Living with lower back pain can suck the joy out of life. Movements that you used to do without thinking are done with trepidation, or need to be planned, or you work out ways to avoid certain movements altogether. It can affect your sleep, which in turn affects mood, memory and energy levels.
And it hurts.
When we’re in pain we instinctively tighten our muscles and hold ourselves in a way to minimise the aggravation. Over time holding ourselves out of alignment can lead to pain arising in other areas, often higher up the back or in the hips. Tight muscles in the pelvic girdle can pinch the sciatic nerve causing pain or tingling in the buttock and leg. And this in turn affect our quality of life.
What causes lower back pain?
There are many causes, the most common include poor posture, injury from overuse or accident, and herniated discs.
How can shiatsu help?
Shiatsu can release muscular tension and allow the body to come back into alignment. I will stretch and manipulate your joints and find the source of the tension. Using my understanding of bodies from western and eastern perspectives I will ease it away and get your energy flowing.
Chronic pain is stressful, and stress makes pain worse. Shiatsu interrupts this vicious cycle by calming the nervous system and regulating the fight/flight/freeze response. I aim to bring deep relaxation and peace to your body and mind, which in turn aids sleep.
The treatment is a safe space to allow yourself to experience the depth of your feelings. Being seen, acknowledged and held is profoundly healing.
I will advise movements and direct you to helpful resources.
Herniated discs – this is a biomechanical issue where part of a disc is protruding into the spinal column putting pressure on the nerves. Depending on the location and severity of the injury this will present in different ways. Shiatsu can alleviate the symptoms, but it will not put the bulge back in (nor will other therapies).
| Case Study 10 years ago my partner slipped a disc, and I got interested in shiatsu. I saw the intense pain and discomfort he was in up close day in day out. He was prescribed painkillers which took the edge off, but he still couldn’t do basic things like sit in a chair comfortably. As time went on the muscles on one side of his back tightened so much as they tried to hold the pressure off the disc that he developed lumbar scoliosis (curvature of the spine). This became a huge source of pain. I looked into ways that I could help, and found that the most effective were shiatsu techniques – gentle stretches and acupressure. Regular treatment of LI 4 on the hand, BL23 and BL28 in the lower back and sacrum, GB30 in the buttock and BL60 on the ankle combined with back balancing stretches made life more comfortable. I was initially sceptical that pressure on a point in the ankle could alleviate lower back pain, but we were willing to try anything. Now I understand that that point (BL 60) is on the path of the sciatic nerve. Other things that helped were walking, swimming and Bowen therapy, and ultimately, a year after diagnosis a microdiscectomy operation. Two years later I started training as a shiatsu practitioner. |
How often will you need treatments?
I wish that I could solve all problems in a single session, but chronic back pain will require regular treatments to see a sustainable improvement. I offer block bookings at discounted rates – if you have a one off session and find it helpful and would like to try more I will roll the first one into a block. Three treatments (no more than a month apart) is usually enough to know if shiatsu is helping. If you’d like to find out more please get in touch.
Ethics
I will always tell you if I don’t think shiatsu will be effective for you.
I do not work directly with very recent injuries with active inflammation as there is a risk of aggravation.