Application Guide

START HERE

Two quick videos before you begin: how to assemble the band, and a few tips that make application easier and more effective.

WHEN TISSUE WON'T TOLERATE LOAD

FlossPoint is designed for restrictions that appear during movement under load.

Common pattern: Full range when tissue is relaxed. Restriction appears when force is applied.

That's a load tolerance problem at tissue interfaces, not a length or strength problem.

The universal method: Wrap over the restriction with moderate tension, move through the loaded patterns below for 2–3 minutes, then remove and reassess the movement that was limited. Moderate tension throughout — noticeable, never numbing. Ease off immediately if you feel tingling, numbness, or pins-and-needles.

LOWER EXTREMITY

Foot

Foot pain or plantar-type restriction that shows up under load — push-off, single-leg stance, the first steps of a run — rather than at rest.

Where you feel it: Across the arch and midfoot, often most noticeable during push-off or single-leg loading. Worth knowing: plantar restriction is frequently driven from above — a stiff calf/Achilles increases load through the plantar fascia, so addressing the calf often matters as much as the foot itself.

ShearPoint placement: 1–2 ShearPoints across the midfoot, moderate tension.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Move the foot through toe flexion and extension (curl and spread the toes actively), add short-foot activation (draw the ball of the foot toward the heel without curling the toes), then progress to heel raises and a few reps of single-leg balance. Keep the tissue moving through range under the band — slow and deliberate, not fast.

Reassess: Remove the band and retest — a few steps, a single-leg hop, or the push-off that felt restricted.

Use before: Squatting, running, jumping, change-of-direction work.

See a video of the protocol here.

Ankle

Full passive dorsiflexion, but the heel lifts or the ankle feels blocked during a loaded squat. The restriction appears under training demand, not during a stretch.

Where you feel it: Usually a pinch or block at the front of the ankle in deep dorsiflexion, or tightness through the calf on the back side. Figure out which by moving into a deep squat or a knee-to-wall position and noticing where it catches — front of the ankle vs. back of the calf tells you where to place it.

ShearPoint placement: 1–2 across the anterior compartment (tibialis anterior, just lateral to the shin bone — not over the bone) for a front-of-ankle block, or 2 along the calf muscle belly for a posterior restriction.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Perform knee-to-wall ankle rocks — drive the knee forward over the toes and back, keeping the heel down — then move into loaded squat reps to the depth that was restricted, and a few split-squat reps to load the ankle through range. Let the ankle travel through its full available dorsiflexion under the band.

Reassess: Retest the knee-to-wall distance or the loaded squat depth that was limited.

Use before: Squatting, running, jumping, change-of-direction work.

Calf & Achilles

Tissue won't tolerate eccentric loading during running or jumping despite normal passive flexibility.

Where you feel it: In the mid-calf muscle belly (gastrocnemius/soleus) as you load into push-off or absorb a landing — not at rest, and typically not during a static stretch.

ShearPoint placement: 2 along the calf muscle belly. Avoid the Achilles tendon directly — work the muscle, not the tendon.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Slow heel raises through full range, emphasizing a controlled lowering (eccentric) phase. Do a set with the knee straight to bias the gastrocnemius, then a set with the knee slightly bent to bias the soleus. Add a few controlled forward lunges or knee-to-wall ankle rocks to move the calf through length under load.

Reassess: Remove the band and retest the movement that was restricted — a jump, a run stride, or a loaded squat.

Use before: Sprint work, plyometrics, high-volume running.

See a video of the protocol here.

Hamstring

Full passive straight-leg raise, but the hamstring won't tolerate lengthening during a hip hinge. The restriction shows during an RDL, not during a stretch.

Where you feel it: Through the proximal-to-mid hamstring belly as the muscle lengthens under load in a hinge — not at the back of the knee, and not while stretching passively.

ShearPoint placement: 3 across the proximal-to-mid hamstring muscle belly. Stay on the muscle — avoid the back of the knee.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Move through bodyweight hip-hinge / RDL patterns — push the hips back, let the hamstring lengthen under control, return to standing. Progress to single-leg RDL reaches for a deeper loaded stretch, and add slow, controlled leg swings through the hinge range. The goal is loading the hamstring in its lengthened position, not bouncing.

Reassess: Retest the hinge or RDL pattern that was restricted.

Use before: Hip-hinge patterns, sprint work, eccentric training.

Knee & Quadriceps

Anterior thigh tissue restricts loaded knee extension — or the deep, loaded flexion of a squat or lunge — despite full passive straightening.

Where you feel it: Through the distal anterior thigh (lower quad, above the kneecap) during loaded knee bending — a deep squat, a lunge, or deceleration — rather than at rest.

ShearPoint placement: 2–3 across the distal quadriceps.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Move through squats to the depth that was restricted, then reverse lunges and step-ups, letting the knee travel through full loaded flexion and extension. For a deeper loaded stretch, work into a controlled kneeling / couch-stretch-style position and back out. Keep it slow and controlled through range.

Reassess: Retest the squat depth, lunge, or deceleration movement that was limited.

Use before: Squatting, lunging, deceleration work.

See a video of the protocol here.

UPPER EXTREMITY

Shoulder & Rotator Cuff

Full passive range, but restrictions appear during loaded overhead or horizontal pressing movements.

Where you feel it: Typically through the back of the shoulder (posterior cuff/capsule region) as you reach overhead or press horizontally — a catch or restriction that shows under load, not in a passive stretch.

ShearPoint placement: 2–3 across the posterior shoulder / rotator cuff region. Keep pressure on the muscle mass, moderate tension — avoid the front of the shoulder and the area over the collarbone.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Move through controlled overhead reaches, cross-body horizontal adduction (bring the arm across the chest), and internal/external rotation through available range. Add a few band pull-apart-style movements to load the posterior cuff. Slow and controlled — take the shoulder through the range that was restricted.

Reassess: Retest the overhead or pressing movement that was limited.

Use before: Overhead pressing, throwing, pull-ups, horizontal pressing.

Forearm & Elbow

Forearm tissue restricts loaded gripping, or resists eccentric loading during pulling movements.

Where you feel it: Through the flexor mass (palm-side forearm) with gripping, or the extensor mass (back of the forearm, toward the outer elbow) with loaded wrist extension and pulling.

ShearPoint placement: 2 along the flexor or extensor mass, based on where the restriction sits.

Once it's on (2–3 min): Move the wrist through full flexion and extension, open and close the grip repeatedly, and rotate through pronation and supination (palm up to palm down). Progress to a few light gripping or pulling reps to load the tissue through range.

Reassess: Retest the grip or pulling movement that was restricted.

Use before: Pulling work, gripping activities, racquet sports.

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5-page Application Guide with detailed protocols, clinical use, and troubleshooting.

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