Back painA new approach to back pain and associated disorders.

Do you suffer from headache, neckache, back pain or other nonspecific muscular soreness?

If so, you have probably tried various manipulations as performed by chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists or other related therapies - in some cases even surgery. As you will be aware most of these complaints originate from distortions in the spine that occur to a greater degree than the body can accept. This may become acute when a vertebrae "clicks out ". Accompanying distortions then follow to adjacent structures like the shoulder, hips and the balance of the head and neck.

These problems are probably most often caused by:

1: Posture - usually the result of a repeated daily cramped working position.

2: The dental occlusion - i.e. an uneveness in the way the teeth and jaws line up causing a strained position to the head and neck.

Because of the spinal curvature the muscles on one side of the spine become different in length to the other. When manipulation is performed, this will straighten the spine often giving dramatic relief. The problem with this approach is that it usually lacks permanence because in straightening the spine the short muscle side becomes stretched like a rubberband while the other side goes limb. Consequently forces are now set up by the muscles that will soon act to drag the spine back to its previous bent position.

Musculoskeletal balancing provides the solution by restoring all these muscles back to an evenly balanced length.

The technique provides exercises that will lengthen short muscles and tighten those that are too loose. Now the spine will straighten not by manipulation but under the natural influence of the bodys own musculature.

Our programmes at Gym & Tonic are set up to do this.

Gym & Tonic has the knowledge and skills to analyse which of these muscles need to be modified and to what degree is needed. The correct sequence of treatment must also be determined otherwise things may get worse instead of improving. The good news is that problems treated in this way do not relapse.

It may be necessary though to exercise with the prescribed routine from time to time depending on whether your daily activities are likely to lead you back to a distorted posture. Once you get to this point your needs for our personal training programs is much reduced because you know the routines that are needed for your particular problem.

Patrice Carmignani - Personal Trainer / Physical Therapist / Dip.Phys.Ed. / Cert.M.S.