Review of ‘Helen: Believe’ Film Featuring Counterstrain

On March 30th, the documentary ‘Helen: Believe’ came out in theaters nationwide and our team saw it here in Chicago. It follows world class athlete Helen Maroulis through her triumphs as USA’s first Olympic Medal winner in Women’s Wrestling, and her years-long struggle to rebuild her health and physical capabilities after a traumatic injury.

The film is significant to us because Helen used Counterstrain under the care of Brian Tuckey, in addition to other treatments, to help her recover from her injuries, including a concussion she received during a wrestling match. She then went on to win the Bronze Medal in Women’s Wrestling in Tokyo in 2020 four years after winning the Gold Medal in Rio.

‘Helen: Believe’ showed viewers what Counterstrain looks like during a treatment. We see her getting evaluated by Brian at his Maryland clinic and he explains the concept that the fascia around the body can be reset by manipulating various points around the body. He, and other Counterstrain practitioners like us, start with a manual evaluation of the head to find these points that need correction, and then we can begin treatment of resetting the fascia.

After seeing the movie, Kevin Cronin, owner of ARC Physical Therapy said, “I think the movie was a fair representation of Counterstrain and I found it to be a very inspiring movie. We see a lot of patients who’ve been concussed before and we understand the struggles that they go through.”

He added that he felt that although the film showed what Counterstrain treatment was like, it’s still a very new concept to a lot of patients who are considering it for treatment of their pain or discomfort. Since Counterstrain can help with many different kinds of ailments, it demonstrated the treatment’s versatility and gentleness.

While Helen was treated for PTSD related to her post-concussion syndrome, Counterstrain can be used on a plethora of below the neck ailments as well. However, with post-concussion syndrome, there aren’t really any other treatments for it other than trying to teach the body how to adapt to the changes that have occurred. Fascial Counterstrain, however, actually makes changes to the nervous system that help to restore the person to a more normal state.

“I was delighted to see Brian Tuckey and Counterstrain represented so well in the movie. He’s a mentor of mine and hopefully, now more people will get the chance to see what Counterstrain can really do,” said Cronin.

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Our Happy Patients

I have had physical therapy in the past but I have never had the Fascial Counterstrain techniques used until I went to ARC. My PT, Alison Brown Ferguson’s expertise with evaluating the exact problem areas and using the Counterstrain techniques has allowed me to regain physical function and greatly decreased my pain. I strongly recommend ARC and Alison to anyone in need of physical therapy treatment.

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