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Long-Term Relief From Back Pain: The Feldenkrais Method
The way to get long-term relief from back pain is to look at the whole body as a unified system.
Short-term approaches addressing symptoms and the local region of pain may provide immediate relief. If they also provide long-term relief, that is excellent. But if the pain returns after a short interval, then it is time to try a more holistic approach.
That holistic approach for you may be the Feldenkrais Method. It is named after its founder, Moshe Feldenkrais. He was born in 1904 in Ukraine, traveled and taught extensively throughout his life and died in in 1984 in Israel. Those who have passed through the professional training process he established are called Feldenkrais practitioners.
The focus of the Feldenkrais Method is on movement. Moshe Feldenkrais said: “Movement is life, and without movement life is unthinkable.”
He created a training system. “The aim,” as he said, “is a person that is organized to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, not through muscular strength, but through increased consciousness of how movement works.”
This method is taught in movement sequences that are called lessons. They are available in group classes or individual sessions. They focus on activities of daily life, such as reaching, turning, rolling over, standing, walking and running. Each person explores how she or he manifests each action, what other choices may be available, and what difference each choice makes. The intention is to train the ability to differentiate for oneself what is best.
Very often the exploration reveals that in an action where there is pain, for instance, bending over, the bending is being done with just a part of the body. Then, guided by the lesson, as more of the body is included, the bending becomes more comfortable, and fun.
This pattern is especially seen in long-term back pain, where, examination reveals, not just one spot is in trouble, but there is disruption in the unity of action in several places. Through the lessons Feldenkrais devised, these seemingly distant parts become re-integrated. Harmony and comfort are restored, and you get the pain to do what you want, which is – to go away.
Your local, guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner can get you there.
