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Ergonomic Computer Work Stations
Ergonomic Computer Work Stations
Ergonomic computer work station set up is relatively simple. Doing things in the correct sequence is the key to getting it right. This helps minimise strain on your joints, muscles and soft tissues while working at your computer and reduces the risk of occupation overuse syndromes.
Adjust your chair first
- Adjust seat height
- Adjust the height of your back rest
- Adjust the back rest angle
- Adjust the seat slope
- Sit to the back of your chair
- Do you need a foot rest?
Adjust your monitor height next
- Adjust monitor height—eyes approximately 5cm below top of screen
- Do you need a monitor raiser?
- Position monitor arms length from your seated position
- If you have 2 monitors, position them to avoid twisting
Keyboard and Mouse
- Normal keyboard and mouse—suitable for most people
- Frequent use of numbers—numeric keypad
- Frequent use of mouse, but not numbers—mini keyboard
- An ergonomic mouse and or gel wrist / mouse support or a negative tilt keyboard may help some people
Laptops
- Avoid prolonged work (more than one hour)
- Use an external keyboard, laptop ramp, or plug your laptop into an external monitor
Other ergonomic considerations
- Your phone should be within close reach
- Wear a headset if you will be typing while on the phone.
- Use a document holder to reduce twisting of your neck.
- Excessive brightness, glare or inadequate light can strain your eyes
- Inadequate ventilation or being too cold or too hot at work can impair your performance.
Home visit and site visit services
Free2Move offer a home or site visit service to provide individual solutions to ergonomic computer work station issues
Please note: The above suggestions are a guide only. If you are experiencing pain or any other difficulties with your workstation, please seek the guidance of a health professional with an understanding of ergonomics.
Foot Fitness Exercise Programme: Relieve Foot Pain
Foot Fitness Exercise Programme: Relieve Foot Pain
Free2Move’s Foot Fitness Exercise Programme has been developed by our principal Physiotherapist Jodie Krantz. It addresses common causes of foot pain such as pronation, joint hypermobility, plantar fasciitis, bunions (hallux valgus), neuroma and metatarsalgia. Jodie has helped people with many different types of foot pain to find lasting relief.
This programme is ideal for complex, recurrent or persistent foot pain (also known as chronic pain) even when it has not responded to the usual treatments, for example Physiotherapy, Podiatry or surgery. The focus is on finding a more ideal alignment, stretching and / or strengthening the feet, legs and core muscles.
A home exercise programme using small firm domes called Foot Wakers and Foot Savers is at the heart of the programme. Jodie believes that the excessive use of orthotics can be detrimental to maintaining healthy foot structure and function. She has found that barefoot exercises to mobilise and strengthen the foot often work when other treatments have failed.
Improving biomechanics and decreasing sensitization to relieve foot pain
Faulty biomechanics and / or incorrect footwear are predisposing factors in many forms of persistent foot pain. In addition, pain sensitization is often an issue and to change this, you need to change the way the brain and nervous system are functioning.
This is where a knowledge of both Clinical Pilates and the Feldenkrais Method can be helpful. Clinical Pilates helps with finding the optimal alignment as well as stretching and strengthening to improve biomechanics. The Feldenkrais Method helps to improve functional activities such as walking, climbing stairs or running and assists with reversing pain sensitization.
Good alignment and orthotics in the relief of foot pain
The primary focus of the exercise programme is to find the best possible alignment between the foot, knee and hip and to improve the functional use of the foot in standing, balancing, walking and any sports or recreational activities. This involves far more than just the foot, in fact even what you are doing with your head, neck and shoulders can affect foot function and gait.
Although orthotics are often helpful as a way to restore good alignment of the foot and ankle, they are primarily a passive form of support. Like a walking stick or crutches, sometimes they are the best long-term solution to foot pain. Whenever possible though, Jodie believes it is better to develop the strength and stability to find good alignment without dependence on orthotics. This is why the exercises are usually done barefoot.
