THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE FOR BACK PAIN
By Loren Shlaes, OTR/L, CTAT
If you’ve ever suspected that your chronic or intermittent back, neck or shoulder pain was directly related to how you use your body, you’re correct. According to Dr. Emil Pascarelli, professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University and author of Dr. Pascarelli’s Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain
Injuries, all repetitive strain injuries are posture or use related. In my clinical opinion, musculoskeletal pain that is not structural in nature or due to injury is caused by poor habits of posture and use.
Many of us who have suffered from musculoskeletal pain have tried different solutions, like massage or chiropractic, get a treatment and feel great, only to have our problems come right back again. Or we take a look at ourselves in the mirror, lament our bad posture, try to sit or stand up straight, and give it up almost immediately as a bad job. Why does standing straight hurt so much, and why is it almost impossible to sit tall for more than a minute or two? Why does it take so much effort? Why does bending over feel as if we are the Tinman without the oil can, when it used to be so effortless when we were small children?
In an attempt to stand up straight, we pull our shoulders back, tighten and stick out our chests, suck in our bellies, and stiffen our legs. This does not feel good, so we immediately revert to our normal way of being and think that good posture is impossible. The reason this doesn’t work is that we are merely imposing another set of muscular tensions on top of the ones we unconsciously carry around with us. A better solution is to learn what we are doing wrong, let it go, and allow our bodies to assume their natural upright inheritance.
F.M. Alexander discovered this for himself at the turn of the 20th century, when doctors could not relieve the intractable vocal problems that were threatening to derail his career as an actor. Determined to find and correct the cause of his hoarseness, he observed himself as he spoke and moved. He noticed that when he wanted to project his voice, he responded by tightening the muscles in his neck and pulling his head backwards and downwards. This unconscious tightening, or startle response, was causing a chain reaction throughout his entire body. His shoulders would roll forward, his chest would collapse, and his legs would lock. His collapsed ribs would not allow his lungs to expand to their full capacity, and his tight neck muscles caused his larynx to constrict. He concluded that his hoarseness and inability to project were caused by his own poor use patterns. Eventually, he worked out a way to inhibit his habits and replace them with better choices when he wanted to speak.
If you’re wondering what this has to do with you if you’re not an actor, the chances are very good that if you are experiencing pain on a regular basis, you are unconsciously imposing unnecessary tension on yourself as you go about your daily life, impairing your coordination and distorting your posture. A series of lessons in the Alexander Technique is the missing link to a good pain recovery program, or to just staying in the best shape. By becoming aware of unconscious habit, inhibiting poor use patterns and substituting healthy choices, we can have a great deal of control over our own musculoskeletal health.
Loren Shlaes, OTR/L, CTAT
Loren is a NASTAT certified Alexander Technique teacher, a manual therapist, and an occupational therapist. For adults, she provides pain management, office and computer ergonomics, body mechanics, and traditional occupational therapy. She also teaches vocal production and stage presence using the Alexander Technique. Her pediatric practice centers around school based issues, fine motor skills and handwriting.
Phone: (212) 923-2860