I got an email this week from someone who reached out to me for my Free report on neck pain. Read below!
“Stephen, thanks for the neck pain report that I got from your website. It was very informative and I have started working on 2 of the tips over the last week and they are helping some so far. As I browse your website, I read about Physical Therapy and Pilates, but I am not sure what Gyrotonic is, as I have never heard of it. So my question is this, how do you use Gyrotonic exercises in your Physical Therapy practice to help neck pain? My online search makes me think it is just for elite athletes and dancers and I am neither.”
Kim 48- Austin
This was a great question that I wanted to answer for everyone, as it is common for my patients to not know what GYROTONIC® is or how it can help with neck or back pain.
First, let me say that Gyrotonic exercise is the BEST postural re-education system that I have come across in my 18 years of Physical Therapy experience. Cheryl and I were exposed to it in LA in 2002 when we were completing our Pilates Certification. A year later we moved to Sonoma and Cheryl started working with Madeline Black, founder of Studio M. It was this stop on our journey that allowed Cheryl to get certified in the Gyrotonic Expansion System.
So back to the question at hand!
I use Gyrotonic exercises and equipment to teach my neck patients the proper placement of their head and shoulders in sitting and standing, as well as in all dynamic movements of the spine. But it actually starts at the pelvis and lower spine and builds its way up to the upper back and neck. With this approach, the entire spine is relearning and strengthening in the proper postural position. And most importantly, it emphasizes this strength and awareness in sitting and teaches one how to open the chest and get the shoulder blades and arms moving.
Check out this quick video of the upper body opening series in one of my group classes on the Gyrotonic Tower!
[youtube id=”denj3m6k878″]
We are not really moving as fast as the video shows 🙂
In fact it is very much the opposite in that we move slowly with focus, using proper breathing as the driving force. So I hope you enjoyed this quick video of 2 normal ladies with spinal conditions getting their Gyro on!
Yes, we can use the same system to challenge the professional athlete, dancer or circus freak. However, we mostly work with normal folks that want to stay active, fit and free from pain pills!
If you would like to receive the FREE report on neck and shoulder pain, please click here –> Free Neck & Shoulder Pain Report >
So I hope this helps your understanding of the Gyrotonic system and how it can be used for Physical Therapy or personal training, no matter what your fitness level is.
Or if you want to schedule a FREE 20 minute Gyrotonic Taster session to experience the equipment first hand, follow the link below and we will see you soon.