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bodymindspiritworks LLC |
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integrative bodywork
& scoliosis: an integral approach to correcting scoliosis |
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Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side, so it looks more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line. The vertebrae along the curve are usually also rotated outward, resulting in rib torsioning (i.e., ribs appear to be humped). The cause of scoliosis is poorly understood; the most common form is called "idiopathic" which means, simply, "no one knows why." Left untreated, scoliosis can progress and become debilitating and chronically painful. |
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What can, or what should, be done to treat scoliosis is the subject of intense medical controversy. The current standard approaches are observation (do nothing until it gets worse), bracing (ex: the Boston Brace), and surgery (spinal fusions and metal rod implants). The photo at right shows a "successful fusion/instrumentation." The controversy exists because some of the collateral side-effects of treatment (particularly surgery) can be debilitating in themselves. Many bodywork therapists refuse to accept the current strategies and their destructive side-effects as the only ones that work, and have developed alternative techniques for treating scoliosis (many of them trademarked). The underlying strategy in most of these therapies is the same: correct the unbalanced (one-sided) forces acting on the spine, re-train the brain to think "straight," and the spine straightens itself. |
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We have been able to help persons correct their scoliosis, resulting in relief from discomfort and pain as well as improvement in functioning, cosmetic appearance and sense of self-worth. Spines have straightened enough so that surgery that once seemed immanent was no longer needed. And when a curved spine becomes straight, the person gets taller: our clients have gained from 0.5 to 1.0 inches in height as measured by their physician or osteopath. If you have scoliosis, we invite you to come in for a consultation. We don't claim to have all the answers, or any quick fixes. There is nothing magical about our work. It is hard work, it requires constant attention and acute awareness in both therapist and client, and it takes commitment and time for the changes to occur (the scoliosis didn't happen overnight either). Our work is empirical, measurable, and based on sound principles of deep tissue massage, bio-structural mechanics, myo-fascial release, resisted movement, gentle joint mobilizations, craniosacral therapy and structural integration, along with supportive counseling to address and resolve emotional issues that may be present and contributing to the scoliosis. We have been successfully treating "idiopathic" scoliosis at Bodymindspiritworks since 2005 using an integrated set of techniques rather than any single proprietary approach. Working with persons as old as 74 and young as 13, we have found that each person is unique and therefore their scoliosis is unique. The forces that have created (and are now stabilizing) the scoliotic curve are both structural (bone has remodeled itself to accommodate the curvature) and functional (muscular forces exerted unevenly or unilaterally on the spinal column created the curve in the first place and now keep it from straightening). The forces are also emotional and relational (particularly involving trauma/PTSD issues) and spiritual (involving the person's belief systems and worldview). At Bodymindspiritworks, correcting scoliosis is an "integral" therapy. Integral means
working with the whole person and not just with the mechanics. Integral means working with the mechanics
in a way that does not violate the rest of the person's being or cause collateral suffering (for example, a spine
that no longer moves because it is being held immobile by rod implants). Integral means working with the
emotional and relational forces in the person's life that are "remembered" and carried in the person's body.
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December 2007
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April 2010
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November 2008
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April 2009
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| Bodymindspiritworks client photos used with permission | |
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We commit to creating Bodymindspiritworks as a place of sanctuary, of tranquility, of peace; a place for seeking goodness, truth, beauty; a place of healing, of deep learning, of transformation; a place for seeking integrity and wholeness, justice, love. We commit to living lives that are good and beautiful and true, lives that are integrated and whole, lives that draw energy from our hearts and souls, lives that are supported and nourished by the environments we create around us. |
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