What is Feldenkrais® method for back pain? In the U.S. alone, up to 16 million adults experience chronic back pain — it’s one of the most expensive conditions in healthcare costs alone. Factor in the time you may need to take off of work and the priceless expense of missing out on experiences you love. When you take all of these elements into consideration, it’s truly a taxing condition.
Unfortunately, lots of us end up ignoring our pain. We think we need to simply push past this “pesky” sensation in order to conquer it. At the end of the day, the aches and soreness haven’t gone away — in fact, they’re usually worse!
There are several interventions you can employ to help relieve pain. In this post, we will cover the Feldenkrais® Method for back pain.
What is Feldenkrais Method?
The Feldenkrais® Method is a unique educational system for relieving pain that employs gentle, slow movements — created in the 1940s by Moshe Feldenkrais and is based on his theory that stress and tension are inherent in daily life. Stress and tension were not the cause of back pain and limitation problems. The root cause of these symptoms was a person did not understand how the body and brain work together.
With a background in engineering, physics, and martial arts, Dr. Feldenkrais brought forward a method that examined pain and loss of function from the perspective of a comprehensive system of thinking. His method was not just about changing something in the body that would relieve pain. He saw that people generally did not know how to use their minds—their thinking and activate their ability to choose how to move. Most people suffering from pain and limitation do not realize that there is an unconscious dialogue in the background of their lives between the brain, gravity, and their musculoskeletal and fascia parts.
The Feldenkrais Method is an educational method that teaches how to eavesdrop on the brain or nervous system and how to influence this unspoken dialogue. Learning how to use ‘focused awareness’ and gentle, rhythmic movements in specific body areas, he was able to apply the tenets of neuroscience and develop new solutions to improve not just back pain but overall back health.
Based on the notion that all movement is an expression of the whole person, the method improved function and well-being by increasing one’s ability to learn how to listen kinesthetically—the sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, fascia, and joints. Recovering or restoring good motion in all directions was the key to recovering from pain and limitation.
Feldenkrais® Method practitioners typically work with individuals experiencing pain in their back or neck or loss of function. By using a gentle touch, verbally directed movements, breathwork, and movements done in one’s imagination, practitioners help their client’s brain and nervous system to release tension and restore mobility.
Why Should You Use the Feldenkrais® Method?
Used for decades to treat physical and mental health, The Feldenkrais® is a unique body-mind healing approach that uses movement to improve all the concerns we have as we age: balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility. In addition, it can help alleviate back pain, neck pain, and other spine-related issues.
The Feldenkrais® Method can be very helpful in resolving back pain. It educates patients on their bodies and helps them move their bodies in the most efficient way possible. It teaches relaxation techniques that can help reduce stress and tension in the body. It can also improve the range of motion and flexibility, and help to decrease pain levels. Moreover, it can help to enhance communication between the mind and body.
Getting Started: Where and How to Begin
If you’re considering using the Feldenkrais® Method for your back pain, consider these tips:
1) Talk to a Somatic Practitioner About Your Condition: You should speak with a trained professional about your current condition. They can help determine if the Feldenkrais® Method is a good approach for you. Here is a link to find a qualified practitioner near you.
2) Do Some Research: Before starting any new program or routine, it’s always a good idea to learn as much as possible about it. “Educating yourself” is the primary reason this modality was created!
3) Take an in-person or online class: Feldenkrais® classes are taught by certified practitioners, and you’ll find that all participant’s abilities are treated equally and with respect. That doesn’t mean everyone will walk away from every class feeling terrific but being in a program is the first step in understanding how your body and brain work and what you can do to influence the connection between better health, function, and movement. And it is a cost-efficient way to help your progress. Here is a link that gives you free online lessons targeted at relieving pain.
Conclusion
Back pain is a common ailment that can be debilitating and cause immense suffering. Fortunately, there are many ways to help your back pain, and one of the most popular is the Feldenkrais® Method. This gentle exercise enables you to correct your posture and restore mobility in your neck, shoulders, spine, and hips. If you’re struggling with chronic back pain or want to improve your quality of life, give this approach a try.
Need more guidance on Feldenkrais back pain method? Reach me at 812-344-4119 so we can discover the best modality for your pain.