Sciatica self-regulation with Alexander Technique.

by michaelshellshear | Nov 11, 2021 | back pain, Lower back pain

Sciatica self-regulation with Alexander Technique.

Alexander lessons can assist you to manage sciatica.

Sciatic pain happens when inappropriate pressure comes onto the sciatic nerve. The causes can vary but anyone who experiences it knows that sciatica is painful and debilitating.

It’s important to consult with a medical practitioner. This is more urgent if you lose continence. Unfortunately, the treatments available for sciatic pain may not present the kind of quick remedy that most would like.

Alexander Technique can often be helpful where poor posture and movement are exacerbating an injury and preventing it from healing.

Alexander Technique skills [such as the ability to redistribute body weight, release over tense muscle, re-align twisted bones and muscles and discern what is a helpful movement and what is an injurious movement] can help a lot.

Studies have shown that Alexander Technique is helpful for people with chronic back and chronic neck pain conditions. Click here to read one well known study.

Thinking about your movement gives you the opportunity to find many easier ways of doing things.

Self-regulation and resilience

Alexander self-regulation provides the possibility of less drug interventions, less time in pain. Alexander teaches you to harness your body awareness. By having lessons with a properly qualified teacher, you can develop great body management skills and these can significantly help with sciatica and low back pain conditions..

The video below will give you an idea of what’s involved.

By learning specific information about your body, its movement and posture you can prevent movements that irritate the sciatic nerve and the other lower back structures that are involved in low back pain.

[dsm_image_hotspots src=”https://alexandertechnique.net.au/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2021-09-12-at-15.10.33.png” alt=”Tip 3. Develop sciatica self-regulation and resilience with Alexander Technique.” title_text=”Screen Shot 2021-09-12 at 15.10.33″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dsm_image_hotspots]

The illustration above shows a schema of how people learn the Alexander Technique. Self-regulation through awareness is the outcome. Your teacher will assist you to become aware of those patterns that are obstructing your body’s self-organisation. You will be encouraged to experiment with new thoughtful strategies. As you progress, you will begin to understand how you can develop ease throughout your daily movement. Finally, you will be able to choose how to move in life, within any activity, easily by allowing your body to self-organise in the most effective and efficient way.

Use your hip joints to avoid back pain

by michaelshellshear | Nov 4, 2021 | back pain, Lower back pain

Use your hip joints to avoid back pain

Did you know that the most common type of back pain, suffered by people, is lower back pain? If you have lower back pain, it’s a red flag that something may be going wrong with your bending, lifting and carrying.

Where are your hip joints?

Where do you bend from in your body? If you are pointing at or thinking of a place around your belt line, like the photo above, then you are bending incorrectly! It’s a big problem. Many people think that they bend from their waist. No. There is no bending joint at the waist. That’s a back pain red flag!! Keep bending there and it will keep hurting you.

Find your hip joints avoid those back pain red flags.

Alexander Technique is about organising our movement differently. Sometimes, it’s worth going back to basic body mechanics to set your mind straight. You need to bend from your hip joint NOT from your waist. Unfortunately, many of us have gotten it wrong and then fixed that wrongness as a permanent pattern. We habitually bend at the waist. Are you ready to undo this pattern? You’ll need to find your hip joint and then you’ll need to remind yourself how it is when you bend at the correct place. The guy in the gif above is bending correctly. See how he uses his knees ankles and hip joints together. It’s a good example BUT wait….don’t try and bend all the way to the ground like him until you are ready.

If you have hip joint pain or knee pain, it may be that your hip joint muscles are too tight. Of course you should check with a medical practitioner if the pain is serious and debilitating. Otherwise an Alexander Technique teacher can work with you to minimise the hip joint rigidity and get things moving again.

Let’s start in sitting.

Find a chair and sit on it. Stick your hand under your bottom and you should feel a big bone on each side. That bone is called the sit bone (ischial tuberosity). Even if you have a big bottom, you can still feel those bones. For some people, the sit bones are a big discovery. They’re called sit bones because they are great to sit on. See the second drawing. The sit bones are represented by the green section.

Now you may not be sitting on your sit bones. You could be curling down onto the tail bone.

May I suggest you try, as an experiment, sitting on your sit bones? Keep your feet on the ground.

Now rock forward on your sit bones with your whole spine going with that motion. Doing that movement involves your whole body rotating around the hip joint. Can you feel how your pelvis rocks around your thigh bones? That’s where your hip joints are.

Does this help with back pain? Yes, using your hip joints rather than your spine to bend ensures you won’t hurt yourself bending forward.

Congratulations, you’ve found your hip joint. Using your hip joint, rather than your waist, takes a great deal of pressure off from your lower spine. Look at this short gif on bending to lift.

How to do a “table” bend. Courtesy of Jenn Sherer | Spinefulness

If you had trouble with that experiment, time to see an Alexander Technique teacher. They can help you recover your hip joints and relieve low back pain.

There’s a lot more information about using your hip joints to avoid back pain. As a student of Alexander Technique you learn to place your hips and move with your natural design. Well worth investigating.

Buy a Backsaver ® Cushion

There’s only one place that you can buy your Backsaver, that’s here. They are a very popular head support for people wishing to benefit from semi-supine. Click to find out more….

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What is the Alexander Technique semi-supine position?

by michaelshellshear | Nov 2, 2021 | back pain, Lower back pain

What is the Alexander Technique semi-supine position?

This person is doing an Alexander Technique procedure called the ‘semi-supine’. Some people call this the ‘Rescue Position’. It’s called the Rescue Position for good reason. If you suffer from back pain, this procedure quickly gives your body an opportunity to reduce pain and rebalance. What are the causes of lower back pain? One of the major causes of back pain is compression load bearing. This position helps to relieve that very quickly, when done correctly. Many students of the Alexander Technique swear by the semi-supine to reduce and manage chronic pain. It’s so simple that it’s ridiculous and yet, it’s a highly effective strategy. Try the semi-supine. Follow the instructions below.

Our tip, to you, is a brilliantly simple method for addressing lower back pain.

Here’s what you must do. You’ll need to find a carpeted floor or use a yoga mat on a hard surfaced floor. A bed is too soft for this procedure. Don’t use a bed.

You may have trouble getting up and down. If that’s the case, have a good upright chair close by that you can use to assist getting down and then up.

Jane is using a Backsaver®. It’s a hard cushion with a wooden base to place under her head for support. I recommend that, if you don’t have a Backsaver®, use some paperback books to place under your head for support.

It’s not unusual to have some discomfort doing this procedure, at first, especially if you suffer from lower back pain. Your back may feel achy and may even click. After a few moments of lying, your back should begin to ease. If that’s not the case and you are extremely uncomfortable, cease the procedure and give Michael a call on 0448 406 881, during business hours.

Lie on a carpeted floor for 10-15 minutes with your knees up. If you find that hard or painful you can rest your calves on a chair. Have some paperback books under your head supporting its weight.

Fold your arms so that your hands sit on your torso. Just by lying on a firm surface you are giving your injury area time to heal and rest. It’s important to get back up to standing, safely and with support. Use a chair to help you get up.

For more instruction and information watch this short video on the semi supine procedure from our colleagues in STAT, the United Kingdom professional Society of Tecahers. If you come for Alexander lessons, one of the first things that I will show you is how to do this procedure. Simple but highly effective.

Buy a Backsaver ® Cushion

There’s only one place that you can buy your Backsaver, that’s here. Use the Backsaver to support your semi-supine practice.

$45 + $15 postage. Click the button below to pay with Paypal