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Tag: pain
Beyond Chronic Pain: a Personal Journey to Create Healthier Habits
Beyond Chronic Pain: a Personal Journey to Create Healthier Habits
Finding Vitality and Joy in your life
Physiotherapist Jodie Krantz shares her healing journey towards a more satisfying and comfortable way of living within with her own body. Retracing her steps, Jodie invites you to join her on a challenge to improve your own quality of life and perhaps that of your nearest and dearest.
I reached the age of 50 with my body in a condition better than many my age. Being a Physiotherapist I had always done some form of exercise. My weight was in the upper end of the healthy range for my height. I didn’t smoke or drink to excess – ever. I’d always watched what I ate and ‘listened to my stomach’, stopping when I felt full. I considered myself very fortunate to have completed my training as a Feldenkrais practitioner in 1999. This was a profound learning process which gave me access to the tools to keep my body moving like a much younger person, even into old age.
Yet the small aches and pains had accumulated over the years to the point where there was never a day without some sort of pain. Headaches were frequent and although not severe, made me nauseous, fatigued and thick-headed. This very unpleasant feeling would last 2 to 3 days or more. Foot pain made it hard to walk for more then 20 minutes. My lower back twinged frequently, especially after sitting and in bed at night. I often complained to my partner about being tired. Worst of all, severe episodes of lower back pain had seen me bed-bound and off work for up to 5 weeks.
I knew what I had to do, but it was hard to do it. I had to change some fundamental habits I had formed in over 50 years. The intentions I set for myself were:
- To allow myself the ‘luxury’ of getting treatment when needed
- Improve my diet and rid myself of ‘addictions’ – sugar, coffee and alcohol
- Shed a few kilos
- Reduce my stress levels
- Increase my cardio-vascular exercise
- Get enough sleep on a consistent basis
There was no point changing everything at once. The body doesn’t like radical change and it’s usually not sustainable. The biggest challenge I faced was finding the extra time required, a challenge I know that many of my friends, family, colleagues and clients share!
Next birthday I turn 57. In the past few years I’ve turned my life and my pain around. Fatigue as I once knew it, is but a distant memory. I simply feel the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.
Relieve Lower Back and Hip Pain with Feldenkrais
Relieve Lower Back and Hip Pain with Feldenkrais
Exercising with Lower Back or Hip Pain
Lower back and hip pain can make it hard to exercise. The alternative – not exercising – can lead to increasing weakness and stiffness, with a tendency to gain weight.
Even if you have already tried other forms of exercise without success, Feldenkrais is different. The focus during the movement classes is on learning to sense your body movements more clearly. Increasing your awareness of your movement habits is the key. That’s why Moshe Feldenkrais called the classes ‘Awareness Through Movement’
‘When you know what you’re doing you can do what you want’ Moshe Feldenkrais
How Feldenkrais Helps
By reducing effort and shifting your attention to the quality and smoothness of the movement, you discover new ways to move with comfort and ease. As you learn to let go of tight muscles, range of movement in your lower back and hips improves. You compare different movement options and discover what works best for your unique body. Better coordination and control of your muscles brings a sense of effortless power.
Help break the cycle of pain and tension in your lower back and hips by enrolling in our regular Feldenkrais Classes in North Perth. All classes are run by a qualified Feldenkrais Physiotherapist.
READ MORE about Feldenkrais Classes.
De Quervain’s Syndrome
De Quervain’s Syndrome
De Quervain’s syndrome refers to pain in two of the tendons which move the thumb – the abductor pollicis longus and the extensor pollicis brevis. Inflammation may occur where the tendons glide inside a fluid-filled ‘synovial’ sheath near the thumb-side of the wrist. Inflammation of this sheath is known as tenosynovitis.
Symptoms
Symptoms include pain on the thumb side of the wrist. Pain may extend up the forearm and a catching or snapping may be felt when moving the thumb. Sometimes there is localised redness and swelling. While often there is no definite cause, it is more common in new mothers (when it is aggravated by picking up their baby), middle-aged people, gamers, gardeners and in those with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Treatment
Physiotherapy treatment may assist with relief of symptoms and addressing any known underlying causes. Interspersing rest and gentle exercises is usually required. Rest can be achieved by temporarily avoiding the aggravating movements and by using taping (strapping) or a splint.
At Free2Move we favour using stretchy ‘kinesio-tape’ such as Rocktape rather than using rigid strapping. Kinesio-tape does not restrict natural movement but improves sensory and movement awareness, while gently supporting the area.
Another treatment we often find effective at Free2Move is Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). Laser is thought to work by stimulating tissue healing while reducing pain and inflammation.
