This is a very informative article that is sure to give you some new ideas and information to share with your own medical practitioners. Movement Therapy: three techniques you should look into.
Three Movement Therapies For Chronic Pain Management and Prevention
By Sean Burton
Movement therapies like Qi gong and Yoga have existed for thousands of years. Much more recently - within the past 100 years or so - different movement therapies have been developed in the West. These new therapies operate under the principle that harmful movement patterns and postures are at the heart of many chronic pain conditions, including back pain.Unlike eastern movement therapies that raise body awareness and improve posture through exercise and stretching, western therapies tend to address specific movements directly.
Much of the pain people experience today is musculo-skeletal. repetitive strain injuries and muscle imbalances are often caused by simple lack of awareness of how we use our bodies in everyday motions.
Though scientific research into the efficacy of modern movement therapies is lacking, sufficient anecdotal evidence and sound theory combine to make these therapies viable pain management techniques. It is important to be aware of the following therapies, as they offer hope to people wishing to avoid the cycle of pain medication.
The Alexander Technique: Alignment
Actor Frederick Matthias Alexander developed the Alexander technique after he cured his chronic laryngitis by changing his movement patterns and eliminating tension in his neck. The Alexander Technique rests on the principle that the alignment of the head, neck and spine are essential to proper and efficient movement throughout the entire body.
Alexander instructors ask their students to perform certain movements while using their hands to feel for muscle use and tension in the student. The instructor makes adjustments throughout the session to encourage your body to release any unnecessary tension.
Some instructors will try to teach only a few simple movement postures and patterns that you can transfer to other movements and activities. Other instructors prefer to guide you through many different kinds of movement.
According to AlexanderTechnique.com, most students take between 20 and 40 lessons within a three month period, occasionally coming back for refresher lessons.
The Feldenkrais Method: Neuromuscular Retraining
Moshe Feldenkrais has a rich background in science and martial arts. He developed his movement therapy with the goal of increasing self-awareness to improve movement.
There are two types of classes offered in the Feldenkrais Method: group lessons called Awareness Through Movement and individual lessons called Functional Integration.
In Awareness Through Movement, an instructor verbally instructs students to perform a particular movement. Self-discovery is emphasized in these lessons; the student is encouraged to be creative about different movement options and to be aware of the ways in which they habitually tense certain muscle groups. There are hundreds of Awareness Through Movement classes, each dedicated to a particular movement.
Functional Integration lessons are largely passive. They are usually done with the student lying down, but can be done in other positions. The instructor guides the student's body through movements in a relaxed and gentle manner. The goal is to retrain the nervous system to keep muscles from tensing.
The Trager Approach: Deep Relaxation
Of all the movement therapies discussed, the Trager Approach gives the most attention to psychological causes of musculo-skeletal pain. Dr. Milton Trager developed the approach with the goal of instilling deep relaxation into students to prevent undue muscle tension and injury.
The Trager Approach includes a passive tablework element and an active element called Mentastics.
During the tablework session, the student lies on a table and an instructor shakes out tension from the body. He or she moves the student's body parts in a way that requires no effort from the student. You are meant to feel relaxed and free of tension after tablework.
Mentastics trains students in self-induced movements that are meant to mimic the deep relaxation and effortless feeling of tablework movements. There are no established numbers of sessions students are instructed to take.
The Costs:
The downside of movement therapies is that, as with many forms of alternative medicine, you will likely not find the costs covered by insurance. Sessions can cost anywhere from $50-$150 depending on location and instructor, but group lessons may be offered at much cheaper rates.
The Feldenkrais Method appears to require the greatest number of sessions, so time and money must be factored into your decision of whether or not to seek out this therapy. An advantage of the Alexander Technique is that it offers a self-study route, which can be pursued with little or no financial cost.
These three movement therapies promote awareness of your body and improve how you use it. By releasing tension and using your muscles more efficiently, you can avoid and recover from musculoskeletal pain caused by biomechanical dysfunction.
Safe choices for pain management solutions exist. Educate yourself in alternative solutions for back pain management.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Movement Therapy: Hopefully this information will assist you in some small way and perhaps become part of your own chronic pain management. We offer this as a starting point of ideas that you might want to share with your own medical professional. Each guest writer presents their own views and they may not be ours. Just some ideas to think about and share.
