So I evaluated her low back, but in this process I took a look at her standing posture. Her posture suggested upper back and neck pain as well as low back pain. So I asked her to tell me about her neck and upper back pain?

She looked at me and said, “How do you know?” and immediately followed up with “my old PT would only look at one thing at a time!”

I then explained to her what her posture told me: First, she was tight (locked short) in the front of her body, particularly the hip flexors, chest, and the front of the neck. This led to weak muscles (locked long) in her deep spinal muscles, her core and her upper back/shoulder blade area. Her head stuck out forward, her pelvis also stuck out and she presented as she had a moderate lean forward.

With a few simple verbal and tactile cues, she was standing tall and both her low back pain and neck pain decreased. However, she could not find this position or hold it on her own at all.

Then I explained how the spinal and shoulder blade posture was creating poor mechanics for the entire spine and that I treat the entire body as needed to solve the problem(s) that got them to me.

I also noticed how she was very anxious and nervous about everything. This led to a discussion about the fight or flight response, which led to a cranial-sacral manual treatment session.

After the treatment, which was focused to just her skull this day, she stood tall on her own and was out of pain, both the upper back pain and lower back pain. She relaxed for the first time in who knows how long and had a great response to the session. Now, she still does not have the strength to hold this posture for very long, so on the next session we initiated core stabilization exercises and progressed to Pilates and Gyrotonic exercises for mind body awareness training.

Adjusting a small bone called the sphenoid can have effects on the entire body.

IT’S ALL CONNECTED!

Are you unable to relax? always stressed? worried about everything? feel fatigued all the time?

If YES, then schedule your FREE Discovery Session with our Physical Therapist to learn more about Cranial-Sacral treatment.

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Then I get asked…What is manual therapy?

To answer that question, I want to tell a story…

It all started with a professor that was certified in manual therapy and was super passionate about his work and hands on skills. The New Orleans Saints and the minor league hockey team (NOLA Brass) were always around getting treatment from him. He was the first PT that I had ever known that did not use ultrasound, electrical stimulation and other modalities to treat pain, only his hands and therapeutic exercise. It was great to have Dr Bob as a professor and he instilled that passion to get good with my hands.

After graduating from PT school I had an immediate interest in manual therapy and its quick results for back pain relief. This lead me to study different manual therapy approaches, including Goeff Maitland, Brian Mulligan and John Barnes. I was certified in Maitlands approach after a 5 year program, which is very focused on one specific joint or structure considered to be the issue. Then I found Myofascial Release with John Barnes, while starting my Gyrotonic certification and after my Pilates certification was complete. This was a profound step in my career, teaching me to look at the body as a tree first, holistically. Then if needed, after shaking the tree up, I could focus on the leaves of the tree with Maitland’s and Mulligan’s work. So all of the sudden, I was equipped with a whole body manual therapy approach and exercise approach with Pilates and Gyrotonic.

So manual therapy can vary from the very subtle myofascial release and cranial-sacral work (which is absolutely amazing) to the more aggressive deep release work, to joint mobilizations and manipulations. Everybody is different and the treatment plan using manual therapy is individualized to each client’s needs and goals.

So after a thorough evaluation, manual therapy is used all over the body as needed to improve flexibility, while reducing pain drastically. With pain reduction, the body is now ready to move in its new postures and that is where Pilates and Gyrotonic is extremely helpful when combined with manual therapy sessions.

So this story from school to present defines not only manual therapy, but our entire approach including manual therapy, Pilates and Gyrotonic. Cheryl and I have been committed to this approach since 2002 and enjoy teaching it to others, both clients and students alike.

If you or someone you love are in PT elsewhere without getting manual therapy, or if the PT is sharing you with other clients at the same time, then it may be time to give us a call at 512-215-4227.

Are you interested in learning if manual therapy can start your healing process?

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My youngest son loves doing manual therapy on people just like his dad!

The post Relieve Back Pain With The Touch Of Manual Therapy! appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.