Feldenkrais and bodywork for Chronic Pain and Recurring Injuries
An innovative movement and awareness-based approach
for pain that keeps coming back
When treatment helps, but pain returns
Pain that resolves and then comes back is often trying to tell you something. It usually means the tissue has healed, but the movement or tension pattern that created the strain in the first place hasn't changed.
You may recognize this if (for example):
physical therapy or treatment helped, but the same injury returned within months
pain shows up in a new spot after the original area improved
you've been told nothing is structurally wrong, but the pain persists anyway
Why this happens
Looking at the big picture
Many treatments focus on the site of pain — the joint, the muscle, the injury itself. Sometimes it is appropriate and necessary. However, in the big picture, where the pain shows up may not be the source of the problem. Our bodies are complicated systems of movement and coordination. Many muscles are involved in almost any activity or movement pattern. Their coordination is done in the nervous system, which determines which muscle contracts, the exact timing and how much it contracts. Ideally, a movement (let’s say, throwing a ball) is coordinated in a smooth and efficient way, with each muscle from feet to torso, shoulder, arm and hand, doing its job to the exact extent and timing. The nervous system is like a skilled an attentive conductor of an orchestra in this case. In reality, this coordination is not intact for most of us. Perhaps the conductor is stressed and distracted by other thoughts. Perhaps he has learned to favor some musicians at the expense of others. Perhaps some musicians (muscles or joints) have been hurt in the past, and now there are compensatory mechanisms in place to avoid action in those places. Maybe he is tired, but is forced to work overtime. Maybe he panics under a threat, when performance is crucial, and starts to contract muscles left and right without law and order.
Consequences of poor organization
As a result, there may be more muscle action involved than is needed, with muscles contradicting each other and creating undue pressure on the joints. Eventually this leads to wear and tear that is entirely preventable. This wear and tear is often blamed on simply getting older — but actually with better movement coordination, it's possible to stay active into old age without losing joint health. Another example is when small muscles (fingers, wrists) take on the job of big muscles (shoulder, torso). In this scenario, it is easy to see how these muscles can be strained through overwork.
Common causes of lack of coordination
In short, whether through trauma, stress, or poor movement habits, most of us don’t have a fully efficient organization of movement. Of course, this varies quite a bit from person to person. In general, healthy children move exceptionally well. They don’t have tension headache, sore backs and tight shoulders. They are following the blueprint Nature provided according which to coordinate their movements in an organic fashion. With time, bad habits creep in and interrupt this ideal flow. Again, common causes include physical and emotional trauma, ongoing stress, overworking, sitting still for prolonged time, and unconsciously copying poor movement and breathing habits of other people.
Related to this, most of us don’t have an accurate body image. By body image I mean how we see our body through our internal eyes. Which space exactly it occupies, where different parts are in space at any given time, and how moving them changes their relationship. It is easy to see that having an inadequate idea of our body is very likely to result in movement that is imprecise, sub-optimal, or downright destructive.
How Feldenkrais helps
Recognizing this bigger picture of movement mechanics, Feldenkrais takes into account all aspects of human life, including thoughts, feelings, sensing and acting. It looks at movement as a whole and works through respecting each player in this symphony and restoring the superb movement intelligence we had as a child.
Sessions don't focus on the site of pain directly. They explore how you're organizing movement around it — where you're bracing, compensating, or working harder than necessary, often without realizing it. Once that pattern becomes visible, there's an opportunity to find a different way of moving that doesn't recreate the same strain.
This work doesn't diagnose or treat the injury itself. It's a complement to medical care, not a replacement for it — many clients use it alongside physical therapy or after being cleared by a doctor.
An important thing to note is that in Feldenkrais we work around pain. In contrast to some other modalities that imply that feeling pain is a necessary part of healing, Feldenkrais believes that learning new patterns in a sustainable way can only be done in a neutral or positive atmosphere. That’s when our nervous systems are most open to change. Therefore, sessions are designed to feel either neutral or pleasant, not adding pain to what is already there. Perhaps related to this, Feldenkrais is considered a very low-risk approach.
What people notice
movement that used to trigger pain becomes possible again
less bracing or guarding around the area that used to hurt
fewer repeat injuries in the same spot over time
Sometimes these changes become apparent after even one session or class. However, in many cases, it takes a number of sessions to properly address the underlying issue and install new movement habits.