The Good Health Guide

posted 2 April 2007
by Paresha Amin MSTAT

Back pain is one of the most common and persistent conditions found in people today. Whether the cause (disc protrusion, muscle tension, arthritis, spinal curvatures, etc.) is difficult or easy to determine, providing effective treatment is often the major problem.

Back problems are often due to poor posture
Few people with back problems realise that they often sit, stand or bend incorrectly and thereby prevent the back from healing or indeed cause the back pain in the first place. Learning to use yourself in such a way that everyday tensions and stresses are reduced is a way of combating back pain. A problem may manifest itself in one part of the back and may only improve if the whole body is used appropriately in all activities.

Alexander Technique can improve posture & movement
Alexander Technique is a method which educates you to use your body in a safe, secure way by engaging the primary control: your body’s central support system. You learn it from an Alexander Technique teacher who can lead you through a one-on-one learning process tailored to your needs. Your Alexander Technique teacher listens to your symptoms, seeing them in the context of your entire movement pattern. By making you more conscious of the body’s dynamics in movement, she helps you learn how to move and function using appropriate amount of effort thus minimising overstrain and stress to the back. She emphasizes correct use of the entire body, and simultaneously helps the student increase the beneficial effects of any physical therapy or other treatment prescribed. In all day to day activities such as walking, sitting, climbing stairs, using the computer, getting in and out of the car you learn to reduce strain and discomfort and pain.

Awareness & control
Since study of the Alexander Technique also helps you increase sensory awareness, you become more attuned to your body’s warning signs of tension and compression. You will acquire the capacity to lessen or prevent episodes of pain, enabling you to decrease your dosage of painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications. You demystify your back problem - you understand where it comes from and how to change it.

Most importantly, it puts into your hands the capacity to relieve and prevent your back problems. Rather than wondering why you’re flat out on the couch after picking up a newspaper, you move through your day with more confidence, grace & ease.

Paresha Amin MSTAT is a qualified Alexander Teacher and a full member of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. She teaches individuals & groups in Muswell Hill & East Finchley and can be contacted on 020 8883 7583 or paresha.amin@dsl.pipex.com.