Introducing new habits to eliminate pain patterns
I have recently been dealing with upper back and posterior neck pain that has made me start practicing what I preach more than ever. My own self-palpation has not been sufficient in bringing relief and my periodic massage sessions (about once every 3-4 weeks) were not even putting a dent in the pain. In fact, I think I was developing more trigger points than when the pain first surfaced. This meant it was time for some real changes. I had to start dealing with the postural and gait patterns that undoubtedly contributed to the way I feel. For me that also meant attempting to change some long-standing habits that I knew would be difficult to shift. I can relate to my clients in a way I never wanted to. Since we as humans tend to move, breathe and stand unconsciously, it takes a lot of training to bring one’s mind to those activities to make sure they are not causing dysfunction in our bodies. It’s one of the reasons massage therapy is such a popular form of treatment. We therapist will spend at least an hour manipulating a client’s muscles and tissues into more functional positions, sometimes successfully bringing the body back to a state of homeostasis. Shortly after the massage, though, the client will settle back into her habit of putting her purse on the same shoulder she’s worn it on since age 13. She’ll walk leading with the same hip and leg that she’s lead with since she started walking and shift her weight to the same hip and leg leg when she’s standing. She’ll sleep in the same positions that has slept in for nights on end, and sit at her desk with her shoulders rounded and her head forward, sometimes with her legs crossed at the knee. It doesn’t take long for the same pain patterns to appear that brought her to her massage therapist. This scenario can and does happen to everyone at some point.
Well, I can now say that I no longer want to be like that client. I’ve started moving, breathing and sleeping (well, preparing for sleep, anyway) more consciously than before. I’ve also begun weekly chiropractic and NMT massage sessions and have integrated more yoga and stretching into my daily routine. Also, because mental and emotional stress also impinges on muscles and joints movement, adding to the development of holding patterns, I’ve been using guided meditations to help decompress. So far I’m seeing slight improvements as time progresses but I find it is a combination of all the above that is helping get me back to a pain-free state. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to preach to my clients the virtues of staying body conscious, and will continue to practice them as well.
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David Scott Lynn wrote,
Dear Shelley,
I’ve been involved in yoga for over 30 years and a therapeutic bodyworker for almost as long. I have a high success rate in working with people who everyone else has given up on, including alternative therapies like NMT, Rolfing, Cranial, etc.
In my experience, at least half of all the people I have worked with who had neck and shoulder pain, it is the result of over-shortened and contracted abdominal muscles, usually the intrafusal fibers. It is the shortening of the intrafusal fibers, rather than the extrafusal fibes, which can contribute to the illusion that their abdominal muscles are too weak or un-toned. The trick, of course, is learning to work with the intrafusal fibers. — If you went to ASHA in Atlanta, Fred Davis should have informed you of much this. He took several of the programs I taught there at ASHA and in Fred’s living room over ten years ago. You might also look up Linda Calandro, as she should be able to work with your situation. I think she is still in Atlanta. If not, let me know.
Take Care,
David Scott Lynn
P.S. My web site, as it is at this moment, was a practice site for me to learn on, and although there is a lot of information hidden away on it, most of the links do not work and the lay-out is not very attractive. — DSL
Link | February 5th, 2007 at 5:03 pm