the process is step-by-step.
With a place is accurately determined, each position is held briefly—often under 90 seconds—allowing the nervous system to recalibrate and release protection.
Verification
You will be asked whether you feel a release and the therapist will often move on to the next related area. Sometimes subsequent releases may warrant a return to the original location for another, deeper layer of tension.
People often report:
Fascial Counterstrain is not about healing something broken. It is about removing the barriers that prevent the body from functioning the way it was designed to.
By listening carefully, following the data, and responding precisely, we help the nervous system move out of protection and back into normal, efficient function—so patients can reclaim comfort, resilience, and confidence in what their bodies are capable of.
Our nervous systems are designed to protect us. The continuously scans for potential threat—physical, chemical, emotional, or environmental—and respond by increasing tension, altering movement, and changing circulation when they sense lack of safety.
By responding immediately, this ensures our survival. But when our nervous systems do not receive a clear signal that the threat has passed, the protection response can persist long after the original stressor is gone. In the case of injury, repetitive strain, illness, surgery, inflammation, emotional stress, or trauma, Our nervous systems remain in prolonged states of guarding.
Over the long term, persistent protection becomes body dysfunction. Tissues become restricted, movement becomes inefficient, and symptoms appear—not because our bodies are broken, but because they are still acting to keep us safe.
According to the website Counterstrain.com,
Fascial Counterstrain (FCS) is an innovative system of soft tissue manipulation developed by board certified orthopedic specialist, Brian Tuckey PT, OCS, JSCCI.
Tuckley’s system was based on nearly 3 decades work in the middle of the 20th century by Dr. Lawrence Jones, D.O. (Dr. of Osteopathic Medicine), based on observational evidence that gentle pain-free therapeutic positions, held for 90 seconds, can offer lasting relief of chronic pain and/or somatic dysfunction.
Peer-reviewed clinical research has demonstrated that Fascial Counterstrain can significantly reduce somatic symptoms and nervous system hyperarousal without adverse effects. These findings align with modern pain science, which recognizes that many chronic conditions are driven by protective neural responses rather than ongoing tissue damage.
I've been seeing Ben for 7 years and in that time, I've struggled with several overuse injuries/pain from long distance running and triathlons. Whether it's hip pain, hamstring pain, knee pain, Achilles/heel pain, shoulder pain, Ben has addressed it all. His ability to pinpoint pain and release it (usually with 1 or 2 visits) is beyond compare.
He takes time to educate me during each session which helps me understand the root cause so I can watch for re-injury. His dedication to his own education and growth keeps him on top of new techniques to try which makes each visit unique and tailored to what I need. Even after 7 years, I leave each visit with insight about my body and another recommendation to try at home. I can't imagine being able to continue to train the amount I do without Ben as a part of my recovery process.
Ben is an amazing healer! With his expertise in a multitude of healing approaches, he is able to use his experience and healing gift to help you recover from many complicated ailments that other practitioners fail at. He is one of the most dedicated, caring and compassionate people I know and I highly recommend Ben for a partner on your healing team.
I'm a marketing professional and a cycling enthusiast. Ben has worked with me on low back and neck pain and I always come away from our sessions with relaxed muscles and reduced pain. He's also helped me work through some issues related to stress and excessive antibiotic use. He has an extremely calming demeanor and has a special touch when working on my trouble spots. His knowledge of the human body and how all its systems work together is truly amazing.
