Back Pain Success Story – My Client Jeanine

May 20, 2014 | Feldenkrais, Success Stories

jeanine cropJeanine, a nurse working at a local hospital, had lower back pain for years that was aggravated by sitting at a computer.   It was affecting her mood, her outlook, and her ability to fully engage with life.  As she described it:

“I was very disheartened when I showed up for my first appointment.  I thought it was too late to ever do anything sufficient to relieve the low key, almost continual, back pain I’d struggled with for so long”

In our first session, we worked to find a way for Jeanine to sit that would remove the pressure on her lower back.  She was delighted with the result:

“At the end of the first session, I could feel a significant difference.  I came to realize that my normal way of sitting oscillated between slouching and over-extending.  Laura showed me a new way; a way of sitting tall with my spine supporting me properly while still being relaxed.  It felt so much better.  The feeling of relief and hope brought tears to my eyes.”

After a dozen sessions, Jeanine had made significant progress:

“I learned to allow my skeleton (my bones) to support my weight and movement, instead of my exhausted tense muscles – as it was designed to do. I was able to attain significant changes in my sitting and walking posture affording me noticeable relief of the back pain.”

Jeanine’s description of working with me:

“Laura helped me recognize new ways of feeling physically. To  help me understand the concepts mentally, she would look for an example or a metaphor until she found one that I could own and use.  She would explain things carefully until she could see the light bulb going off! Another thing about Laura that was very important to me was that she gave me her full attention and really listened. I felt heard, understood and cared for.  I always left a session feeling calmer, happier, more centered and most importantly more hopeful and trusting in my and my body’s ability to move smoothly, comfortably and confidently in the world.”