THOSE ACHES AND PAINS

All of us, young and old, get aches and pains at some time or other. The result of over-doing it in the garden, over-exercising at the gym, and even too much sitting watching the television! Have you ever observed yourself as you carry out normal daily tasks like mopping the kitchen floor, sweeping the garden path, making a cup of tea, cleaning your teeth, and even something as simple as sitting on the sofa? Are you really sitting comfortably? Probably not!

Sit and watch the television/drive the car/work at your computer - and release those tense muscles! Release your neck and shoulders as you clean your teeth. Mop the floor, but don't strangle the poor old mop. What has it done to you? Stand by the sink as you wash the pots and release your buttocks and thighs. Can you feel the difference? You just don't realise how much unnecessary strain you are putting your body through. Your body needs re-educating. This is where the Alexander Technique can come to your rescue.

The Alexander Technique is about being aware of muscle tension, balance, posture and movement in everyday activities. Emotional and physical strains accumulated over a lifetime can soon become fixed in the form of chronic muscle tension, often resulting in symptoms such as back and neck pain, creaky knees and hips, and shoulder problems.

Learning and applying the Alexander Technique can help alleviate many of these conditions, as well as stress related symptoms, some breathing and digestive problems, and any condition where excessive muscular effort or tension is a factor.

The role of the Alexander teacher is to use gentle guidance with the hands, as well as verbal instruction. Pupils are taught how to become conscious of their own patterns of interference and learn how to project messages from brain to muscle to prevent those patterns and help the natural mechanisms of poise to function more freely.

The results of a study to determine the effectiveness of the Alexander Technique was published in the British Medical Journal on the 20 August 2008.  The research revealed that the Alexander technique offers long term benefits for chronic and recurrent back pain.  See www.bmj.com for full report.

If you would like more information on the Alexander Technique, contact Miriam Wohl, ( www.stat.org or www.miriamwohl.com 0116 2404243)who practices at the Leicester Sports Medicine Clinic ( www.leicestersportsmed.co.uk ), 132 Victoria Park Road, Leicester LE2 1DX. To book an introductory lesson with Miriam, telephone 0116 2100100.