Strain and Counterstrain, originally called “positional release technique”was developed in 1955 by osteopathic physician Lawrence Jones. Strain and Counterstrain is a manual therapy technique that treats muscle and joint pain and dysfunction by using passive body positioning. Muscles in spasm and dysfunctional joints are eased toward positions of comfort that compress or shorten the offending structure. The purpose is to relax aberrant reflexes that produce the muscle spasm, forcing immediate reduction of tone to normal levels. The joints are then able to function optimally, increasing range of motion and easing muscle pain.
(Source: Jones Institute, www.jiscs.com)