Personal experience with foot pain
Jodie has used exercises with the Foot Wakers and Foot Savers to overcome the pain of Hallux Rigidus, a type of osteoarthritis affecting the big toe. For several years Jodie was unable to walk regularly and even walking around a shopping centre would result in significant pain and swelling. Now Jodie walks comfortably for at least 45 minutes daily and recently participated in a 60km walk in Perth to raise funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.
The programme is customised to suit each person, but usually involves:
- 3 fourty minute individual appointments
- a daily home exercise programme
- a small group supervised exercise programme
The best way to get started on our Foot Fitness Exercise Programme is to book an individual assessment with Jodie.
Patellofemoral Pain
Patellofemoral Pain
By Alison McIntosh
Patellofemoral pain (and patellofemoral dysfunction) are a common causes of pain felt at the front of the knee. This pain originates from the joint between the patella (the kneecap) and the femur (thigh bone).
The patella usually glides/ tracks through the patella groove on the femur during flexion and extension of the knee. Compression is a natural component of this movement however an increase in the compressive force at this joint can result in patellofemoral pain. This can be caused by an alteration in the position of the patella (interfering with its smooth tracking during knee movements). An altered position of the patella is commonly a result of quadriceps (front thigh muscle) imbalance.
The most common imbalance occurs when the pull of the outer quadriceps muscle (Vastus Lateralis) is too strong compared with the pull of the the inner quadriceps VMO (Vastus Medialis Obliquus) which is often too weak. If the lateral structures of the knee (Iliotibial band and Retinaculum) are very tight this adds to the problem, which is known as ‘patella maltracking’.
Common signs and symptoms of patellofemoral pain:
- Pain underneath the kneecap
- Knee pain with rising to standing from a seated position
- Knee pain associated with prolonged knee flexion (eg sitting in the movies/ on an plane)
- Knee pain with climbing and particularly descending stairs
- Knee pain with running , hopping, squats, lunges
Common causes of patellofemoral pain:
- Over pronation of the feet ‘dropped arches’ as a result of
- poor foot wear (inappropriate arch support)
- a genetic pre-disposition (possibly a family history of hypermobility ) or
- as a result of poor gluteal strength (important in maintaining a neutral lower limb alignment)
- Over loading of the joint as a result of
- biomechanics (one stronger more dominant limb)
- occupational causes
- sporting limb dominance
- Recent changes to an exercise regime i.e.
- recent commencement of running
- alteration of fitness regime to include squats, lunges, hill or stair training
- recent increase in intensity of a training program
Diagnosis:
A diagnosis of patellofemoral pain or patellofemoral dysfunction is usually made without the need for medical imaging. A physiotherapy assessment will frequently involve:
- Specific orthopaedic testing of the patello femoral joint
- Biomechanical analysis
- Gait analysis
- Functional testing of the knee, ankle hip and pelvis
- Knee ligament testing to aid in identifying any additional knee ligament or cartilage involvement
- Hip and lumbar spine testing to aid in identifying any referred pain
- Functional assessment to determine strength/balance/alignment
Treatment:
The first aim of treatment is usually to reduce pain in the short term. At Free2Move we frequently use a patient specific combination of the following modalities
- Acupuncture
- Soft tissue massage
- Joint mobilisations
- Taping
- Neuro muscular re-education through the Feldenkrais Method
- Foot wear advice and arch support taping
- Exercise/training modification
Secondly, treatment of patellofemoral pain would aim to restore efficient bio-mechanics, improve function and if required focus on sport specific rehabilitation. This may be achieved using:
- Feldenkrais Method
- Clinical Pilates
- Patient specific home exercise program ultimately aiming to reduce the likelihood of any re-occurrence of the problem
5 Ways Feldenkrais Supports Mental Health
5 Ways Feldenkrais Supports Mental Health
The Feldenkrais Method is not just helpful for improving your physical health and well-being, it also supports your mental health. Your brain is essential in thinking, feeling (emotional health) and sensing via the 5 senses.
All movement is initiated via the brain and nervous system. When you improve the way you move you simultaneously improve your thinking, feeling and sensing, because you are actually changing the way your brain and nervous system is wired. Improvements to your brain function and mental health happen gently and with minimal effort on your part.
