Rheumatiod Arthritis – Relief from Pain

November 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

“There is no cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis” according to The Mayo Clinic, but recently a friend with advanced Rheumatoid Arthritis dropped in for a visit and we found some ways to reduce the pain and discomfort in a few minutes.

Rheumatoid Arthritis affects more women than men and is characterised by

  • Tender, warm, swollen joints
  • Morning stiffness that may last for hours
  • Firm bumps of tissue under the skin on your arms (rheumatoid nodules)
  • Fatigue, fever and weight loss

As rheumatoid progress

  • joints become deformed
  • pain increases in joints
  • joints become inflammed
  • muscles lose strength and flexibility
  • general loss of balance which can result in falls
  • some medications make bones soft and brittle which can lead to fractures

Can VibroGym assist Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Over the last couple of years, “Alice” has suffered a  loss of flexibility, strength and sense of balance. As these functions have diminished, the deformities and contractures in her legs, hands and feet have increased. She was feeling very tight through her chest and shoulders and was finding getting up and down steps difficult. Even getting out of a chair took several minutes to negotiate.

We decided to see if the VibroGym could give her some relief from pain.

Safe and effective solution for chronic pain

With a little adjustment here and there she was soon sitting comfortably in a chair with her legs on foam blocks. With the VibroGym on the massage setting, we experimented with several different positions.

We started with her calves resting on the foam blocks that transferred the vibration from the VibroGym plate. As ‘Alice’ got more comfortable with the vibrations we removed the foam block and she placed her heels on the plate, then the soles of her feet.

All in all ‘Alice’ had her legs and feet on the VibroGym for about 15 minutes.

As we tried different positions, she started reporting that

  • she felt her shoulders were letting go and released tight muscles
  • the backs of her legs were relaxing
  • her pelvis was settling into the chair better
  • She looked relaxed and began to smile much more

When she got up to continue her drive home she was amazed at

  • how much softer her feet were on the ground
  • how it was easier to walk up the stairs
  • how relaxed she felt
  • but also how much more energised she felt.

Relief from pain

Unfortunately she lives a liong drive away from here. Both of us were excited and look forward to the next time she visits me in

Relief from pain

Norman Park, Brisbane so we can use the VibroGym to give her some relief from the pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

With regular use of the VibroGym, I feel confident that ‘Alice’ would regain flexibility, strength and her sense of balance. These attributes enhance the quality of life and sense of independence. It is a safe and effective solution for chronic pain.

You know of anyone who suffers from chronic pain, loss of strength is interested in maintaining an active and independent life, they can call Vicki on 0429 030 111 for a FREE trial of the VibroGym.

 

 

 

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EFT CAse Study- SUNCT Syndrome

October 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

James made an appointment for EFT for his debilitating SUNCT syndrome which caused chronic pain in his head. When he called he told me he had tried many different types of treatment but was unable to control the pain or the effects it was having on his life. During our conversation at his appointment, I began to notice that he tried to understate most of the difficulties the pain was creating. Even so, after about 45 minutes of conversation and taking notes we started to tap.

After the first round he reported that he had NO pain.

He kept saying “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it”. Then the pain started to reappear at a much lower frequency.

We did a second round following the physical symptoms of pain in his abdomen and describing its intensity and direction and the way it made him feel. The pain again was gone for a minute or two.

The third round we tapped on the emotional disruption created in his life when his pain was intense.
He was pain free this time and began to laugh loudly. He kindly wrote this to explain his experience.

“I’ve suffered from Trigeminal Neuralgia and SUNCT syndrome for 6 years now going in and out of remission like a yo-yo. I’ve been on numerous cocktails of drugs and seen just about every kind of doctor there is from neurologists to shamans. When I first tried EFT I was very skeptical. It was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done to try and alleviate my pain, though at that point I was willing to try just about anything!

Within 10mins I immediately began to feel my pain waining, changing from a sharp and acute pain, to a light and dull one. I simply couldn’t believe it was happening let alone so quickly! My vision was becoming sharper, my sensitivity to light lessened and the pain began to become less intense all at once. I’m not saying it cured me, though it was the quickest method of pain relief I’ve experienced short of a morphine shot. I highly recommend it!”

 

James has only had the one treatment of EFT. He went away with skills and knowledge to be able to implement EFT for himself when the pain recurred.

If you know anyone who suffers with chronic pain, who has tried everything with little or no response . Vicki Tate may have some answers for you. She is very pleased to be of service to help alleviate your pain. You can access information on www.bodyandspinealign.com.au or email info@bodyandspinealign.com.au.Phone  0429 030 111

 

 

 

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Scoliosis Help!

June 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A Scoliosis Case Study

“Sarah” was a fit, young woman in her mid 20’s. She had been diagnosed with scoliosis in her teenage years and was suffering with neck, shoulder, upper, middle and lower back pain.

Skeptical about Outcomes

She was very skeptical about Ortho-Bionomy, stating, ”I don’t know why I bother. Nothing works anyway”. She had tried many different therapies and had not been able to find relief for any length of time. I was attending her workplace doing short sessions for the workers in their lunch and tea breaks to help them deal with a very stressful job taking emergency calls from with people in extreme circumstances.

1st Session Relief!

We worked on a massage table for 15 minutes, with her fully clothed, jumper and all. I found the most comfortable position for her neck, which was quite tilted to one side and very tense. Once her neck was comfortable, Sarah immediately sighed and said how much it relieved the ache in her neck. I also showed her how she could get relief from her nagging back pain with a very simple home exercise.

The following week she reported that she had relief from her neck pain for the whole week from our short time together. She asked her boyfriend to try the spinal “twist” which allowed her to be relatively pain free in her upper back as well.

