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Is the Alexander Technique a Treatment for Back Pain?

Fundamentally, the Alexander Technique is not a treatment for anything. It is a way of understanding certain aspects of human functioning which can help us to be more free from tension, better co-ordinated and more physically and mentally aware. In this way it can help to prevent back injuries and aid in the recovery from existing injuries by improving our general condition.

How can the Alexander Technique help my back?

Mostly, when people speak about the back they refer to the spine. To understand how the Alexander Technique can help the spine we need to look at certain key principles.

Firstly on the physical level, Alexander discovered that we do not hold ourselves upright by balancing one part of the body on top of the part below it - like someone on stilts balancing something on their head - but rather that we are held upright by dynamic tension working in opposition to gravity: a useful image is that of a suspension bridge or a camping tent which are held firm by forces pulling in opposing directions. Poise, therefore, is attained by finding the right balance of tensions pulling in the right directions.

Contracted muscles in parts of the back, neck or shoulders, for instance, are seen from the point of view of the Alexander Technique as symptoms of an uneven distribution of tension throughout the whole body . The "Alexander" approach to dealing with this is to try to rectify the overall balance of tensions - just as a "kink" in the canvas of a tent is corrected by adjusting the relative tensions on the guy ropes. The key, on a physical level, to this balance of tensions in a human being is the relationship of the head to the neck, and the head and neck to the back.

Certain parts of the body are for support and others for mobility. The spine, pelvis and rib-cage are our central support structure and movements come from the joints. The weight of the head (some 10-12lbs.) has to be borne by the cervical spine. It does not rest on the atlas in such a way that it could balance; there is more weight forward of the atlas than behind. The head would, if left to itself, tend to fall forward and it is prevented from doing so by muscular activity which pulls the head back. If this muscular activity becomes excessive then the head pulls back too much and the weight of it starts to bear down on the cervical spine. This then has a "knock-on" effect on the rest of the spine, which either collapses or, usually with a great deal of tension in the chest shoulders and neck, becomes rigid in order to provide support.

Usually after even one or two session a pupils will become aware of a subtle "lengthening" in the spine, which is very different from the forced stretch from, say, traction. To the extent that one can learn to prevent downward pressure, the spine will tend to recover its natural spring. This can often lead to relief from pain caused by pressure on nerves (as in sciatica) or joints.

How does the Alexander Technique differ from osteopathy, chiropractic or physiotherapy?

These three approaches are all, in their different ways, essentially treatments. Most of the focus will be on the area of discomfort, though some attention may also be given to related musculo-skeletal factors. Although physiotherapists (and some osteopaths and chiropractors) may also give exercises as well as manipulative treatment, there are certain factors they do not deal with and which are more in the domain of the Alexander technique. Amongst these are: dealing directly with the body's capacity to lengthen in opposition to gravity and the role of the relationship of the head, neck and back to the body's anti-gravity response; exploring and learning to counter the force of habit which makes us continually repeat our mistakes; cultivating sensory awareness and attention.

Treatment from one of the above qualified practitioners can be the most appropriate course of action in certain cases. Usually if a problem tends to recur, then treatment is not the long-term solution. There is a need to address the causes in a much deeper way.