Beating low back pain

Low back pain is common and can be highly disabling. It is one of the most common causes of sickness absence from work, and can reduce the quality of life of the sufferer.

The trial was run by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Southampton, and funded by the General Medical Council. It was a scientific randomised controlled trial, in which almost 600 patients were recruited from sixty-four GP’s practices in the south and south-west of England. Each patient had seen a doctor because of recurrent or chronic back pain in the last five years.

The trial found significant improvements after a year among those having lessons in the Alexander Technique. They spent just three days in pain each month compared to twenty-one days in pain among those receiving standard NHS care. There were also important improvements in function and quality of life. One year after the trial started the average number of activities limited by low back pain had fallen by 42% in the group receiving AT lessons.

The study can be accessed on www.bmj.com

The rise and rise of RSI

According to the Daily Mail (Friday, September 9, 2005) half a million workers have RSI.  From figures compiled by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 448,000 workers were reported as having RSI last year.  And the number of cases is rising.

More and more employers are aware of the cost of employee sickness due to the variety of conditions termed RSI, including tendonitis, tennis elbow, and frozen shoulder.  Employers frequently spend a great deal on well designed work stations, thereby tackling half the problem.  The Alexander technique can help you with the other half, showing you how to use that work station more effectively.  Good use, with the head properly balanced and the spine lengthening, can greatly reduce the chances of RSI developing.  If you are unfortunate enough to already suffer symptoms, recovery can be helped with the Alexander technique.