The Practice

Pain Management:

Wesley Pain and Spine Centre

Wesley Hospital, Chasely Street, Auchenflower Qld 4066

Appointments: 07 3232 6190

Medico Legal Appointments:

Leximed

Level 2, Suite 30, Silverton, 101 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane Qld 4000

Telephone: 07 3831 5681

Fax: 07 3831 5682

 

Dr Leigh Atkinson AO

The Feldenkrais Method

A Physical Method of Managing Persistent Pain

The Feldenkrais Method is a way to teach movement. It is aimed at people with chronic pain and neurological problems. It recognises that most of us don't think about our bodies until we experience pain or some kind or problem.

For most of us our movements become habitual and automatic. We repeat the same movements over and over without thinking or noticing. When something happens repeatedly it drops from our consciousness. These movements may have been effected by things in the past such as childhood development, accommodation to previous injuries and the accommodation to specialised activities we have engaged in during sport, playing music instruments or in work conditions.

The Feldenkrais Method is not about curing or fixing people. It is not a medical treatment. It is an educational approach. It is about helping people get control back into their lives by understanding why they feel the way they do and by learning how to move differently so that they don't have to keep feeling that way.

Lawrence Goldfarb, 1993


Definition

The Feldenkrais Method is a form of somatic education that uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve movement and enhance human functioning. By using this Method you can increase your ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement. These movements will often generalise to enhance functioning in other aspects of your life. 

The Feldenkrais Method is based on principles of physics, biomechanics and an empirical understanding of learning human development. By expanding your self-image through movement sequences that bring attention to the parts of the self that are out of awareness, the Method enables you to include more of yourself in your functioning movements. Students become aware of their habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities and expand options for new ways of moving. By increasing sensitivity, the Feldenkrais Method assists you to live your life more fully, efficiently and comfortably. 

The Method can be used by young and old, physically challenged or physically fit, and patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke and persistent pain.

Formats

There are two formats for the Feldenkrais Method.

1. The first is an Awareness Through Movement (ATM). The Feldenkrais teacher verbally leads you through a sequel of movements in basic positioning - sitting or lying on the floor, standing or sitting in a chair. The Feldenkrais private lessons, called Functional Integration, are tailored to each student's individual learning needs, and the teacher guides your movements through touch. 

The ATM lesson consists of verbally directed movement sequences presented primarily to a group lesson generally lasting thirty to sixty minutes. The precisely structured movement explorations involve thinking, sensing, moving and imagining. Many are based on developmental movements and ordinary functioning activities (reaching, standing, lying to sitting, looking behind yourself, etc). Some are based on abstract explorations or joint, muscle and postural relationships. There are hundreds of ATM lessons, varying in difficulty and complexity. The emphasis is on learning which movements work better and noticing the quality of these changes in your body. Through increased awareness, you will learn to abandon habitual patterns of movement and develop alternatives resulting in improved flexibility and coordination.  

Learning strategies in ATM include:

  • using slow, gentle movement, and directing students to move within the limits of safety by avoiding pain and strain.
  • orientating to the process of learning and doing rather than working towards a goal.
  • directing awareness toward sensing differences and perceiving whole inter-connected patterns in movement.
  • allowing the student to find his or her own way with a lesson.


2. The second is a Functional Integration Lesson (FIL). An FIL is performed with the student fully clothed and usually lying on a table, or with the student in a sitting or standing position. At times various aids such as pillows, rollers and blankets are used in an effort to support the person's body configuration or to facilitate certain movements. The learning process is carried out without the use of any invasive or forceful procedure.    

Functional Integration is a hands-on form of tactile, kinesthetic communication.  

 

Welcome to the Pain Medicine website

On this website, you will find information about:

  • Dr Leigh Atkinson's practice - contact details, location, and information.
  • pain medicine and pain management.
  • links to other sites, including those related to pain medicine and pain management.