Improvement in Automatic Postural Coordination Following Alexander Technique Lessons in a Person With Low Back Pain
Open Access
- 1 June 2005
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal
- Vol. 85 (6), 565-578
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/85.6.565
Abstract
Background and Purpose. The relationship between abnormal postural coordination and back pain is unclear. The Alexander Technique (AT) aims to improve postural coordination by using conscious processes to alter automatic postural coordination and ongoing muscular activity, and it has been reported to reduce low back pain. This case report describes the use of the AT with a client with low back pain and the observed changes in automatic postural responses and back pain. Case Description. The client was a 49-year-old woman with a 25-year history of left-sided, idiopathic, lumbrosacral back pain. Automatic postural coordination was measured using a force plate during horizontal platform translations and one-legged standing. Outcomes. The client was tested monthly for 4 months before AT lessons and for 3 months after lessons. Before lessons, she consistently had laterally asymmetric automatic postural responses to translations. After AT lessons, the magnitude and asymmetry of her responses and balance improved and her low back pain decreased. Discussion. Further research is warranted to study whether AT lessons improve low back pain-associated abnormalities in automatic postural coordination and whether improving automatic postural coordination helps to reduce low back pain.Keywords
This publication has 54 references indexed in Scilit:
- Voluntary and reflex control of human back muscles during induced painThe Journal of Physiology, 1999
- The influence of head rotation on human upright posture during balanced bilateral vibrationNeuroReport, 1995
- Body Motion Patterns During a Novel Repetitive Wheel-Rotation TaskSpine, 1995
- A Computerized Technique for Analyzing Lateral Bending Behavior of Subjects With Normal and Impaired Lumbar SpineSpine, 1994
- A measure of body movement coordination during repetitive dynamic liftingIEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering, 1993
- Interexaminer Reliability and Discriminant Validity of Inclinometric Measurement of Lumbar Rotation in Chronic Low-Back Pain Patients and Subjects Without Low-Back PainSpine, 1992
- The pain-adaptation model: a discussion of the relationship between chronic musculoskeletal pain and motor activityCanadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 1991
- Early experiences of a multidisciplinary pain management programmeHolistic Medicine, 1988
- Ethology and Stress DiseasesScience, 1974
- Method for changing stereotyped response patterns by the inhibition of certain postural sets.Psychological Review, 1965