Michelle Martinez, Sacramento

Bowen therapy is really a holistic treatment. Not only do I come out laughing, but I am laughing during the treatment. What I find amazing is feeling physically better after each session. Where do you get that from a regular dr. For me it has always been take this pill and if you don’t feel better in ** days, call me back. After each session (that same day), I notice IMMEDIATE results (sometimes even during the session).

Case In Point:  When you cut yourself, your body heals that cut.  When you break a bone, your body knits that bone back together.  When you come down with a cold or flu, your body fights the good fight to get you well. . . weather YOU believe it or not.

by Fair Oaks Bowen on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 2:20pm ·

Summary: The hamstring muscles are regularly implicated in recurrent injuries, movement  dysfunction and low back pain. Links between limited flexibility and development of neuromusculo skeletal  symptoms are frequently reported. The Bowen Technique is used to treat many conditions including lack of flexibility. The study set out to investigate the effect of the Bowen Technique on hamstring flexibility over time.  An assessor-blind, prospective, randomized controlled trial was performed on 120 asymptomatic volunteers. Participants were randomly allocated into a control group or Bowen group. Three flexibility measurements occurred over one week, using an active knee extension test. The intervention group received a single Bowen treatment. A repeated measures uni-variate analysis of variance, across both groups for the three time periods, revealed significant within-subject and between-subject differences for the Bowen group. Continuing increases in flexibility levels were observed over one week. No significant change over time was noted for the control group.

ª 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Studies show half of women suffer pain from carrying heavy handbags — and now men are also suffering, according to new research by the British Chiropractic Association.

‘Heavy man-bags — weighing, on average, 6.2kg — put unbalanced strain and stress on the body, which can lead to pain, poor posture and health problems,’ says Rishi Loatey, of the British Chiropractic Association. ‘I’ve noticed a spike in patients experiencing pain in the neck and upper back due to carrying around heavy loads more frequently,’ he adds.

There, my movements while walking were recorded and analysed — both with and without my weighty 9lb-plus handbag — to see the effects. The results were startling.

‘Carrying a bag has a huge impact on posture and movement,’ says Bupa physiotherapist Russell Stocker. ‘Though you might not notice it, your body dramatically adapts and compensates. This was even more pronounced when wearing high heels.’

NECK

When you carry a bag, your neck naturally leans away from the load to help carry and balance the weight.

This causes tension on the carrying side of the neck and compression on the opposite side.

‘Craning your neck means increasing the distance between the neck and the shoulder,’ says Russell.

The problem is that this is just where a bundle of nerves come together (forming the brachial plexus) before running into the arm; the strain can lead to neck pain and muscle inflammation.

Over time, this could trigger an ‘acute episode’, he says — the muscles can spasm, restricting movement and causing pain.

SHOULDERS AND BACK

The shoulder bearing the load is rotated backwards and raised all the time, explains Russell.

This affects the muscles running down the upper back, the shoulder blades and those supporting the spine — they tire and spasm.

As Bupa orthopaedic physician Dr Leon Creaney, explains: ‘Fatigued muscles won’t hold the spine correctly, so it will slip into poor posture — slumped with curved back and shoulders.’

Long term, this can lead to painful arthritis in the facet joints. These are tiny joints running all the way along the spine on either side The vertebrae and the discs — the ‘cushions’ of cartilage that sit between the vertebrae — could also be affected. “The side of the body not carrying the bag leans away from it, crunching the lower back on this side, while extending it further on the other,’ adds Russell.

This compresses the vertebrae, wearing them down.

Carrying a heavy bag can, over time, also cause disc degeneration and prolapse, says Dr Creaney. This is when the soft tissue inside the disc ruptures out of it, pressing on the nerves.

‘This can be agonising, and even require surgery’ he explains — ‘and carrying a heavy bag could lead to faster disc degeneration.

‘Bearing a heavy load on one side could also cause the spinal nerves to become irritated or compressed — possibly leading to sciatica (pain in the buttock and thigh), which is also very painful.’

