Suffering From Back Pain? The Alexander Technique May Help

A new British study found that chronic back pain can be eased by improving posture via the Alexander technique, which was developed more than 100 years ago.

Nearly 1 in ten people in developed countries of the world suffer from back pain at least occasionally. It is the second most common reason people visit their health care provider but very few effective long term treatments are available. It’s the third most common reason for taking time off work after headache and colds.

Approximately 50 percent of the British people suffer from back pain during a year with up to fifteen percent going on to have chronic problems.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal found that combining Alexander Technique together with exercise could significantly slash down the back pain and improve mobility.

The experiment, conducted by the scientists at the Universities of Southampton and Bristol, looked at the effectiveness of different therapies (normal GP care, exercise, massage and Alexander technique lessons) on 580 patients with chronic or recurrent back pain back for a period of 12 months.

The researchers found that subjects who got 24 lessons in the alternate therapy reported 18 fewer days of back pain over 28 days as compared with those who had been taking exercise alone.

People who received massage got some relief from back pain during the initial three months, but the benefit did not last.

The subjects who got combination of exercise and learned Alexander technique were significantly better at the end of a year (about 40% to 45%)

Lead author of the study, Prof. Debbie Sharp said that the Alexander technique provide help to most people with back pain.

Explaining about the technique Professor Debbie Sharp said, “Lessons [in the Alexander technique] involve continuous personalised assessment of the individual patterns of habitual musculoskeletal use when stationary and in movement.”

"It can potentially reduce back pain by limiting muscle spasm, strengthening postural muscles, improving coordination and flexibility, and decompressing the spine,” she added.

Basically being a method of relaxation, Alexander Technique was originally developed at by the Shakespearean actor Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869 -1955) at the end of the 19th century to help his vocal and breathing problems. He developed vocal loss as a stage performer during his early career.

The Alexander technique focuses on making one aware of how they move (sit, stand, bend, walk and reach) and think. It teaches correct posture and is designed to align muscles in the head, neck and back. The technique also help pregnant women to cope with labour pain, also relieve and manage RSI, stiff joints, fatigue and other movement related problems.

An ongoing research program started in 1991, named as The Twin Spine Study suggests that genetics play an important role in disc degeneration than previously thought, which means back pain may be in your genesdefine The study received a ‘Kappa Delta Award’ from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.