2nd Session Progress

During the 2nd session we worked with her pelvis which was quite rotated and causing her pain, again taking her to positions of comfort. I explained that if she did the exercises I was to give her it was possible to correct her condition. We began with 2 simple exercises to alleviate her mid back tension and to stabilize and strengthen the small muscles of her pelvis and correct muscle imbalances.

Sarah continued to come and see me on a weekly basis in her lunchtime. After five visits the pain in her shoulders, neck and lower back had gone. Now her ribs were causing her trouble. On examination, I noticed that her spinal curvature was almost gone too.

She reported that her waist had become even and now she could wear clothes that until recently had not fitted her properly due to the spinal twist caused by the scoliosis. On a visit to her family her mother had commented that she was walking differently – more evenly with both of her legs and hips instead of leading with her right all of the time.

Scoliosis- Pain Free

Stability and Freedom from pain

During those five visits, Sarah had left my office with simple exercise she could do at the computer desk or standing and waiting in queues, with a few which were better done at home in a relaxed environment. The exercises I prescribed were to re-establish functional movement patterns and alleviate any pain or discomfort which may arise between visits.

Next we needed to address the twist in her ribs. By this time she found her ribs caused her more discomfort than any other part of her spine. Ribs are involved in almost every function from breathing to moving in any direction. They never get a rest because we breath constantly.

Over the next few visits, I showed her how to assist her ribs to untwist and sit comfortably with her spine. She was very willing to persist, because she could see the enormous changes that had happened in such a short time with a condition that would only get worse with age. Her perceptions were changing.

10 visits to  Spinal Alignment

After her tenth visit I reassessed her spinal curves and her rib patterns and found them to be in correctly aligned positions. She was completely pain free!!

Maintenance

This young woman now has a set of exercises to help her whenever her neck, back, ribs or shoulders pain cause her strife in the future, as well as ones to help maintain her new and healthy spinal position. Sarah has noticed that her flexibility and strength have both increased with this simple, safe and pain free work.

If you know of anyone of any age who suffers with Scoliosis, I can certainly assist them to find a pain free life with gentle retraining and strengthening exercises. The treatment is painless and empowering. My philosophy is to teach you the methods and exercises, so you can maintain your own health.

I hope this is helpful to you on your healing journey

Vicki Tate

Vicki Tate is keenly interested in many areas of postural alignment and well-being. She is owner and Principal Practitioner at Body and Spine Align, Norman Park, Brisbane, where she has private practice offering Ortho-Bionomy, EFT and VibroGym sessions. Vicki incorporates her training as a Registered Nurse, teacher and Ortho-Bionomy to offer highly targeted and effective treatment for muscular skeletal and postural issues. She has a special interest in Scoliosis.

Call 0429030111 for appointments and enquiries or email info@bodyandspinealign.com.au

 

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Lower Back Pain Relief after 10 years

May 10, 2011 By 3 Comments

A professional woman in her mid 40′s was referred to Body & Spine Align with chronic lower back pain since the last trimester of a pregnancy 10 years earlier. She had re-injured her back 2 1/2 years ago when she had been diagnosed with a disc bulge at L5/S1. An Osteopath had been treating her weekly during that time. Her symptoms had improved very slowly with very little change for over 18 months.

Lower and Upper Back Symptoms

Now she was complaining of pain in her upper back and left shoulder as well as a very stiff and chronically sore lower back. She had lost a lot of fitness due to the injury and was gaining weight too which was compounding her problems.

When I examined her shoulders, spine and ribs were all tight. Using very gentle movements and positions of comfort with occasional isometric exercises, she was able to move more freely at the end of the session.

Lower Back Stretches and Relaxation

I discussed the importance of stretching and relaxing all the muscles of her back as well as doing some strengthening exercises at home. We spent about 25-20 minutes practicing these before she left my practice.

Long Term Lower Back Pain Relief

When she stood up she exclaimed ” Oh My goodness! I don’t have ANY pain. I can’t believe it. I’ve put up with this pain for years and you are so gentle and the exercises are so  easy.”

She was planning an overseas trip in 6 weeks time,so was very relieved that she now had a way to manage her symptoms and feel better. I received a post card from her overseas trip saying what a wonderful time she was having and her back had not caused any problems even during a long haul flight with stop overs.

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Neck Pain Relief in First Visit

May 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Neck Pain Relief in the first visit for a 12 year old boy

After months of neck pain and headaches, insomnia, blurred vision and moodiness a 12 year old boy was brought to my clinic by his parents. He had suffered a fall at ice skating in the previous week and was complaining of constant neck pain and headaches. He had been having trouble sleeping for some months, which seemed to coincide with a nasty trampoline accident where his knee connected with his lower jaw. His mum noted that he was often roaming around the house at night unable to sleep due to pain and restlessness.

When I examined him, he had a lot of neck, shoulder and pelvis tightening, especially on his right side. His neck was rigid and very tender on both sides. With very careful and gentle movements, holding and supporting his neck, it slowly began to relax, releasing the whiplash injury in the muscles. The associated patterns in his shoulders and hips melted too. At the end of the session his body was relaxed and in alignment on the massage table.

His mum was also visiting for her health issues, so I made a make shift bed out of a yoga mat and some blankets, pillows and doona for him to have a rest while he waited. Within an hour, he was so fast asleep we thought we would have to carry him to the car.

The next morning his mother reported that he slept for 11 hours uninterrupted. At breakfast he said his headache had disappeared and he was feeling great and ready for school. His parents noticed he was much more relaxed and comfortable than they had seen him for ages.

 

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