“What I’m after isn’t flexible bodies, but flexible brains. What I’m after is to restore each person to their human dignity. ” – Moshe Feldenkrais
So what are 5 ways that Feldenkrais can help support your mental health and overall well-being?
1. Developing mindfulness, concentration and attention supports mental health
During a Feldenkrais awareness through movement lesson you are guided to closely observe and mentally follow your body during both stillness and movement. This process gently focuses on body sensations and improves your kinaesthetic sense while developing relaxed concentration. Once engaged in the process thoughts and worries about the past and future are set aside. Improving mindfulness is known to help improve mental health.
2. Self-care: Learning to listen to your inner needs supports mental health
Feldenkrais lessons help you remember how good it feels to listen to your body sensations without forming judgements. You learn how to become more comfortable in your own skin. You start to realise that letting part of your awareness to attend to your inner experience need not reduce your effectiveness in the outside world, in fact it can enhance it.
3. Improving physical and mental habits supports mental health
Through Feldenkrais you discover that you have your own unique patterns of physical tension which are closely interwoven with the way you feel about yourself and the world around you. These patterns are simply neuro-muscular habits and habits can be changed. Instead of fighting against the tension or seeking to get rid of it, you learn to go with it. The habit, which may have been invisible then becomes obvious and you begin to discover that you have other options.
“When you know what you’re doing you can do what you want” Moshe Feldenkrais
4. Slowing down supports mental health
In Feldenkrais it’s not so much in the movements themselves that matter, its the way in which you do them. By going in slow motion you are able to observe things you would not otherwise notice about the quality of your movement. Practicing the component parts slowly gradually leads to more efficient movement patterns. Then the movements can then be done fast without losing efficiency. Going slowly allows you to more accurately map movements and your body’s position in space as it changes over time and creates more detailed and accurate mental maps of your body in your brain. This slow movement is a great antidote to the regular pace of life.
5. Learning to reduce effort supports mental health
Often we equate high achievement with hard work. However over-efforting can often interfere with efficiency. Trying hard and doing your best are not always the same thing. What if you could do more with less effort? How can you achieve the results you want without wasting effort or energy? These are questions we commonly explore within the context of Feldenkrais lessons. Rather than giving you answers we encourage you to engage with the question and guide you to discover your own answers. In this way the Feldenkrais Method supports autonomy and taking charge of your own physical and mental health.
The thing is, reading about Feldenkrais is like reading about the ocean when you’ve never been there. You really need to experience it for yourself, not just read about it. So we warmly invite you to come for an individual consultation or enquire about a trial class. If you don’t live in Perth, you can still access our free YouTube Videos via this site.
Feldenkrais for Stress and Anxiety
Feldenkrais for Stress and Anxiety
By Jodie Krantz
To improve our mental health we need to become more mindful of what is going on inside our bodies, not just in the world around us. Feldenkrais can help with this.
This week I started teaching a series of awareness through movement lessons for psychiatric inpatients at the Marion Centre, Perth Western Australia. This small private psychiatric hospital provides a rehabilitation service for people experiencing difficulty functioning in everyday life. I’m currently a volunteer at the hospital. I’m working in conjunction with a clinical psychologist and two occupational therapists.
Seeing people at such a low point in their lives has made me reflect on why more people need to know about the Feldenkrais Method. This method of learning to move more easily can improve your mental health as well as your physical health.
Developing skills to reduce stress, manage anxiety and improve mood has never been so important. According to the Australian bureau of statistics forty five percent of Australians experience mental health problems at some stage during their lives.
Anxiety is the most common form of mental illness in Australia and is the leading cause of disability in the world. Depression and mood disorders are also common. People with chronic pain (persistent pain) have a substantially increased risk of developing anxiety or depression.
Group work, relaxation training and various forms of physical exercise have long been known to assist in the management of mild to moderate anxiety and depression. The Feldenkrais Method combines mindfulness, movement and relaxation, all of which can help reduce stress, while improving many aspects of mental functioning.