ARMS

The arm carrying the bag remains very static while walking to keep the load still and balanced.

‘This is quite different to the natural swinging movement we make when walking,’ says Russell.

‘Without the normal arm swing used as a balance mechanism, this can make you slightly unsteady and actually mean you need greater effort to move forwards.’

The nerves in the arms can also become irritated by the pressure of the bag, leading to chronic pain.

HIPS AND LEGS

In the long term, women can develop arthritis from increased pressure. ‘Carrying a bag makes you walk differently, and that changes the way forces act through the skeletal system, which could cause problems and pain,’ says Russell.

The greater the load of the bag, the more pressure on the leg joints. Over a long period, force on the knees can cause wear and tear and joint problems.

‘With a heavy bag you also take shorter steps — an adaptation your body probably makes to control the load better and remain upright,’ he adds.

First Seen Here: http://bit.ly/UH4chL

Sciatica and piriformis syndrome can seem quite similar, parularly in terms of symptoms, and this similarity in how they feel has caused considerable confusion for doctors and patients alike. Some individuals have stated that they are actually the same thing, but despite similarities in symptoms, the underlying causes of the two conditions are different.

Sciatica refers to irritation of the sciatic (often mis-spelled as syatic or psyatic) nerve, that arises from nerve roots in the lumbar spine. The most common cause of sciatic nerve irritation, or “true” sciatica is compression of one or more of its component nerve roots due to disc herniation or spinal degeneration in the lower lumbar region. Sciatica usually begins in the buttock area and, depending on the severity of the underlying nerve comression and inflammation, may extend down the entire leg to the ankle and foot.

Piriformis syndrome is sometimes called false sciatica, because instead of actual nerve irritation, it is caused by referral pain.) caused by tight knots of contraction in the piriformis muscle, which attaches to the upper femur bone and then runs across the back of the pelvis to the outside edge of the sacrum, the triangular pelvic bone at the base of the spine. The symptoms of piriformis syndrome are very similar and may be indistinguishable from true sciatica.

In some cases, piriformis syndrome may cause true sciatic nerve irritation, as the sciatic nerve may run underneath or even through the middle of the piriformis, so contraction of the piriformis may produce sufficient compression of the sciatic nerve to produce actual nerve symptoms. This is one of the main sources of confusion when it comes to distinguishing true sciatica from piriformis syndrome.

As mentioned earlier, the symptoms of true sciatica are very similar to piriformis syndrome. Both cause pain, tingling, burning, “electrical shock” sensations, and/or numbness down the leg, often all the way to the foot. In addition, both sciatica and piriformis syndrome tend to be at least partially related to biomechanical functional problems in the joints of the back and pelvis and they may even be present simultaneously in the same person, so it an be difficult to tell them apart.

But since the most effective treatment for the two conditions varies signficantly, it is important to determine the correct diagnosis if at all possible. In most cases there is an easy way to distinguish between sciatica and piriformis syndrome.

In most cases, sciatica can be differentiated from piriformis syndrome with a couple of simple test maneuvers. To begin, from a seated position, one straightens the knee on the side of sciatic pain, holding the leg out straight and parallel to the floor, and if this position causes an increas in symptoms, it is a good indicator of true sciatica.

The second maneuver is done in two parts. First, from the sitting position one bends the leg and pulls the knee on the painful side towards the same-side shoulder. In all but the most severe cases, there is usually no major increase in pain in this position. The second part of the maneuver is to pull the knee toward the opposite side shoulder. An increase in the sciatica-like symptoms is a strong indication of piriformis syndrome.

It is important to distinguish between sciatica and piriformis syndrome, because the treatment for the conditions varies, and getting the diagnosis right typically leads to more effective treatment.

Fair Oaks Bowen Therapy practices the Original Bowen Technique as developed by Australian Tom Bowen in the ’50s.  It’s gentle, safe, long lasting, affordable and smart!