Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

8/14/2019 Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

1/6

January/February 2013 $4.00

Playing WithChildren

Managing PainWith Opioids

Feldenkrais MethodMoving More Easily

Sorting OutSupplements

plus:

For subscription information, please call (800) 234-0923. Or for a Free Trial Issue,visit us on the Web at www.ArthritisSelfManagement.com/Magazine. Reprintedwith permission fromArthritis Self-Management,January/February 2013.

Copyright 2013 R.A. Rapaport Publishing, Inc.

8/14/2019 Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

2/6

Many people with arthritis find it chal-lenging to get enough exercise. Youknow that it is important, and youknow that youve got to keep moving

to maintain joint health. But as much as you mightlike to run a marathon, the fact is, many physicalactivities cause discomfort. How can you enjoydoing something that exacerbates your arthritissymptoms instead of making them better?The Feldenkrais Method is a sophisticated form of

sensory-motor education, which interacts with thebrain in a special way to improve the comfort and

function of the body. It may be of special interest topeople with arthritis because it is so different fromother forms of exercise. While conventional exercisetypically involves the repetition of strenuous move-ments, the Feldenkrais Method takes a very differentapproach. Feldenkrais exercises involve no stretch-ing or straining and require only minimal musculareffort. They use slow, easy-to-do movements that aredesigned to engage the brains ability to change inresponse to stimulus (its neuroplasticity) to improvethe bodys underlying neuromuscular and skeletalorganization.

Safe, easy exerciseThe Feldenkrais Method bears little resemblanceto conventional forms of exercise and works onentirely different principles. It improves the wayin which the brain coordinates posture and move-ment. By engaging the brains ability to relearnand change, the Feldenkrais method improves theexchange of relevant information between the ner-

vous system and the muscles, and as a result, move-ment becomes more comfortable. Although Felden-krais exercises are not aerobic, they provide many

of the benefits commonly associated with exercise,including increased production of the synovial fluidthat acts as a lubricant inside your joints, increasedflexibility, better circulation, improved respiratoryfunction, better coordination and balance, and anoverall sense of well-being. For people with arthritis,the Feldenkrais Method can help to reduce friction,swelling, and inflammation in the joints, and caninterrupt cycles of pain and tension. In addition,once a person is able to move more comfortably,he may be able to start engaging in more strenuousaerobic or strength-building exercises.

the Feldenkrais Method can undo manyof the aches and pains that plague us,

and I currently recommend it to patients whosemovement has been restricted by injury

or chronic pain. I also believe the Feldenkrais Methodcan help older people achieve greater range ofmotion and flexibility, and help all of us feel

more comfortable in our bodies.

Andrew Weil, MD

THEFELDENKRAISMETHODStress-Free Exercise for People With Arthritisby David Zemach-Bersin and Mark Hirschfield

January/February 2013 15

8/14/2019 Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

3/6

Arthritis Self-Management16

A SHORT FELDENKRAIS EXERCISETry this short Feldenkrais exercise to improve yourbodys ability to turn comfortably and easily. Theresults of doing this simple exercise may surprise

you, as turning is an important aspect of almostevery movement you make, including walking,

reaching, and bending. By improving your abilityto turn, you can improve your bodys comfort andfunction in a wide range of situations.When you do a Feldenkrais exercise, it is impor-

tant to remember the following:

1.Sitting on the forward edge of a chair with aflat seat, slowly turn your upper body, as if to

look to the right a little bit. Then return slowly toface forward and rest for a moment before doingthe movement again. Keep your feet flat on thefloor, and repeat this movement 610 times. Noticeexactly how far to the right you can see easily,

without feeling any strain.

3.Do movement #1 again: Slowly turn your upperbody, as if to look to the right. Then slowly returnto facing forward and rest. Repeat this movement24 times. Is there any improvement in your easeof movement as you turn? Can you see a little far-ther to the right? Rest in the middle, and notice

whether your left shoulder and the left side ofyour neck feel more relaxed.