Much of our lives are spent on autopilot. We respond in a stereotyped and habitual way to daily circumstances. Some of these responses are useful and but many are sub-optimal. Often we’re doing one thing but thinking about another thing. We rush from one activity to the next, desperately trying to multitask in order to achieve more in less time. We think of this as efficiency but the speed at which we live our lives is causing many of us to reach breaking point. Those who are most resistant to slowing down are often the ones who need it the most. Australian poet and cartoonist Michael Leunig has some funny but wise words to share with us on ‘restlessness‘ in Mr Curly’s letter to Vasco Pyjama!
During the course of an average day many of us spend a great deal of time tending to the tasks and demands of everyday life, while ignoring the body’s messages. For example we may go for long periods of time slouching in an uncomfortable chair, wearing a bra that constricts our breathing or shoes that hurt and damage our feet. Some of us habitually continue eating after we are full. Others become so preoccupied that we ignore our need to go to the toilet or get a drink.
“I believe that the unity of mind and body is an objective reality. They are not just parts somehow related to each other, but an inseparable whole while functioning. A brain without a body could not think. ” Moshe Feldenkrais
The thing is, reading about Feldenkrais is like reading about the ocean when you’ve never been there. You really need to experience it for yourself, not just read about it. We welcome you to call or email us today to enquire about a trial class or book an initial assessment. If you don’t live in Perth, you can access our free YouTube videos to begin your Feldenkrais journey.
Feldenkrais for Fibromyalgia
Feldenkrais for Fibromyalgia
How Feldenkrais Can Help Fibromyalgia
The Feldenkrais Method is a way of changing your habits in order to make movement easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable (while making your brain more flexible). Feldenkrais rhymes with ‘rice’ and is named after it’s inventor, Dr Moshe Feldenkrais. Read more about Feldenkrais here.
Hello, my name’s Jodie and I’m a Physiotherapist with over 25 years experience in working with people who have chronic pain, including many people, past and present, with Fibromyalgia. Read more about my work experience.
If you are battling with daily pain and fatigue, I can truly empathise. I used to laugh about the fact that I seemed to have had pain in every part of my body. I figured that it helped me develop new forms of self-treatment that I could teach my clients. I also felt that it made me a more compassionate therapist.
However it was a strange surprise when a few years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia myself. Since my mid 30s I have used Feldenkrais, Pilates, diet, exercise, massage, medication and meditation to help deal with variable daily pain and fatigue. My rheumatologist suggested that the reason that my Fibro has not stopped me from having an active and satisfying life is simply good management. So now I am on a mission to share with you the things that have worked for me over the years.
Although I have tried many approaches, the Feldenkrais Method is by far the most effective and powerful tool I’ve discovered to help with the persistent and sometimes severe pain of Fibromyalgia.
Over the years, I have seen many people with severe pain and movement difficulties turn their lives around using Feldenkrais. One client who had not experienced even one minute without pain for over 20 years did Feldenkrais with me for 3 months before he experienced his first 2 hours of being pain free. The pain-free periods gradually got longer and more frequent. After one year he was pain free most of the time. When he experiences pain now he knows how to find his way out of it again using the Feldenkrais Method.
This leads me to share with you 6 reasons why the Feldenkrais Method and is so suitable for many people with Fibromyalgia:
- Encouragement – a sense of relaxation and wellbeing is often experienced from the very first time you do a movement lesson and the enjoyment makes you want to continue
- Slow gentle pace – the slow mindful movements make it safe and help avoid flare-ups,
- Energy conservation – the focus is on efficient movement and reduced effort – imagine how much more energy you would have if you could bring this approach to everything you did!
- Flexibility and adaptability – each person is unique and different, and the exercises are easily adapted to your particular situation and needs
- Prevention – you become more sensitively tuned into your body so that you realise more quickly when you are doing something that will end in pain later
- Autonomy – you can learn to do Feldenkrais for yourself, reducing the need for hands-on treatment
No matter what your pain is like, how long you’ve had it, or how severe it is, almost everyone can improve their pain by improving their movement. The latest neuroscience suggests that the pain in Fibromyalgia, is not due to a problem in the tissues themselves, but to a dysfunction in the way the brain and nervous system transmit and interpret pain signals. This results in an increase in sensitivity to pain and to pain amplification.
