Alexander Technique in Lewes
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with Adele Gibson MSc MSTAT - Tel: 01273 473168
with Adele Gibson MSc MSTAT - Tel: 01273 473168
My Blog
Blog
New Alexander session at Phoenix centre
| Posted on July 26, 2016 at 10:15 AM |
comments (102)
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New group session for senior Lewes residents
I have just started a weekly Wednesday morning session at the Phoenix day centre in Lewes aimed at older residents and users of the centre. We are also looking to see whether the Techique is helpful for people with dementia. If you are a senior and live in Lewes why not pop into the centre to see what's on offer. Apart from Alexander Technique there are art classes, visiting muscians and a healthy daily lunch. . |
Re: antibiotics for back pain
| Posted on June 3, 2013 at 6:30 AM |
comments (77)
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A recent study into the use of antibiotics as a cure for
back pain was completed in Denmark and published in the European Spine Journal
in early May. A press conference was
held to publicise the findings and newspapers widely reported the research. The articles claimed that 40% of back pain
could be cured by antibiotics, there was even mention that the research could
be worthy of a Nobel Prize.
As an Alexander teacher with a particular interest in back
pain, I was interested to take a closer look at the findings.
Firstly the BMJ take (14 May 2013):
The trial was a randomised double
blind controlled trial of 162 patients with a history of at least six months of
low back pain and previous disc herniation that was visible with magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI).A few news reports urged caution. The
Canadian Globe and Mail quoted a physician who said that there were “dozens of
causes of back pain” that would not respond to antibiotics. The Independent
reported from the press conference: “The examination can only be carried out by
a practitioner trained to recognise the changes and distinguish pain caused by
infection from that due to other causes.”Martin Underwood, professor of
primary care research at Warwick Medical School and who has chaired National
Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on low back pain, told
the BMJ, “These are promising preliminary findings, but it is too soon to start
changing practice on their basis until they have been replicated in other
studies and in other populations.” He went on, “These findings are only relevant to a small minority of people with
chronic back pain who have both degenerative changes and evidence of modic
changes.”
From BMJ responses:
G Lorimer Moseley – Clinical Scientist – University of South
Australia - replies
I believe that chronic
back pain is a multifactorial problem. I believe that
persistent pain is associated with changes in sensitivity throughout the
nociceptive neuraxis, and with multiple system dysfunction. I believe that
persistent pain is evidence that the brain still concludes that a body part
needs protecting and working out why this is the case can be very very
difficult. I believe the evidence in support of my position is very compelling.
It is difficult for people in pain to accept this position because it implies
that the journey to recovery will necessarily be a long and difficult one,
rather than a short and easy one.This is not the first study to claim
a simple cure for back pain – a recent example is that of an RCT of injecting
blue dye into the disc, which had better outcomes than the antibiotic study,
and was accompanied by an editorial raising the possibility that is was a
‘cure’1, but it didn’t get anything close to the hype that the antibiotic paper
did (perhaps including ‘Nobel’ in the media release was the key). We must
remember that patients probably don’t hear the qualifying statements that put
the idea of ‘cure’ into context – they just have a new reason to hang on to an
outdated model of their chronic pain.
From Rheumatology Update: A widely publicised study which
claimed antibiotics could relieve up to 40% of lower back pain failed to
disclose its authors’ potential conflicts of interest, it has emerged.Three authors did not state they
serve on the board of a UK company that receives money to certify doctors in
antibiotic therapy.The publicly-listed Modic Antibiotic
Spine Therapy Academy, or MAST Academy, charges £200 ($310) to certify doctors
in how to identify and treat modic back pain with antibiotics. Clinicians can
alternatively take an online course for £100 ($155).The authors claimed that the cause of
up to 40% of lower-back pain was a common infection in the vertebrae that could
be cured by antibiotics.The randomised double-blind trial
concluded that 100 days of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid reduced disability
and pain compared to a placebo in 162 patients with chronic lower back pain
associated with vertebral bone edema.Dr Michael Vagg, a pain specialist at
Deakin University, told Fairfax Media that while the link between bacterial
infections and some back pain was plausible, the authors had not shown that the infection in question was the cause
of the patients’ pain.“They don’t have the
science to entitle them to make the sort of claims they’re making,” he said.
