As a massage therapist, I am very familiar with many kinds of bodywork modalities and what concerns or conditions each modality most effectively addresses. There are many, many different schools of training that follow different approaches and beliefs as to how pain arises and how it can most effectively be treated. Despite our similarities, we all respond to varying treatments differently; some therapies and medications may work for one person and may not work on another – and bodywork is no exception.
One of our therapists on staff, Sonya, specializes in Spinal Reflex Therapy (SRT). I have never had a session of SRT, but I’ve heard so much about it! So I took the opportunity this week to tap Sonya for her knowledge and to share it with all of you. If you’ve been having difficulty with an injury or chronic pain of any kind and other methods haven’t been working for you, it may be worth coming to see her and finding out if SRT is appropriate for you.
Spinal Reflex Therapy is based on the idea that the most common root cause of any bodily pain and dysfunction is Spondylogenic Reflex Syndrome (SRS). SRS is, in a nutshell, a Spinal Reflex Therapist’s explanation for your body’s attempt to protect itself from trauma caused by stress, poor posture, unhealthy diet, injury, etc. To further simplify, the ways that our body tries to shield itself from trauma can actually be causing our pain.
As an example, let’s pretend that you broke your right ankle. Now you wear a big boot on that foot, and you’re also now using crutches. Despite the crutches, you’ll probably be using your left leg and foot a lot more in order to help your body distribute the weight between your crutches and your armpits – our armpits were never meant to carry our entire body weight. As a result, your left side may get achy in your low back and hip. Your shoulders may also get sore from this new compensation pattern. Eventually you get your boot off, begin physical therapy, and get back to using your newly healed foot: however, you may have been left with muscle spasm, joint strain, and fatigue from the stress of using your body in a way that it hasn’t been accustomed to.
Your therapist will initially perform a very brief postural evaluation while you are still clothed at the beginning of your session. Based on his or her analysis of your spine and the type of injury you need to be treated for, he/she will release the affected muscles in a particular order. When your muscles are released, they will send chemical messages to your brain to release natural opiates and other signals for your body to relax and heal. Once this happens, you should experience a reduction in your symptoms and your health and pain should improve – all without drugs or surgery. SRT is a modality recommended for adults or children who are experiencing back or back-related pain and treats a variety of issues such as: soft tissue fibrosis, trigger points, fatigue, muscle spasm, degenerative arthritis, pinched nerves, or chronic back, shoulder, or neck pain among many others. As an integrative health provider, any method of working with and encouraging the body’s natural healing processes is something we can really get behind. Have any of you out there had SRT? How did it work for you? We’d love to hear about your experience!
-Original Post by Erin Fenton, NCBTMB
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