‘I am like a physiotherapist in that I use my hands on my clients’ muscles and joints; the difference is that a physio’s main focus is therapeutic, whereas mine is educational.’
- Jennifer Davy, Alexander Technique teacher, Exeter
Exeter Physiotherapy and Alexander Technique
Pictured above: Castle Street - where my workplace is located, one of the rooms at The Practice Rooms, and me
I have one of those jobs that's hard to sum up in a nutshell...
People have usually never heard of the Alexander Technique and might assume it’s a ‘complementary therapy’, when in fact:
‘The Alexander Technique is a well established method of teaching people to (among other things) return their general level of muscle tone (which is invariably selectively increased in certain disorders) towards a more normal level.
'It is not an alternative technique (based on a non-conventional view of human physiology such as those of acupuncture or homeopathy) but is entirely consistent with orthodox medical and physiological theory and practice. It has been taught in this country for over 100 years and claims for Alexander lessons have been paid by major medical insurance companies, such as B.U.P.A. for over 50 years.’
- Dr Miriam Wohl, GP specialising in making functional assessments of
people who have applied for Disability Living Allowance
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Here are some very rough guidelines:
If you have an acute injury or issue – see a physiotherapist
If you have a chronic injury or issue – see an Alexander teacher
If you have a serious medical problem – see a physiotherapist
If you have something doctors find harder to explain or treat – see an Alexander teacher
How to choose which expert to use:
Physiotherapists are trained professionals who help their injured patients get back to the highest possible range of movement. You may need help from a physiotherapist in the following situations:
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– You are injured
– You live with chronic pain
– During and after pregnancy
– Post-operatively
– To prevent chest complications *
– To prevent thrombosis *
– To prevent pressure sores *
– To prevent muscle wasting and joint mobility
– You have a chronic condition or neurological disease
– You decide to start exercising or take up a new sport
* In these cases a physio should definitely be consulted rather than an Alexander teacher. In many other cases both should be consulted and in some cases an Alexander teacher is best.
Make sure you only see a ‘registered’ physiotherapist.
Having access to a physiotherapist is one of the best ways to speed up your recovery and get your body back to normal. It isn’t an easy road - it can be painful and hard work.
Physiotherapists have a vast amount of practical knowledge and are much better known than Alexander teachers as they are usually available through the NHS.
Based In Exeter? How to know if you need an Exeter physio
When do you need an Alexander Technique teacher?
Alexander teachers are trained professionals who help their clients get back to the highest possible efficiency of muscular ‘use’. You may need the help of a teacher in the following situations:
– You are injured *
– You live with chronic pain
– During and after pregnancy
– Post-operatively *
– To prevent muscle wasting and joint mobility *
– You have a chronic condition or neurological disease *
* Alexander teachers are not usually medically trained and will not have specialist knowledge of injuries and conditions; however, the doctors and physios will not have the skills needed to help a person regain balance and efficient ‘use’ in the long term.
Typically, following an accident or illness resulting in a stay in hospital, a person will have a course of physiotherapy and THEN continue with Alexander lessons. Alexander lessons are not usually available free of charge, unless they have been recommended by a consultant as part of a treatment plan and are covered by medical insurance.
Alexander teachers are the only people capable of fundamentally re-training the brain to ensure maximum, automatic efficiency of muscular ‘use’. However, they are NOT usually available through the NHS.
Make sure you only see a ‘qualified’ teacher.
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Like me, perhaps :)
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‘Physiotherapy is a specialist branch of medicine that helps remediate impairments in movement, and promote patients' quality of life through physical intervention to improve mobility and function.’
- The Complete University Guide
Alexander Technique can be described in exactly the same way except that it is not currently recognised as a ‘branch of medicine’. However, when Mr Alexander had his practice in Harley Street, London, his scientific approach to remediating impairments was held in highest regard by the medical and scientific community of the day:
‘We are convinced that Alexander is justified in contending that "an unsatisfactory manner of use, by interfering with general functioning, constitutes a predisposing cause of disorder and disease," and that diagnosis of a patient's troubles must remain incomplete unless the medical man when making the diagnosis takes into consideration the influence of use upon functioning.’
