Resources

• Case Studies

  Monday, May 16th, 2011

  Case Study: Chronic Neck Pain

  Carrie is a 35 year old public servant who keeps herself very fit with a wide range of exercise. However, she has struggled with neck pain over the last 8 years. She has seen various practitioners with little result. In her first 3 Alexander lessons Carrie started to recognise that she needlessly tenses and contracts her neck much of the time. She didn’t realise that she was doing it. It was part of her habitual posture and it was this that hurt. It was very much a part of the way that Carrie sat, for example. For most of us, sitting at school is followed by sitting at Uni, followed by a sedentary job. We sit a lot, including in leisure activities. Whatever we do when sitting may not be comfortable, yet it is “normal” (read “habitual”).

  Recognising this misuse and starting to become sensitive to it is a step towards correcting it. In Carrie’s case, the pattern of use of her neck extended into her chest. Her front was generally shortened and her ribs were not free to move in the way that nature intended. Thus Carrie’s breathing was compromised, leading to further strain in the “anti-gravity” system, the muscles which keep us up, lightly. The downward pull through Carrie’s chest was dragging on her neck and the back of her head, contributing to the pressure on her neck.

  Carrie has been getting into the new habit of observing herself, without forcing “correction”, but rather with a clearer idea of how she could be using herself. This “picture of possibilities” includes how her head balances on the top of her back whatever she is engaged in, how her torso can lengthen, and how her torso includes her neck. She can take this picture into any activity: working at her desk, paddling the Murrumbidgee, or cycling to work, or using her camera.

  Carrie is in less pain and is starting to be able to control pain in activity. She can see that there is a pattern of misuse of herself over which she can take control, redirecting tension into useful energy.

  Case Study: “Slipped” Discs

  Angela, former elite athlete now in her late 50’s, had a history of back pain, and an apparently unresolved tear in her piriformus muscle. She had two bulging discs and she had had to put off overseas travel because she couldn’t sit without agony.

  She had regular AT lessons and steadily improved the way she moved and used herself. She learned to recognise her habit of compressing her spine whatever she was doing, and she built confidence in her ability to turn this around. In the process she resolved the old piriformus sports injury.

  In applying the AT template (we define good use as expanding use: characterised by a free neck, a torso that is elastic in its length and also three-dimensionally, legs that balance rather than brace, and arms and hands which are free of grasping) we immediately encountered various habits which Angela had, completely unconsciously of course, and which prevented all of the above: her neck was caught between the need to keep her head up, and the downwards drag exerted by her entire torso; her chest was more or less collapsed, creating downwards pressure on her upper back as well as her neck; her hip joints were functionally absent – tension around the hips obliged her to hinge in her lower back, while generating pressure down through her legs, and making them harder to move.

  Angela had practised mindfulness meditation for years and after the first few lessons said she was now getting “body-mindfulness”. She was able to attend to her neck with the non-doing intention for it to release, (with the back lengthening and becoming more spacious). The more she practised this, the more her troublesome lower back was settling. She realised that the muscles affected by her old sports injury had not relaxed for years. The piriformus problem was dissolving. Getting to know her hip joints anew, while allowing more length and “up-ness” through her torso, allowed a rebalancing over her hips, which revolutionised the everyday act of walking. After 20 lessons, quite intensively over 8 weeks, Angela was delighted and was able to travel to the UK.