Preventing recurrence of the injury
Once pain has settled Feldenkrais or Pilates may be recommended to improve the way you move. In particular it is useful to look at the suspected aggravating movements. It’s helpful to find out how they can be performed with less effort, using the large muscles of the trunk to provide the power, with the small muscles of the hand being used to gently guide direction. This helps prevent the recurrence of the problem.
Severe cases
In cases where there is not an adequate treatment response, clients are referred back to their doctor, who may recommend a cortisone injection. In severe, unrelenting cases, surgery may be indicated.
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.
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
Common Types of Arthritis
Comparison of Rheumatoid and Osteo Arthritis Common Types of Arthritis
Arthritis is a common condition causing joint pain, stiffness and swelling. The most common types are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. These are distinctly different. In this article we will describe Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs when the cartilage that lines the joints wears down. This may be due to past injury, cumulative wear and tear or simply the ageing process.
OA commonly occurs in the large weight-bearing joints of the body – the hips, knees, feet and spine but it can also affect any of the synovial joints in the body, including the fingers, thumbs, shoulders, elbows and jaw. There is usually stiffness in the morning and pain may be worse after prolonged or heavy activity.
Over time the cartilage becomes thinner and loose pieces debris can float in the synovial fluid, which lubricates the joint. The bony surfaces of the joint can also develop projections called osteophytes. These may contribute to pain and inflammation.
Research shows that keeping active and maintaining your weight in the healthy range is the best approach to managing osteoarthritis. Advanced osteoarthritis can result in loss of normal strength and mobility. Eventually surgical options such as arthroscopy or joint replacement may be indicated. Physiotherapy can help delay the need for surgery.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)Â is an inflammatory auto-immune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the joints. Morning stiffness can typically last for half an hour or longer after rising. Pain and inflammation can be severe if the condition is left untreated.
This form of arthritis commonly attacks many joints in the body on both sides. This includes the small peripheral joints in the hands and feet, spinal joints, shoulders, elbows, knees and hips. In Australian diagnosis is usually made by a rheumatologist based on history, clinical examination, blood tests and X-rays or scans.
In RA, the synovial lining of affected joints becomes inflamed and the joints are red, hot and swollen. Without treatment there is thickening of the joint capsule. The adjacent cartilage and bone can become damaged causing joint deformity. RA can also affect blood vessels, lungs, heart and skin. New medications are available that help prevent the joint destruction and tissue damage, which people with rheumatoid arthritis previously developed.
The cause of RA is unknown, but it’s more common in women, affects smokers more than non-smokers and there are appear to be hereditary factors.
Gentle exercise helps rheumatoid arthritis sufferers to relieve stiffness and promotes good circulation, maintaining joint mobility without aggravating pain and swelling. Examples are walking, swimming, hydrotherapy. Feldenkrais can also help to maintain mobility without causing excessive joint strain.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is not really a form of arthritis, but it has many similar features. These usually include chronic pain, aching and tenderness in multiple soft tissues and joints without changes on Xrays or blood tests. Fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, memory problems and / or mood changes are also common. The cause is unknown, but being overweight and inactive is a risk factor.
READ MORE about how Feldenkrais can help Fibromyalgia.
VIEW VIDEO presentation on Fibromyalgia by Jodie Krantz – includes gentle Feldenkrais exercises in sitting.
Treatment: How We Can Help
Physiotherapy, Clinical Pilates and the Feldenkrais Method can all be helpful in managing the pain of arthritis and fibromyalgia. This is where our experienced Perth physios can really help. At Free2Move we initially provide a full assessment, hands-on treatment and home exercises. Therapeutic exercises help to maintain strength and range of movement without aggravating pain or swelling. Exercise also helps with circulation which supports the healing process.
CLICK HERE to read about Turmeric, a natural supplement to help ease arthritis pain and inflammation.ÂThe best place to begin is by booking an individual assessment, so that we can work out which treatment or exercise programme is best suited to your needs.Â
Arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of most common causes of chronic pain. Physiotherapy can assist you to maintain your independence by safely improving your flexibility, strength and mobility.
How We Can HelpÂ
Don’t let pain stop you from exercising or losing weight! At Free2Move many clients with Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia attend our exercise programmes every week. Our Physiotherapists support them in safely improving their strength, mobility, posture and body awareness without aggravation of pain.
Our Clinical Pilates Studio Programme is the most popular way to begin exercising for people arthritis, because of the benefits of strengthening your core muscles. Our Pilates machines help you build strength safely and gradually, beginning with partial weight bearing exercises (usually done lying down) and progressing to full weight bearing.
Feldenkrais is the gentlest of the classes we offer at Free2Move and often the best way to begin if you are in a lot of pain. Our clients with various forms of Arthritis have found Feldenkrais extremely helpful for relieving and managing pain. It’s relaxing and enjoyable!Not sure which exercise programme is best for you? Discuss it with one of our friendly and experienced Physiotherapists.
Book an individual assessment now
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