Most people enjoy a good stretch when they first wake up in the morning, before and after working out, and after sitting or standing for a long time at work or at home.

What some people may not realize is there actually is a science to stretching that can unlock deeper healing for sore muscles and chronic pain.

It’s called kinesiology.

“It’s a Greek word that means ‘the study of movement,’” said Drew Garpu, kinesiologist and owner of KinesiologyRX in Richland, which offers stretch therapy sessions and one-on-one training for athletes.

Kinesiology involves not only the science of biomechanics but the relationship between movement and mobility.

Garpu, a former NCAA champion and Olympic track athlete, sees kinesiology as a prescription for understanding the root cause of muscle pain. In his practice, he uses targeted stretching techniques to heal, strengthen and mobilize muscle tissue for lasting relief and long-term resilience.

“This is for anyone who needs mobility, from people who sit down at a desk all day to athletes sore from competition,” he said.

Stretch relief

When clients first meet with Garpu in his treatment room inside Richland’s La Luna Wellness Studio at 404 Bradley Blvd., Suite 210, they undergo a movement-based assessment to find out where they are experiencing pain and to what extent it’s affecting their mobility.

Garpu might ask them to reach overhead, bend over and reach or do other stretches that can reveal pain points.

“It’s surprising what people don’t realize is sore,” Garpu said.

He cited one client who came in with neck pain who expressed confusion when Garpu started to work on her shoulder and trapezius muscles in her upper back.

“I showed her pictures of how the muscles are connected and explained how if she wanted her neck pain to go away, (the trapezius) is the muscle that needs to be released,” he said.

Everything is attached to something else, so sometimes the root cause of one’s issue might not be where the pain is surfacing. The activities one participates in also play a big role in how pain develops.

Garpu explained that the work he does is similar to therapeutic exercise like one undergoes in physical therapy, but kinesiology isn’t just for when pain shows up, it’s also a preventative measure to maintain good health instead of only attending to it when it breaks down.

“It’s exercise as a prescription,” he said, referencing the Rx part of his business name. “You wake up in the morning and you have to take your medications or vitamins and this is the same thing: you have to do your therapy exercises.”

Drew Garpu is a former Olympic track athlete and NCAA champion who offers stretch therapy sessions at his business, KinesiologyRX.

| Courtesy KinesiologyRX

Muscle memory

Sedentary lifestyle aches and pains contribute to a lot of the client cases Garpu sees.

“We sit so much. You sit at work, in a car to and from work, eating, watching TV ... then come to me and want me to fix something in 30 minutes that you’re doing for eight-plus hours in a day,” he said.

“It takes eight weeks for the muscle to actually stretch and lengthen and work. Muscle has memory; it takes a while to get there, it takes practice,” he continued.

Garpu said that it’s optimal to see clients twice per week over the course of at least eight sessions to see meaningful results.

He explained that kinesiology-based muscle work goes hand-in-hand with chiropractic care, which focuses on bones and joints, and massage therapy, which helps to relieve muscle tension.

Though they’re related, he noted that they aren’t interchangeable.

He recalled clients who have gone to their chiropractor for issues rooted in the muscle tissue and who have subsequently had their chiropractic adjustments slip – sometimes the same day – because muscle memory pulled them back out of alignment.

Garpu said the same can be true for massage. “Two months ago, me and a massage therapist were at an event. I assessed a woman and told her that a muscle was tight where she was experiencing pain and that she should come back and do a session.

“She told me she would, then went over to the massage person – who I didn’t even know – and he told her the same thing, ‘You have a muscle problem, go see Drew.’”

Garpu has helped clients with a wide variety of needs, including those with carpal tunnel, recovering from stroke and breast cancer survivors with scar tissue that causes their shoulders to pull forward.

He also provides preventive rehabilitation, or prehab, stretch sessions for those about to undergo surgery that help to mobilize and strengthen muscles that will be inactive for a time following surgery.

Sessions start at $15 for 10 minutes, or $79 for a basic 30-minute session. Garpu also offers bundle deals for multiple sessions.

KinesiologyRX accepts insurance, providing a super-bill to insurers so clients can be reimbursed. Garpu also takes clients with a health savings account, or HSA.

Training next generation

Garpu has been able to marry his passion for kinesiology with one of his other passions: running and athletics.

Born in Liberia and raised in Southern California, he discovered an innate gift for running fast when he joined the cross country team his first year of high school. He placed fourth in the state.

That spring, he went out for track, and during his first competitive 100-meter sprint, he suffered a hairline stress fracture in his leg.

“The doctor told me it was most likely due to a lot of running and not enough stretching. I stayed out all year, but my second year, I qualified for state the first meet and went on to run the second best overall 100-meter time at his high school. I came back stronger because I learned proper stretching and mobility. I assume it was the start of my motivation for where I am today,” he said.

He later went on to run in college and beyond and in 2000 qualified for the Sydney Olympics, achieving a dream he’d had since childhood.

Now, he gets to share his wisdom with clients like eighth-grade track and cross country athlete, Anayah Zuniga of Prosser. She sees Drew once a week for one-on-one coaching and speed training.

“She absolutely loves it,” said Anayah’s mom, Arasele Zuniga. “He works with her on her breathing and all the mechanics around what it takes to be a successful runner.”

Arasele Zuniga said her daughter often talks about her goals and how she plans to reach them. “Anayah’s pretty focused. She looks up Olympic videos all the time. She had quad tears – three of them – and I was worried because it is a big injury to return from ... Drew has provided supervised training to make sure she doesn’t reinjure herself.”

KinesiologyRX: 404 Bradley Boulevard, Suite 210, inside La Luna Wellness Studio, in Richland; theexpy.com; 424-599-5292.