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Sport: It's not what you do it's the way that you do it Elisabeth Dodgson, teacher of the Alexander Technique explores the various forms of exercise that can assist back pain sufferers These days, long periods of bed-rest and staying immobile are rarely prescribed for back pain sufferers. On the contrary, it is generally accepted that keeping mobile is a good thing and gentle exercise is suggested. Swimming is opften cited as a nice safe activity to do but running ... Oh no! Running is bad for the back and hard on the knee joints. Alexander Technique teacher Elisabeth Dodgson says that this is not necessarily true and in fact, depending on how you do it, running could be just the ticket to looen you up and swimming the worst thing for you to do. How you do something is dependent on the habits that ou have picked up over your lifetime. All too often our habits hurt us. If we run "well" then running is going to be fine, if we swim "badly" then it won't be good. We do everything in our own particular way and that way has been built up over a lifetime of coping with the imperfect world around us. Some of our habits are just fine but many of them cause us to move badly and store stress in our muscles. Poring over desks, sitting on badly designed chairs, becoming injured, and the general pressures of life cause us to develop more and more negative habits. These habits cause inappropriate shortening and tighteniong of muscles which in turn lead to pain and injuries. A bad back is a classic result of the acculmulation of negative habits. How can we run or swim well? By well I mean in a way that will not iunjure you. The problem with habits is that it is difficult to know we have them. To us the way we do something feels right. Our kinaesthetic awaareness has become faulty so it is difficult, or even impossible, to know what to change and how. We need to hjave outside help - not only to reveal our habits to us but also to help replace those damaging habits with beneficial ones. Fortunately help is at hand. An Alexander Technique teacher is trained to do just that. During an Alexander Technique lesson the teacher uses their hands to guide their pupil in movements to help them become more aware of what is happening. No manipulation is involved; rather, through simple movements they help your muscles return to an appropriate resting length and to have just the right amount of tone in use. Pupils gradually build up a better kinaesthetic awareness and can think while moving and take back control about HOW they do everything. Liz calls this "thinking in activity".
Details of your local teacher casn be found on www.stat.org.uk or 0845 230 7828 |