The movements in Feldenkrais can help to decrease pain and improve your ability to perform everyday activities. The gentle, mindful movements send new and different messages to your brain through pleasant sensations, changing the way your brain and nervous system function. You begin to understand how some of your movement habits may not be working for you and you discover new options. This is a learning process which includes your whole body and your mind, not just the parts of you that hurt.
If you’d like to learn more, you can view video of a talk I gave to the Fibromyalgia Support Network of Western Australia. This includes a short Feldenkrais ‘Awareness Through Movement’ lesson you can try while sitting in a chair.
As you may be able to tell, I’m passionate about the Feldenkrais Method, so I hope you will feel free to contact me at Free2Move if you have any questions or if you’d like to book in for an individual Feldenkrais appointment.
Finding Strength Through Softness
Finding Strength Through Softness
DATE: Thursday 28th July 2015, 7.00pm – 9.00pm
PRESENTER: Jodie Krantz, Physiotherapist, Feldenkrais Practitioner and President of the Australian Feldenkrais Guild (WA Division) Read More
VENUE: Mt Hawthorn Community Centre – Lesser Hall – 197 Scarborough Beach Rd Mt Hawthorn
PARKING: The Lesser Hall is downstairs. There is plenty of free parking available outside.
COST: $35 payable to Heidi Sumner
BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES: Please email Heidi Sumner at sumnerheidi@hotmail.com or phone her on 0419 140 389
BRING: 2 large towels and an exercise mat or large blanket
WEAR: Comfortable clothing you can move in, warm socks, dress in layerA Feldenkrais Workshop for Manual Therapists
The Feldenkrais Method, as described in Norman Doidge’s new book “The Brain’s Way of Healing” utilises the brain’s neuroplasticity to help regain more graceful, comfortable and efficient movement. It enhances sensory awareness and results in almost effortless improvement in posture and movement habits, reducing pain and tension.
Physiotherapist and President of the Australian Feldenkrais Guild (WA) Jodie Krantz leads you through an experiential Feldenkrais journey into a new level of bodily awareness, specifically designed to help aromatherapists and massage therapists take better care of their own bodies.
Learn new ways to manage your own pain, tension or posture issues. Discover how to use you body in a more efficient and graceful way. Become aware of habitual patterns that interfere with optimal self-use
Come along and find out how this amazing method works. Discover for yourself how you can reduce strain and effort in your work.
Please dress in layers and wear warm comfortable clothing including socks. Bring 2 large towels and if you have one, an exercise mat or a thick blanket you can lie on.
Agenda for the Evening
7.00pm: Introduction to Feldenkrais and why it’s useful for massage therapists and aromatherapists
7.15pm Awareness Through Movement (ATM) Lesson: The Power of the Pelvis
7.50pm Tea Break / Questions and Sharing from the ATM Lesson
8.00pm ATM Lesson: Easy Arms and Hands
8.35pm Questions and Answers from the ATM Lesson
8.40pm Feedback Questionnaire
8.45pm CompletionJodie will be available until 9.00pm to answer any remaining questions.
Come along and give your body some well deserved attention!
View Jodie’s Feldenkrais Videos on YouTube
Low Level Laser Therapy (Cold Laser)
Low Level Laser Therapy (Cold Laser)
What is Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
LLLT or Cold Laser is a painless, non-invasive form of light therapy which is thought to stimulate a healing response in tissues such as muscles, blood vessels, bone, nerve, skin, ligaments, tendons and other connective tissue. The laser beam we use is in the infra-red range of the spectrum. Because it’s wavelength is beyond the red end of the spectrum of visible light, its beam is invisible.
Laser differs from visible light because it has a single coherent wavelength rather than a range of wavelengths (which are what give visible light it’s range of colours). Unlike light, a laser beam does not diverge, but remains parallel and this allows it to be focused in a precise way. Our Laser is different from medical Lasers used in surgery, as it does not generate heat and therefore cannot burn tissue (which is why it is sometimes called Cold Laser). Laser treatment is painless and there is no vibration or sound when it is emitted.