2.Focus your eyes on an object or spot straightahead of you. While your eyes continue to lookat the spot or object, slowly turn your head andupper body a little bit to the right. Then slowlyreturn to facing forward and pause. Repeat thismovement 610 times. Dont stretch or strain, useforce, or turn farther than is truly comfortable.Notice how keeping your eyes fixed restricts yourturning. Relax your neck, jaw, shoulders, chest,abdomen, and legs., .

ults of doing this simple exercise may su, as turning is an important aspect ofry movement you make, including w

8/14/2019 Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

4/6

January/February 2013 17

4.Now do the movement again, but keep bothyour head and eyes facing forward. Repeat thismovement very slowly 610 times. As you turn,notice how your left shoulder moves forward, and

your right shoulder moves back. Relax your face,

neck, shoulders, and stomach. Try to reduce anyunnecessary muscular effort.

5.Do movement #1 again: Slowly turn your upperbody, as if to look to the right. Then slowly returnto facing forward and rest. Repeat this movement24 times. Is there any improvement in your easeof movement as you turn? Can you see a little far-ther to the right? Rest a moment and notice: Does

your left side feel more relaxed than your rightside?

Do each movement in a way that is easy andcomfortable.Use as little muscular effort as possible.Do each movement slowly.Make each movement small.

Relax and exhale as you do each movement.Do not stretch or strain.Rest between each movement.

6.Keeping your feet flat on the floor, simply moveyour left knee forward slightly. Repeat this move-ment very slowly 610 times. After each movement,let your knee return to the starting position andrest. Relax your leg and reduce any unnecessarymuscular effort. Notice how your left buttock andhip move forward a little. Feel how your head,eyes, and shoulders turn slightly to the right as theleft knee moves forward.

8/14/2019 Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

5/6

Arthritis Self-Management18

In a study done with 21 people with rheumatoidarthritis (RA) who engaged in a series of Feldenkraisexercises, participants experienced both a signifi-cant improvement in muscle activity and a decreasein their perceived effort, or the amount of effortthey felt they needed to exert to perform certaintasks. Two years after the study ended, a follow-up

was done, and a large percentage of the subjects

reported improved mobility and higher levels offunction than before participating in the study. Inaddition, a large percentage of participants con-tinued to use the skills that they had gained fromdoing the exercises, and reported that the Felden-krais Method had taught them new ways to reducepain and discomfort before their RA could progressto long-term deformity and disability.

Improved organizationOver time, everyone develops habitual ways of

holding, carrying, and moving themselves. Althoughsome of these habits of posture and movement maybe physically stressful and limit a persons freedomof movement, people are usually unaware of them.

They dont realize that they have options and canmake choices about the ways in which their brainsorganize and coordinate their bodies.

If you have arthritis, improving your bodys under-lying neural and muscular-skeletal organization maymake a significant difference. When your skeleton isaligned, and you are able to use it in a functionallyefficient manner, force is transmitted through your

joints in a way that is more comfortable and lessdamaging. Better organization can also help youprotect the health of your joints by reducing wearand tear, friction, and inflammation.With carefully designed sequences of simple

movements, Feldenkrais exercises provide a detailedsensory-motor learning experience similar to whatan infant experiences when first learning to move.Feldenkrais exercises give the nervous system achance to sample and select better options for the

bodys movements. And when you learn to move ina more efficient way, the result can be greater flex-

ibility, better posture, and pain-free movement.

Reducing muscularcontraction

Most people share a common response to thesensation of pain: To protect an injured area, thenervous system tries to limit movement in thatarea. Although arthritis is not technically an injury,the nervous system responds to arthritis similarlyto how it would respond to a broken arm or leg:It sends messages to the muscles located near the

7.Move your left knee forward while turning yourhead, eyes, and upper body to the right a little

bit. Repeat this movement very slowly 610 times.Reduce unnecessary muscular effort and noticehow your left hip moves forward as you turn. Do

you feel any improvement in your ease of move-ment while turning? Can you see farther to the

right? For comparison, turn to the right and thenturn to the left. Feel the difference?

8.Standing up, turn toward the right, and thento the left. Is turning to the right easier? Do youfeel other differences? You can achieve the sameimprovement in your ease of turning to the left byreversing directions in the instructions above.

Note: This exercise is adapted from the book, Relax-ercise: The Easy New Way to Health and Fitness,byDavid and Kaethe Zemach-Bersin and Mark Reese,

published by HarperCollins, New York, 1990.

