ELDOA and myofascial stretching - a new way to heal back pain

Years ago, I had a trainer come working for me who introduced me to ELDOA (Longitudinal Osteoarticular Decoaptation Stretches, is taken from the French Etirements Longitudinaux avec Decoaptation Osteo-Articulaire). He offered an ELDOA workshop at Urbanfitt years ago. Since then, I've been including myofascial stretching in my training and added to my knowledge of myofascial stretching in the Fascial Stretch Therapy I became certified in.

Then the next time I heard about ELDOA again was last week when a trainer I share space with had learned some stretches from his Osteopath. Then I also heard about an ELDOA class a friend signed up for at Sphinx Pilates on College Street offered by a very skilled instructor, Petra. I thought it was time to write a bit about it since it seems to be taking off as a new more mainstream trend in back health.

ELDOA was developed by a french Osteopath named Guy Voyer. Although Guy Voyer is known internationally for his osteopathic expertise, he considers himself first and foremost a trainer who wants to pass on his skills to the next generation.

Guy developed an ELDOA exercise for every articulation in the spine starting at the base of the skull and ending with the sacro-illiac joint. Disc compression existing at any level of the spine can be addressed through a specific ELDOA exercise.

The goal of each ELDOA exercise is to create fascial tension above and below the joint or disc that one is trying to "open up" or decompress.

The benefits include:

Reduced vertebral compression
Improved circulation
Spinal disc re-hydration
Increased muscle tone and awareness

Disc hydration is an important and misunderstood factor in spinal health. Our discs are like sponges; when the area is properly hydrated and the discs are not compressed they draw water in. This hydration is necessary to maintain the suppleness that is present in a healthy disc. If the disc is dehydrated and compressed it will dry out and become brittle. It is in this state that nerve compression and inflammation are more likely to occur.
http://koupstrength.com/ELDOA.htm

Why should you consider it? If you're finding that your back problems aren't going away despite concerted efforts to heal, then maybe ELDOA will be your answer. Most osteopaths are focused on fascia in their healing process. Don't resign yourself to back pain and instead, maybe try seeking out alternative care you haven't yet tried.

Exercising anger out of the body

There are many occasions when we experience anger and can't express it to the person that triggered it in us. Or maybe we are angry at ourselves and don't know how to deal with this energy. Many people don't believe anger is an actual emotion and much more a bi-product of another (i.e. hurt, pain) but regardless, the energy of anger is VERY real and if left to fester in our bodies and minds, can lead to extreme toxicity.

Perhaps anger IS pointing to something deeper and it's important to acknowledge anger when we feel it because it can provide clues for something deeper going on. In suggesting we find a way to exercise it out of our bodies, I by no means suggest dismissing it or infer that it's a bad thing unto itself. I only think anger repressed is toxic because it's low vibrational dense energy that can make us sick in the long run if we DON'T deal with it.

One way to start releasing anger so that we can get to the deeper meaning behind it is to use movement to get it the fook out of our physical beings. By getting it out of our physical beings, we have a better opportunity to access our higher selves in dealing with the root cause of the anger. Staying stuck in anger can be the start of dis-ease.

Many alternative health practitioners believe that stuck, overly active, dense energy is the beginning of physical illness. Stuck energy can block the flow of healthy high vibrational energy, slow blood flow to an area and keep us from transcending an emotional or spiritual deficit.

So what to do?

Engage in Yang type exercise that releases the trapped energy.

This week, I had a client come in who didn't even know that her emotional disturbance that day was anger until we chatted for a few minutes. Then as I discovered that she was freakin' pissed about something that struck at the chord of her value system, I started getting her to do things that would challenge her to release the anger.

I got her throwing a 20lbs sandbag across the room, pounding the ground with heavy ropes, kneeing a stability ball, all done in quick succession. By the time we went through these exercises a few times, she was able to talk about why what happened was so hurtful to her.

After a calming fasical stretch, deep breathing, mysofascial release, she left laughing and lit up like the divine spirit she is.

So when you want to try releasing anger:
1) Choose big explosive exercises that use your whole body and make you want to grunt to get 'em done.
2) Put your all into what you're doing (safely) by not holding back effort.
3) If you're a runner pound the ground by doing some hard core sprints to get the shit out.
4) Try throwing something heavy (not at anyone of course) and yell if you need to while you do it. This can provide a cathartic release.

Or come see me and I'll show you how to do it!

NEW! Chi Strength Small Group Class

CHI STRENGTH: Muscle and energy strength and healing class

Jane brings her years of experience as a fitness expert together with her training in Reiki to offer a 6 week pre-registered strength training and energy healing class where you will focus on building deep strength in muscles surrounding important energetic centres in the body. Learn how to tune into your physical and energetic body, build lasting supported vital strength and access your inner wisdom through increased physical awareness.

Tuesdays at 12-1 starting Oct 23rd

$149 for 6 classes

Max 4 people

When addiction to exercise turns ugly

Sometimes more is just not better when it comes to exercise. Although, the majority of people in Canada barely get enough exercise to sustain optimal health, there is a small portion of the population that takes fitness too far to the point of harming themselves.

These people have a disorder of sorts. Either it's an eating disorder coupled with an exercise compulsion. Over exercise when coupled with an eating disorder becomes about something completely apart from health.

Then there are the people who can't stop themselves from over training despite the effects on their joints or overall health. To me, I wonder what are these people running from.

Having spent much of my adulthood immersed in an industry apparently promoting health, I have come to find that many fitness professionals suffer from exercise compulsion to the point of over training. I know this first hand. I have been engaged in a cycle of over exercise at different points in the my life thinking that clocking more time sweating somehow equated to being more fit all the while missing the big picture. In my late teens I was also in a less severe but not healthy cycle of severely limiting my calories while clocking over 2 hours of exercise a day. This behaviour, I can attest, was not about health.

People who have an unhealthy addiction to exercise (these are some signs, not hard and fast rules):

1) will exercise despite injury only to do more harm

2) will push themselves during workouts despite illness or fatigue

3) see themselves as more productive than most people who are less active

4) feel very very guilty to the point of distraction for taking time off of working out

5) are afraid they'll gain weight if they miss a couple workouts

6) potentially suffer body dismorphic disorder, seeing an entirely different body in the mirror than actually exists

7) severely restrict calories or binge eat and feel a need to 'work off the calories' from a binge

8) don't see the need to focus on restorative activities in order to maintain health

9) sometimes can't concentrate on other things because he or she is always thinking about exercise

10) skip special events and activities in order to exercise

11) find it difficult to exercise with other people in order to not disrupt routines

And I feel for people stuck in this cycle because society rewards people in this situation because they might seem to have it more together. Yhey are so 'disciplined', often look fit yet they suffer in silence because like any other addiction, they are using exercise to chase away pain.

Like any other addiction, people who are ignoring their health and exercising out of a compulsion need to get help in facing their demons.

There is hope to find balance, to find a way to use exercise to enhance health and vitality and to embark on a new chapter of healing, rest and peace.

My heart goes out to anyone reading this who can't seem to stop. I understand where you are. Your compulsion is occupying too much of your life and thoughts. You deserve to heal.

Peace.
Jane