How does Low Level Laser Therapy work?
The simplest answer is that we don’t know. The main theory suggests that it affects metabolism at the level of the cells, bringing about chemical reactions which accelerate cellular metabolism. This is thought to result in more faster cellular repair and regeneration with the formation of healthy new cells. It may also work by improving the blood supply to an area. It may reducing pain by it’s effects on the nerve endings and by stimulation of the body’s own pain relieving chemicals (such as endorphins and seratonin).
What conditions seem to respond well to Low Level Laser Therapy?
Laser can be helpful for pain relief, reduction in swelling, promoting tissue healing and reduction in the formation of fibrous scar tissue.
Conditions reported in the scientific literature to respond to Laser include pain relief and tissue healing, especially:- Back Neck and Knee Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain
- Arthritis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tennis Elbow
- Ankle Sprains
- Tendinitis and Tendinosis
- Ulcers / Wound Healing
- Painful Scar Tissue
What is the Scientific Evidence for Low Level Laser Therapy?
LLLT is an emerging modality that looks like it will result in a multitude of effective new treatments. It has not yet gained widespread acceptance because the body of scientific research supporting it’s effectiveness is still small. More research needs to be done to show which conditions it is most useful for and what the doseage should be. Quite a lot of the current evidence comes from studies on animals such as mice, though there have been some encouraging human studies.
Free2Move recommends Low Level Laser Therapy as part of a normal Physiotherapy treatment programme rather than as a stand alone treatment. Because is is a relatively new treatment, results cannot be guaranteed.
What are the risks of Low Level Laser Therapy?
The main risk is to the retina of the eyes. The intense and focused beam can damage the eyes if it shines directly into them. Safety glasses are worn at all times during treatment to prevent this damage. As an additional precaution, the Laser beam is never turned on until it is placed on the skin. Because the Laser cannot be seen, a blue light indicates that the machine is working and is an added safety feature. Laser should not be done over the ovaries, testicles, thyroid or pregnant uterus. There are some other contraindications to Laser for which you should be screened by your therapist. Provided these precautions are taken there are no known negative side effects.
Read about Exercise, Imaging and Laser for Shoulder Pain
More info: Please call Free2Move on 0405 97 2211 or email info@free2move.com.au
Change Your Brain to Relieve Pain: An Introduction to Feldenkrais
Change Your Brain to Relieve Pain: An Introduction to Feldenkrais
Have you or someone you care about been experiencing chronic pain, with persistent or recurring episodes of pain or tension? Have you tried treatments which only work for a short time or don’t work at all? Then this enlightening evening about the Feldenkrais Method will open your mind to a new possibility – the possibility that your problem does not lie within the body part where you feel it, but in the brain and nervous system.
The great news is that you can change your brain and relieve almost any kind of pain with an ingenious method developed decades ago by a scientist ahead of his time, Dr Moshe Feldenkrais. Put simply, the Feldenkrais Method is a way of changing your habits to make movement easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable (while making your brain more flexible).
Current pain science tells us that if you’ve had pain for more than 3 months (chronic pain), the main problem is usually no longer in the tissues, muscles or bones, it’s actually in your brain and nervous system, which is where all pain is sensed. The movements in Feldenkrais are designed to send new and different messages to your brain, changing the way your brain and nervous system function. Feldenkrais works with your whole body and your mind, not just the parts that hurt. Read more about Feldenkrais.
Presenter Jodie Krantz is the President of the Australian Feldenkrais Guild (WA Division) and has been a registered Physiotherapist for over 25 years. Read more about Jodie’s experience and values.
Jodie has helped many people with seemly intractable chronic pain turn their lives around, using Feldenkrais:
Feldenkrais: Changing your Brain “It is by far the most effective and powerful method I use. One client, who had not experienced a single minute without pain for over 20 years did Feldenkrais with me for 3 months before he experienced his first 2 hours of being pain free. The pain-free periods gradually got longer and more frequent. After one year he is pain-free most of the time. When he experiences pain now he knows how to find his way out of it again using the Feldenkrais Method.
