Alexander Technique Can Help With Back Pain

Back Pain Helped By Alexander Technique

British researchers have concluded that a personalized approach to help patients with back pain develop self-care skills, exercise and massage is effective for back pain.

The results of an Alexander technique study suggests the method can provide long-term benefit for people with chronic or recurrent low back pain, one of the most common conditions seen by general practitioners. Until these results were published in the British Medical Journal there has been no solid evidence that the Alexander technique can help to alleviate back pain.

The research over one year was led by Professor Paul Little of the University of Southampton in collaboration with Professor Debbie Sharp, of Bristol University and was funded by the Medical Research Council and the NHS Research and Development fund. Professor Little said:

“This is a significant step forward in the long-term management of low back pain. The results of this study reveal that the Alexander Technique can help back pain. It probably does this by limiting muscle spasm, strengthening postural muscles, improving co-ordination and flexibility and decompressing the spine. This means that patients could have fewer activities or functions limited by back pain.”

The multi-centre clinical trial involved 579 patients, with chronic or recurrent back pain, selected from 64 general practices in England. Participants were randomized and split into groups to compare three methods to alleviate pain:

   1. a series of 24 Alexander Technique lessons
   2. a course of six Alexander Technique lessons
   3. six sessions of classical massage and normal GP care

The Alexander technique involves a personalized approach to help patients develop lifelong skills to improve postural tone and muscular coordination. It is an educational technique taught to be practiced by patients and is not a form of exercise.

Half of the patients allocated to each of these groups also received a prescription from a GP for aerobic exercise (30 minutes of brisk walking or the equivalent each day) and behavioural counselling from a practice nurse.

The results showed that patients that followed the series of 24 Alexander Technique lessons benefited most. They had improvements in function, quality of life and a reduction in the number of days they suffered pain. One year after the trial started, the average number of activities limited by back pain had fallen by 42 per cent, and the number of days in pain was only three a month compared with 21 days in the control group.

Massage also helped for three months but the effect on activities was no longer significant after one year.

Exercise prescription alone had significant but modest effects on activities at both three and 12 months. However, a series of six Alexander Technique lessons followed by GP-prescribed exercise was about 70 per cent as beneficial as 24 Alexander Technique lessons at one year.

The authors suggest that lessons in the Alexander Technique may have benefited participants by providing an individualised approach to reducing back pain and helping patients to recognise, understand and avoid the habits that affect postural tone and neuromuscular co-ordination.

Original research paper: Medical Research Council
Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain (BMJ 2008;337:a884)  http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884
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If you have continual back pain  it might be worth investigating and trying Alexander techniques. Some practitioners offer group classes, which are considerably less expensive, or you can buy packages of classes for a reduced price. Do not forget to consult with your doctor beforehand.
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What is the Alexander Technique?    F Matthias Alexander (1869 – 1955), was an Australian Shakespearean actor who regularly lost the quality of his voice while performing. By careful self-monitoring while speaking he noted that muscular tension accounted for his vocal problem, bought on by poor posture.

By using mirrors Alexander noticed that when he prepared to speak he was holding undue muscle tension that interfered with his balance. In particular he noticed that he pulled his head back and down. He then realised that virtually everyone tends to unknowingly do this, we are habitually misusing our bodies. As a consequence the standards of our physical and mental functioning are adversely affected.

The Alexander Technique developed as he discovered a way to release his habitual movement patterns and improve his awareness and control of his body, that is, by reuniting mind and body, the student learns to make all movements easier and with less effort and, as a result, has more energy. This led him to discover that the spine plays an important part in physical well-being, and good positioning of head, neck, and spine can reduce the tension on the bones and muscles that relate to the spine. He developed this further to become a hands-on method for dealing with certain physiological complaints.

Alexander brought his technique to England in 1904. During the First World War he met John Dewey, the pragmatist philosopher and the “father of American Education”. Dewey, then in his 50’s, began Alexander lessons and continued them for the next 35 years! He was such a “fan” of the technique that he wrote introductions to three of Alexander’s books.

During a session, the teacher discusses the tasks that are likely to be causing physical tension and studies the posture of the student. At some point during a session, there may be a relaxation period, either to a tape, or under the guidance of the teacher. Although there is a hands-on part of the session, it is not manipulative; rather, the teacher’s hands seem to be pointing the body into a better posture and allowing the body to find its best position.

Several sessions may be needed to achieve the best results – many people are quite happy to have monthly sessions as part of a general therapy for well-being.

Be aware that the Alexander technique is not a cure for everything. It should not be used as a replacement for conventional medicine where physical causes other than stress are responsible, although it is often used to complement other medical techniques.

For example, someone who had suffered a shortening of a leg due to an accident may need surgery to extend the leg; the Alexander technique could be used to improve balance and reduce strain on the rest of the body whilst walking with the shortened limb. The technique should not be confused with osteopathy and other manipulative methods.

It is however, likely to be successful in easing ailments such as Repetitive Strain Disorder, stress headaches, and so on, that have their causes in inefficient movement or poor posture.

Further Internet Investigation:    The Definitive Guide to The Alexander Technique
- provided by STAT …A site maintained by the largest and oldest certifying organisation in the UK. Includes a directory of teachers and information.  http://www.stat.org.uk/

Further Internet Investigation:  American Society for the Alexander Technique – AmSAT  - largest American group.  www.alexandertech.org/