Posted by bluedog on February 1, 2003, at 1:42:24
In reply to Re: RSI - Take Alexander Technique lessons!!!!! » bluedog, posted by Tabitha on January 31, 2003, at 14:33:05
> psst, Dog, my whole upper body is knotted and tense lately, even first thing in the morning. I've always had tension in my upper shoulders but now it's the entire upper back. I can feel the muscles all fatigued and exhausted.
>
> Is there a way to release tense back muscles except massage? You say you learned to do this, how? THe alexander stuff? Yoga?Hello Tabbycat
To start with my guess is that depression and stress are probably the chief culprits in your problems especially if you are waking up feeling tense and fatigued in your back muscles...I also get this when I'm in the middle of a major deppressive dip. So I guess I took a multi -pronged approach to healing myself. The starting point was finding the appropriate AD med for me plus the appropriate dose of that med.
Next came the anti-anflammatory meds...ibuprofen for a short while and I also tried celebrex and although they reduced my inflammation I believe they really only cover up the sypmtoms and don't get to the actual cause of the inflammation plus they made me feel Yuk.
Next came the healthy diet and the anti-inflammatory supplements especially fish oil, Glucosamine and Turmeric. I have no doubt that healthy diet, sufficient sleep and these particular supplements helped my situation enormously.
The diet and supplements were a big leap forward but still did not get to the root cause of my inflammatory problems (which was misuse/abuse of my body) and this is where the Alexander technique and Yoga (and daily GENTLE stretching learnt in my yoga classes came in). Yes Alexander technique can teach you to release muscular tension in your shoulders as well.
Don't laugh (even though I did laugh) but Dreamerz advice about crawling around the floor was actually very profound advice and believe it or not at some point an Alexander teacher will actually get you to crawl around on the floor like a baby. You will no doubt crawl completely incorrectly using way to much effort but the point of the exercise is to actually get your arms and shoulders working properly in synch with your neck, head and torso as one unit rather than your arms being loose appendages hanging somewhere in space. This actually had a profound effect on enabling me to relax my shoulders when sitting behind a keyboard.
I had already done nearly a year of yoga before I did my Alexander lessons. The thing is the Alexander lessons actually improved my yoga technique as well.
I do a VERY gentle form of yoga and it's not actually pure yoga and when I mentioned to my Yoga teacher that I was taking Alexander lessons she was actually very pleased and told me that the type of yoga she teaches is actually a combination of Yoga, Alexander Technique, Pilates, Feldenkraus technique and modern relaxation techniques....Nothing in my Yoga classes is forced and it's very typical for someone to leave classes for a term to try one of the purer forms of yoga....find it absolutely terrible and then come straight back to our classes. It's still definitely yoga but my teacher uses a lot of humour and doesn't get all caught up in the guru thing. Though they do run retreats for those that are particularly interested into getting more deeply into the meaning behind yoga but thay don't force this on to you and consequently there is a very low drop out rate from my classes and most of the people in my class have been coming to the same classes for years.
When I did the Alexander technique lessons I became very aware of my body and how I used my body (or more appropriately how I abused and misused my body) I had a series of ten lessons in a short period of time and when I find myself slipping into old habits again I go back for "booster" lessons. When you first go you think nothing is happening at all because it's actually hands on (and one on one) and the teacher very gently coaxes your body into the correct positions and postures with his or her hands and believe me your body and brain will feel completely confused and out of sorts initially but gradually you will come to the realisation that changes are happening in the use of your body and your body awareness that stays with you longer and longer. It is also good in that they don't aim for perfection and the first thing they'll tell you is that there is no such thing as correct or perfect posture but only the correct "use" of your particular individual body.
It's almost impossible to explain to someone who hasn't actually had any Alexander lessons but it's both subtle yet profound at the same time. I mean I discovered that I was using far too much effort even doing simple things like speaking or getting up out of my chair. So the thing is that it teaches you to use the appropriate amount of effort and no more for whatever task you may undertake in your daily life (including things like cleaning the bath or vacuuming). For example most of us tend to use 10kg of force to pick up a 1kg shopping bag which basically wears out your body and joints a lot faster than nature intended.
Also they will teach you to observe babies and small children (before they are ruined by the school system) and you will actually see perfect use of the body to accomplish the tasks that babies and children undertake exactly as nature intended. Animals like cats also use their bodies as nature intended and you can also learn much from observing your cats or dogs if you have them (You have cat's don't you?)
Since my Alexander lessons I no longer suffer from the chronic stress headaches I used to get on average 2-3 times per week by late afternoon at work. I simply don't get them anymore and I credit the Alexander lessons for that.
Also Iso's tip's at keeping yourself moving if you have a desk job is absolutely essential....and this is how I approach my Yoga classes which also each week reminds my mind and body of the Alexander lessons that I took.
Another tip and this is my personal advice only but I think you may even benefit from a SHORT course of a muscle relaxant like valium or klonopin to "remind " your body and muscles what it's actually like to be relaxed and to give you a reference point to work towards because it sounds to me that you are currently in a rather acute stage of muscular tension that needs some rather immediate relief before you embark on the longer term solutions like Alexander technique and yoga (or even good aerobic exercise - However just be careful about exercise at this stage because if your muscles are currently acutely tense and have been for a while you may actually do more damage to your joints than good). Alexander technique will also teach you how to exercise appropriately as well without placing undue strain on your body (Yes elite athletes have also been known to use Alexander technique lessons to improve their sporting performance).
I now do a bit of weight training and this is beneficial for me but my Alexander Teacher very strongly advised against me taking up any weight training or any other exrecise for that matter until I had gained some knowledge about how to properly use my body (and believe me my use of my body was abysmal) Your boby use may be better than mine was so your teacher may give you different advice. It's all tailored to the particular individual.
Hope this provides a little more detail that will be useful for you
warm regards
bluedog
poster:bluedog
thread:35972
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030120/msgs/36050.html