- Extract from a letter signed by nineteen medical men and published in the British Medical Journal on May 29, 1937
Whether you need physiotherapy, or Alexander Technique, or a combination of both, depends entirely on each individual case.
I suppose a rule of thumb might be: If it’s acute see a physio; if it’s chronic see an Alexander teacher. If it’s ‘medical’ see a physio; if it’s postural see an Alexander teacher.
If it’s something recognisable that a physio normally treats – go ahead; if it’s not, see an Alexander teacher.
Do You Need Physiotherapy or The Alexander Technique?
When professionals disagree
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It's great when professionals can work together to bring about the best outcomes for their clients but, of course, they sometimes disagree, and then how do you decide what's best?
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Well it's difficult to give advice unless you know the specific case, but here are a couple of examples of cases I've encountered, just for interest:
1) I once knew a young man who had brain damage following a severe road traffic accident. He had spastic rigidity in one arm which his physio was working on using exercises and weights etc.
One half-hour Alexander lesson immediately returned his arm to normal tone whereas the physiotherapy had failed to do so over the course of a whole year.
This is because the physio was focusing on 'trying harder', whereas the Alexander Technique was reprogramming the brain to find new neural pathways.
This was an occasion where a combination of physiotherapy and Alexander Technique would have been the solution.
2) I know a carpenter who has to go to see his physio on a regular basis for the pain in his shoulders - this has been for over a decade.
From my point of view, the physio will never make him completely better because the problems come from the man’s habits of use, i.e. he rounds his back, stiffens his neck, retracts his head and fixes his ribcage all the time, without realising.
The physio makes him feel much better for a few days but there’s no possible way he will make any long-term progress. In this case, Alexander lessons would be the solution - the guy needs to learn new habits!
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NB The Alexander Technique is very gentle, non-invasive work.
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Training To Become An Alexander Technique Teacher
Training to teach the Alexander Technique takes 3 years on a full-time course, which includes studying anatomy, physiology, and the correct use of the postural muscles, but mainly involves learning a highly specialised use of the hands.
For courses, see the following links:
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http://www.alexander-technique-college.com
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http://www.constructiveteachingcentre.com
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As an Alexander Technique teacher, when I place my hands on a client, rather than sensing pain and trauma that might then be fixed, I sense the entire muscular system and the conscious effort the brain is making to control the individual muscles.
This skill, which takes years to learn and a lifetime to master, is akin to the skill needed by a top horseman. To the untrained eye, the way a rider gets a horse to perform complex dressage manoeuvres or to jump huge fences might seem mysterious, when in fact it is mostly a matter of muscular control.
The rider can sense everything the horse is doing through their ‘seat’ and the reigns, and can influence the horse by subtly communicating through changes in their own muscular activity.
The way I work is very similar. Through my hands I am able to feel the patterns of tension throughout a person’s muscular system and I am able to influence their brain to make the necessary adjustments in tone which will bring about a more efficient distribution of effort.
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In Summary
Physiotherapy tends to focus on strengthening groups of muscles which are deemed to be weak, with the intention of returning balance to an area of the body.
The focus on strengthening muscles can create pressure, tension and increased effort in the body, whereas Alexander Technique focuses on an infinitely more subtle but thorough re-education of the brain controlling those muscles, with a result which is natural, comfortable, permanent and probably more effective in the long term (depending on the circumstances).
I will always refer clients to a doctor, an osteopath or a physiotherapist when I think they are more appropriate. However, it's quite common for referral not to work in the opposite direction, i.e. often a client will be seeing a physio on a long-term basis, where Alexander lessons would be much more effective.
The Alexander Technique is not well known, partly because it’s an expensive option, and partly because human nature means that people favour a ‘quick fix’ as opposed to something which they have to make an effort to collaborate in.
For more information, please take a look around my website, in particular my page about the Alexander Technique in Exeter and also my blog.
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Contact me for a 5% discount on your first lesson I'll respond within 48 hours
BA (Hons)
MSTAT
DBS checked
07866 257033
Where To Find Me:
The Practice Rooms
15-16 Castle Street
EX4 3PT
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Click here to view my profile on the TPR website
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