  Case Study – The singer

  Lucy, a voice student at ANU, is in her early twenties. At her age, she has the advantage of fewer years spent establishing misuse of herself (but the disadvantage of less life-experience). Her singing teacher suggested that Alexander Technique lessons may be useful to her for reducing unnecessary tensions when she sings. In Lucy’s first lesson, it became apparent that there are two key elements in her use of herself that are contributing to compression in her torso generally and limiting the freedom of her breathing in particular. The first is Lucy’s particular version of interfering with the freedom of her head on her spine, ie neck tension. While the details vary from person to person, we all have to grapple with this; it is something that warrants attention for everybody. In Lucy’s case, locking her head back interferred with her tongue, jaw and throat, all places where tension adversely affects the singer’s sound. The second element is Lucy’s tendency to lock her knees. Again, most of us manage to push unnecessary pressure down through our legs, in a way which renders us less balanced and responsive. In Lucy’s case, bracing her knees was connected to tension in her lower back, which reduced the capacity of her ribs to move freely. (It also caused lower back discomfort.) Freely moving ribs are essential for a singer! Lucy found that she had enough “processing power”, ie the ability of pay attention to herself, to monitor her head balance and her knees, as she was singing. Both Lucy and her singing teacher noticed an immediate positive change in the sound of her voice – it became fuller and more resonant. Further lessons will deepen Lucy’s understanding of how her voice is an expression of the state of her whole body, and will help her to fundamentally improve her manner of use of herself.

  Case Study – Degenerative Changes in Neck Vertebrae

  Cathy is 57 years old and had degenerative changes in her cervical spine. She had 3 vertebrae surgically fused ten years ago, and initially this eased the neck pain that she was experiencing. However, the pain returned, along with a slew of other pain symptoms (shoulders, lower back), and tingling down her left arm and hand. When Cathy came for AT lessons, she had been given time off work by her doctor. Work in her clerical job had become problematical due to pain and she frequently had to go home early.
  We started with first principles, identifying where and how she was generating a compressive force in her body, paying particular attention to the upper part of her spine. Cathy was indeed misdirecting muscular tension in her neck and shoulders into a compressive pattern which was pressing her head back and down into her shoulders and restricting her freedom to turn her head left or right.  It was also creating rigidity thoracically – her breathing was depressed and her ribs were not moving freely. This pattern undoubtedly included an element of protection against pain as well as adaptation to it. However, Cathy could immediately perceive the positive difference when I helped her to lessen the neck tension. The job was then for her to cultivate an awareness of it in her everyday life, and practice releasing the tension as she was going about her daily activities. In effect, she was working on “catching herself out” when cranking up the unnecessary tension and compression, and letting it go. This was easier away from work so this was where she began; in activities like driving and walking. Gradually her sensitivity to how she was approaching her daily activities increased, and as she progressively reduced the habitual old protective patterns, her pain lessened. She successfully moderated her old “misuse” of herself. She also gained confidence from being more in control of the whole pain cycle herself.

  Case Study – Good Use or more of the same old..?

  Georgia is a lady in her 40’s who had a sore neck and a recurrent back issue.

  She had been managing it by seeing a physio, who massaged her and showed her some remedial exercises. However, the same underlying tension problem which was causing the neck and back pain was still there when she did the exercises. Unsurprisingly, the pain did not go away. Georgia was performing her exercises diligently, but she was inevitably and unavoidably coming out of her habitual co-ordination. While performing the exercises she was tensing up in all the same wrong ways that had caused the problem. Using the AT, she learnt how to constructively change her movement pattern. We started with Georgia’s neck, learning about the correct relationship between head and torso, then moved onto the support that was available, but not being correctly accessed, from her back for her shoulders and neck. Finally we looked at how Georgia could carry these “body-thinking” insights into everyday activities like sitting at work, or doing sport and leisure activities, including walking or gardening. Georgia’s pain issues rapidly resolved. Furthermore, in better movement/use of herself, she has a resource to use for all of life, and she does not need to do the remedial exercises.

  Case Study – Exercising with Good Form Over 50.

  I want to talk to you about graceful aging, and active, healthy living.

  Applying good form to exercise and sport makes it fun and more enjoyable, and you can keep getting better. The AT helps you to do stuff better. I have been giving Alexander lessons to a man in his fifties called Nigel, a long-time practitioner of various Martial Arts. He is very strong and centred, but was having a few hip pain issues. These have fallen away as he has learnt to reorient and redirect unnecessary tension into poise, ease and grace. Read more >

• Understand How The Alexander Technique Can Help You

  Monday, April 12th, 2010

  We often get asked questions about how the Alexander Technique (AT) can  help and how it relates both to effective pain management and to performing any skill better.  Below are some answers to give you more insight into the AT.