It would seem that the newspapers were guilty of hype and some
of the writers were guilty of a lack of serious scientific investigation. We know that back pain can be attributed to a
number of causes and the most common cause is muscle spasm. Disc related injuries are less common. In our work as Alexander Teachers we work
with correcting misuse – a term which covers how we use our bodies in all our
daily activities and includes posture, movement and breathing. Our own MRC sponsored trial showed that the
incidence of back pain could be reduced by 86% by having Alexander lessons.
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Gardening with a little Alexander Technique know-how
| Posted on May 2, 2012 at 2:57 PM |
comments (80)
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.
Your garden can be your pride and joy or your source of
pain! Here are some tips which can help you to enjoy
your gardening without straining yourself. 1.
If you can, try to do a little and often – an
hour 3 times a week rather than 3 hours on one day. If you only have one day free to garden then
take regular breaks – say after every hour of work – sit down and enjoy your
garden. (Or even better, lie down in semi-supine
(a favourite Alexander Technique
position i.e. with 3 paperback books
under your head, your feet about hip width apart and your knees bent up and
allow your back to open up and your shoulders to relax). 2.
Mix it up – by varying the tasks that you do you
will use different muscles and joints so will minimise the risk of straining a
particular area of your body. Try to do
a bit of weeding, a bit of cutting back, and then maybe trim the edges of your
lawn. 3.
A lot of work can be done kneeling (use a
cushion) or even sitting. If you have to
bend then bend using your hips and knees rather than bending from the waist or
rounding your shoulders. Try not to
overreach but get up and move closer and when you do get up take the time to
stretch and open up if you have been crouching. 4.
Be gentle with yourself – by avoiding strains
you can come back and do some more tomorrow.
Try to be aware of how you are using your body – if you feel strain then
stop right away and take a break – walk around, sit down or best of all do some
lying down semi-supine style. 5. Take
breaks before you get exhausted. Take
pleasure in the activity you are doing – take time to notice the opening buds,
the insects, birds and butterflies. 6.
Try gardening with a friend and take turns on
whose garden you work on. You are much
less likely to overdo it if you are relaxed and chatting at the same time. You
could even form work teams to tackle big jobs together and help each other out.
7.
If you find you have overdone it then take 20
minutes to lie down in semi-supine. Try not to panic that just adds more tension,
instead think of your muscles releasing and let your shoulders open out. When you get up roll over onto your side
first. Have a few days off and next time
go more gently with yourself. Enjoy your beautiful gardens. Adele Gibson. |
Walking uphill and against the wind
| Posted on April 23, 2012 at 3:33 PM |
comments (88)
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It certainly is breezy at the moment and this morning I was walking straight into the wind and up a steep hill on the Downs with my 2 dogs. Both walking into the wind and up a hill makes you want to lean forwards - this only makes walking more difficult. Next time you are walking up a hill just try to stay upright - you could think of sending your head up over the hill. When you lean forwards you are taking your body out of good alignment and therefore making your back muscles work harder. If you stay upright then your legs do the work of carrying you over the hill and your back won't get so tense. The hills of Lewes and the South Downs and great places to do some Alexander walking. Let me know how you get on. |
First post - benefits of lying down in semi-supine
| Posted on April 20, 2012 at 3:52 AM |
comments (251)
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Welcome to my blog. I aim to tell you a bit about how I use the Alexander Technique in my daily life and how you too can improve your own body use. The one most valuable thing that you can do for yourself on a daily basis is find time to lie down for 10 minutes. All you need is a carpeted floor and 3 paper back books. Lie on yoru back with your head on the books and your knees bent upwards with your feet about hip width apart. This position allows the muscles of your neck and back to release. I do this every morning after seeing the family out the door and walking the dogs. I find it sets me up for the rest of the day. But - you can do it whenever it suits your routine - some people like to do it when the get home from work as it helps to let go of any tension that has accumulated during the day. Good luck! |
