Alexander Technique for Nerve Damage (client testimonial)
“I am a retired university academic living in Glasgow, UK. I was a keen cyclist until 2022, when a car driver caused a serious accident which resulted in spinal injury, damage to my spinal cord, and lengthy hospitalisation. I am now trying to recover as much of my neurological function as possible, attempting to compensate for the defective sensory feedback from the arms and legs (malfunctioning proprioception, defective sense of heat and cold, hypersensitivity in the hands and elsewhere).
Regular physiotherapy sessions combined with Alexander Technique (AT) have significantly helped me focus on those problems where some recovery is possible, notably by reducing muscular tension and stiffness in all four limbs and in the shoulders. Initially we aimed for a session once a fortnight, slightly less frequently once I had a better grasp of how to practice and implement AT.
As a keen amateur musician, I had heard about Alexander Technique a long time ago, and knew that it might help re-establish connections with muscles and joints that had become overloaded or dysfunctional. Cathy has a great understanding of such difficulties, and has developed a wide range of tools to help patients gain awareness of how the body moves, which muscles are needed (and which are not), and how to acquire the mind-body connections which can lead to more effective and stress-free use of the whole body. Her approach focuses on breathing, and on learning how the body works, creating the potential for re-mapping neurological connections and securing a stable and balanced posture (sitting, standing, moving). That, in turn, helps to make arm and leg movements less tiring, smoother, and much more sustainable with less mental effort.
As a person, Cathy is excellent at conveying the inner peace and stability which I had lost in the accident. In particular, the spinal injury had set up blockages that made especially my left arm, neck and both shoulders extremely tense, with some muscles over-contracted. Many arm- and hand-movements were difficult because the muscles were working against each other and the connecting tissues were overly tight, causing unnecessary fatigue and making some movements unsteady and unreliable. Cathy took the trouble to explain how the joints were meant to move, and how to ‘switch off’ those muscles that were blocking free movement.
In my experience, Alexander Technique works well in combination with physiotherapy, even though the two work very differently. AT has been particularly helpful in reducing tension and stress everywhere, and has allowed me to gain substantially easier mobility (for example, better balance and awareness of what my feet should be doing). It has also helped me improve posture with as little tension as possible, efficient use of my shoulders with less tension, and not least, better control of my hands for all kinds of tasks.
I am sorry Cathy is moving away from Scotland, so the sessions will end. In the 10 months of our working together I have already gained much awareness of the technique. I will be reminding myself of the guiding principles and keep going.”
Thomas M.
Glasgow, September 2024