  Read more >

• Posture And Pain: Does Your Back Hurt?

  Saturday, April 10th, 2010

  We all know about the desirability of relaxation, flexibility, good posture and the absence of tension. Despite our best intentions, despite relaxation classes, fitness classes and Eastern disciplines, despite stretching exercises, posture exercises, taping and Californian know-how, we’re still tense and uncomfortable in our bodies, with aching backs, sore necks, stiff shoulders, injuries and named conditions. What information are we lacking?

  Read more >

• Exercising but getting injured?

  Monday, April 5th, 2010

  Athletes involved in sports as diverse as long-distance running, dressage, swimming, X-C skiing and hammer-throwing recognise the benefits that come with a training in the Alexander Technique.

  Read more >

• Playing with Ease

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  For every musician who can perform at their best when they need to, how many fall by the wayside?

  How many show great potential but are unable to realise that potential due to pain, injuries, inconsistency, or not handling the demands?

  Read more >

• The Art of Skiing

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  As one beginner skier complained, “My brain understands the instructor’s directions, but my body won’t carry them out!”. Recognizing that the way we approach anything is going to affect the outcome, the Alexander Technique pays great attention to how we’re doing what we’re doing. Discovering that not “trying so hard” can mean not only learning more easily, but also actually skiing better and with less effort, often comes as a pleasant surprise to many people.

  Read more >

• Effective Stretching

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  A pupil once showed me a stretch that he performed religiously after every running outing. The man had the correct position, but was actually tensing the very areas he wanted to stretch. Why stretch at all? Don’t do it just because someone told you to; understand the goal and purpose of each and every stretch you do, and ensure that you are not inadvertently preventing the achievement of that goal.

  Read more >

• Ergonomics – A Lateral View

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  Why do we suffer aches, pains, injuries and stress despite the most up-to-date, expensive “ergonomic” furniture? Rather than looking at the problem from the outside, in terms of “good chairs”, the “right position”, or the “correct way to lift”, what about considering the internal aspects of how we organise our balance and co-ordination?

  Read more >

• Alexander Technique For Stress Management

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  “It’s great! It helps me keep working” B.L. – middle manager
  “It helps me to think more clearly” W.G. – senior public servant
  “I can control stress levels. It’s an immediate stress management technique” M.T. – mother and consultant

  What creates stress in us is the way we respond to a situation, not the situation itself. Stress involves a loss of poise. Our response to a stressful situation can disturb our own balance and distort our perceptions so that problems assume greater proportions and available time appears to shrink. Read more >

• Sitting Without Strain in Your Office

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  Desk height, screen height, chair height, seat-tilt, back-rest, arms, mouse left or right, “ergonomic” keyboard, wrist support, lumbar support ….

  The variables go on and on. How do you get comfortable and stay functional and productive? Read more >

• Occupational Overuse Injuries

  Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

  We all know about the desirability of good posture, of flexibility, relaxation, and the absence of tension. Yet, despite the considerable attention given to the externals, ergonomic chairs, stretching exercises, “correct” posture, stress management techniques, etc., we are still tense and uncomfortable in our bodies, susceptible to stress, and often suffer miscellaneous aches and pains. The statistics make very clear that the “externally applied” measures do not work for everybody. Read more >

• Sitting Without Strain

  Friday, March 5th, 2010

  How do you get comfortable and stay functional and productive? If you can be comfortable, then you are more able to concentrate and be productive. Avoiding physical discomfort, also avoids a source of stress, since discomfort-tension demands energy and attention. Read more >

• Pain relief for life

  Friday, March 5th, 2010

  Does your back or neck hurt?

  It should not have to be this way! If it’s aging, the passage of time, why doesn’t everyone over a certain age have these problems? And why do some very young people, in their 20’s and teens even, have these problems? Why do some of us recover more fully from accidents than others? Why do some of us remain fit and active far longer than others? What makes the difference between those who breeze comfortably through life, and those who seem to suffer successive aches, pains and injuries? Read more >