8/14/2019 Asm Jf13 Feldenkrais(1)

6/6

January/February 2013 19

inflamed joints instructing them to contract in aneffort to prevent movement. While this is a natu-ral and often useful response, it can have seriousdrawbacks for people with arthritis. In addition torestricting movement, excessive and prolonged mus-cular contraction contributes to cycles of tension,pain, and loss of function.

Research has shown that when pain persists over

a long-enough period, certain neural pathways canbecome hypersensitive, giving ones perception ofpain an autonomous, self-perpetuating quality. TheFeldenkrais Method can be used to interrupt cyclesof pain and tension and to reduce the neural links

between pain and muscular contraction. With lessmuscular contraction, the nervous system and mus-cles have an opportunity to recalibrate and become

better balanced.Margaret Fletcher, MD, is a retired surgeon and

former spokesperson and educator for the Arthri-tis Foundation who has had RA for 45 years. She

says, The Feldenkrais Method has totally changedthe way I see myself, especially in relation to pain.Physically, I went from using a wheelchair to walk-ing two miles almost every day. Most of my mentalenergy was formerly focused on how to live withpain, [but] now I have extraordinary mental freedomas well. I have found new skills that I never knew Ihad such as oil painting and writing poetry.Another intriguing benefit of the Feldenkrais

Method is that over time, the users kinestheticawarenessor awareness of his bodily position,

weight, and movementis clarified. This can come

in handy during episodes of acute arthritic discom-fort because it enables a person to use and benefitfrom the Feldenkrais Method without moving atall. Thats because simply imagining a movementcan bring about as big an improvement as actuallydoing the movement. Scientists have found that forcertain movements, the same networks of neuralpathways are activated whether a person actuallymoves or only visualizes moving. Imagining pain-free movement can also help to calm and soothe thenervous system, and decrease the brains association

between movement and pain. On the other hand,

trying to actively do the exercises while pushingthrough pain hinders the brains ability to learn andis counterproductive to healing.

In a study involving a group of adults with chronicpain, some of the participants took a six-weekcourse of Feldenkrais exercises. The people whotook the course had a significant improvement inmobility and a significant decrease in pain, bothimmediately following the course and one year later.Researchers also noted a reduction in anxiety in thepeople who took the course, as well as an increasein their ability to relax. Although the participants in

this study did not have arthritis, the success of theFeldenkrais Method in the reduction of chronic painis likely transferable to those who do.

Improving moodand well-being

Many people with arthritis know that unless their

discomfort is managed, it can take an emotional toll.Pain is exhausting and can gradually diminish a per-sons sense of what is possible for him. The experi-ence of improved posture and movement offered

by the Feldenkrais Method can improve a personsmood and sense of well-being. In a positive andempowering way, the Feldenkrais Method providespeople with any type of arthritis an opportunity tofocus on their abilities, rather than on disability.

Getting startedThe Feldenkrais Method is available in two forms, as

do-it-yourself exercises (also known as AwarenessThrough Movement), and in individual, hands-onsessions (known as Functional Integration). Aware-ness Through Movement exercises are usually done

while lying on the floor or sitting in a chair (seethe short sample exercise on page 16), and can bedone in classes with an instructor or at home, by fol-lowing instructions given via books or recordings.Functional Integration sessions should be providedonly by a Guild-Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner

who has completed an accredited four-year trainingprogram. Both forms of the Feldenkrais Method are

appropriate for people of all ages and abilities.To begin using the Feldenkrais Method, you may

start with either Awareness Through Movementexercises or Functional Integration sessions. Tofind either, look for a Guild-Certified FeldenkraisPractitioner in your area, or go to www.feldenkrais.com, the official Web site of the Feldenkrais Guild ofNorth America. For exercise books and CD record-ings, call the Feldenkrais Institute at (212) 727-1014or go to www.feldenkraisinstitute.com or www.feldenkraisresources.com.

David Zemach-Bersin is the Cofounder of theFeldenkrais Institute of New York, and MarkHirschfield is the Creative Director and a Fac-ulty Practitioner at the Feldenkrais Institute. TheFeldenkrais Institute can be reached by calling(212) 727-1012 or visiting the Web site www.feldenkraisinstitute.com.

Feldenkrais, Feldenkrais Method, AwarenessThrough Movement, Functional Integrationand The Feldenkrais Guildare registered trade-marks of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America.