“Another client with Rheumatoid Arthritis went from severe difficulty walking to being almost pain-free in a couple of months. Many people find Feldenkrais is a great bridge that enables them to move on to more vigorous forms of exercise such as walking or Pilates.”
So what are some of the things that make Feldenkrais stand out over other methods?
- Changes can begin to occur from the very first time you do Feldenkrais
- Improvement is usually gradual and cumulative – the slow, gentle pace is what makes it safe and helps avoid flare-ups
- Autonomy – you can learn to do Feldenkrais for yourself, reducing the need for hands-on treatment and maybe lessening the need for medication
- Prevention – you become more sensitively tuned into your body so that you realise more quickly when you are doing something that will end in pain later on
- Each person is unique and different, so the exercises have built in flexibility and adaptability to your particular situation and needs
To understand what Feldenkrais is you need to actually experience it. So come along to the Bodhi Tree and experience Feldenkrais first hand.
This is how the evening will go:
- Brief description of the Feldenkrais Method
- How it works to change your brain and your pain
- Experience a Feldenkrais “Awareness through Movement” lesson sitting in chairs
- Questions and Answers
- Informal chat with Jodie after the workshop
Introduction to the Feldenkrais Method: ‘New Light on Old Patterns’
Introduction to the Feldenkrais Method: ‘New Light on Old Patterns’
On Tuesday 11th November, Perth Physiotherapist Jodie Krantz from Free2Move in Mt Hawthorn presented a 2 hour workshop to recently graduated Physios at the Australian Physiotherapy Association branch office. Fourteen Perth Physiotherapists, who have graduated within the last 5 years, had the opportunity to experience the Feldenkrais Method first hand from a presenter with over 20 years experience in the field.
Ms Krantz invited participants to engage with questions such as:
- How do we change habits which no longer serve us?
- What about the stubborn, longstanding patterns which seem to defy change?
- Is there a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ way to move? or breathe?
- How can the discoveries we make about our own movement patterns enhance our ability to educate our clients?
- What does it mean to re-educate our movement patterns and why is it necessary?
- How can we have more power with less force? greater range with less strain?
The Feldenkrais Method is based on the life work of Dr Moshe Feldenkrais (1904 – 1984). Dr Feldenkrais, an inventor, nuclear physicist and judo expert, understood ‘neuroplasticity’ – the ability of the brain and nervous system to adapt, change and re-wire itself – long before it became a buzzword in popular science. His frequently subtle yet profound and powerful method of movement re-education is useful for anyone seeking to change patterns of pain and tension and replace them with a sense of ease and freedom.
The Feldenkrais Method is popular with Physiotherapists and people seeking to overcome chronic pain or neurological problems as well as athletes, dancers and performing artists, who wish to become more graceful, coordinated, efficient and powerful.
Ms Krantz describes Feldenkrais as a scientific approach to movement re-education, which focuses on improving the human capacity for learning. It involves directing the attention to the body in a relaxed, enjoyable and mindful way, while exploring slow, gentle yet unusual movement sequences. This helps Feldenkrais students become more aware of muscular habits and tension patterns, allowing them to discover new and more efficient patterns of movement. Ultimately Dr Feldenkrais was not just interested in flexible bodies but in flexible minds.
In her work as a Physiotherapist, Ms Krantz finds that the Feldenkrais Method is particularly helpful for people with chronic pain issues such as back pain, headaches, shoulder pain and hip pain.
“Feldenkrais looks at the whole body and how the different body parts work in relation to each other” said Ms Krantz. “Instead of focusing on the pain itself, the focus is on pain-free, comfortable movement. The relaxing and enjoyable movements have a positive effect on physical and mental well being, helping break the vicious cycle of pain, tension and poor posture, which often occurs with chronic pain.”
Ms Krantz has been invited to present another workshop for the Australian Physiotherapy Association on the Feldenkrais Method in 2015 on the topic of Feldenkrais for Chronic Pain. She will also present a Chronic Pain workshop for the Australian Feldenkrais Guild next year.