When my sciatica recurred when Eva was four months old, I didn’t know what to do. I was experiencing shooting pains down my left leg into my foot and finding it almost impossible to sit comfortably. That probably doesn’t sound so bad, but my hip and leg would stiffen up when I was in bed, and night feeds became agonising. Unfortunately my GP could only suggest anti-inflammatories (which can’t be taken when breastfeeding) or physio (which I was sceptical about).
However a friend had experienced great results for her back pain with something called The Bowen Technique. A little internet research made clear that the main benefit of The Bowen Technique is that it seeks to tackle the causes of back pain, rather than just addressing the symptoms. The technique involves the therapist using fingers or thumbs to move over muscles, ligaments and tendons in various parts of the body and “rebalancing” them, the overall idea being to straighten the body and thereby remove pressure from the sciatica nerve (or other problem area).
This all made sense to me, so I set about looking for a local practitioner. I found one listed on the website for The European College of Bowen Studies* and called her to discuss my symptoms. She recommended a session a week for three weeks; the first would be a general treatment and the following two would concentrate on my specific problems.
When we met, she explained that a feature of the work is that between sets of moves the therapist leaves the room so the client can rest, allowing the body the opportunity to “decide” what action needs to be taken in response to the moves it has received. Although slightly disconcerting, this is a defining aspect of The Bowen Technique.
The work was gentle and subtle, each move being distinct from the last – not at all like a massage, but equally relaxing. I was surprised to notice an improvement in my condition after the first session. The stiffness at night eased and the shooting pains down my left leg were no longer going all the way into my foot.
The second session focused a little more on my sciatic area and again yielded noticeable results. By the end of my third session, my pain had already been greatly reduced and within a few days I knew I was “fixed” – sleeping well, sitting comfortably and feeding Eva with no sciatic pain at all.
I wouldn’t hesitate to turn to The Bowen Technique again to tackle any back condition.
*For more information and to find practitioners in your area visit www.thebowentechnique.com