Ann Frederick is unofficially known to have started the booming assisted stretch industry back in the 1990s when she became known to Olympians and professional athletes as “The Stretch Lady”.
Having originally created an innovative whole body method of improving mobility and flexibility for athletes, the general public also commonly experienced elimination or reduction of pain and return to full function. Physicians commonly referred their patients to her for low back pain and other common musculoskeletal conditions. Today, physicians at medical centers such as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota are referring patients to local practitioners who are certified in her method of training.
Her method is called Fascia Stretch Therapy™ (FST) and her self-stretching program is called LifeStretch®. She co-authored the books Fascial Stretch Therapy & “Stretch to Win”, both in their 2nd editions. And she is Director of the Stretch to Win Institute, where she leads her team of teachers in training professionals in the fitness, massage, bodywork, movement, medical and wellness industries.
Ann is founding member of the Fascia Research Society since 2007 and has conducted several of her own IRB approved research projects. “Effects of Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) on Pain Index and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in Patients with Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain” is the title of her most recent study completed in 2024, with submission to a peer reviewed journal expected in 2025.
