Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living: A practical approach to eliminating chronic back pain, tendonitis, neck and shoulder t

Description

Craig Williamson, a Portland, Maine-based physical therapist, has treated people with persistent muscle pain for over twenty years; in fact, he cured his own. "In Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living" he details the five following causes of muscle pain: dysfunctional movement patterns; muscle contractions and reactions to injuries; alignment problems; psychological causes (known as psychogenic pain); and kinesthetic dysfunction. Of the five, Williamson has found in his clinical practice that a lack of kinesthetic awareness, or the ability to sense your own body movements accurately, is the most important - and most overlooked - cause of persistent pain. Kinesthetic awareness is vital to muscle flexibility, strength, relaxation, and postural alignment, and it is also directly related to a person's self-image and emotional well-being. Williamson has developed, registered and teaches an innovative treatment method called the Somatic Integration Method of Exercise Therapy. His approach to treating pain is based on years of training in both Western and Eastern healing modalities, such as Rolfing, Feldenkrais, and Alexander Technique, and qi-based disciplines such as taiji (tai chi) and qigong. All these disciplines have informed his understanding of body awareness and how the body and mind can work together to create - and relieve - pain.

Craig Williamson, MSOT, is an occupational therapist who treats patients with persistent pain problems. He is the pioneer of Somatic Integration (www.somaticintegration.com), an approach to muscular pain relief that includes muscular retraining techniques and specific, targeted exercises. He lives and practices in Portland, Maine.

"Williamson's true gift is guidance in understanding the connection among body movement, self awareness, and relaxation."-Library Journal "This book contains the keys to living fully and freely in your body."-Christine Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom and Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom "Everyone in pain, and those who treat them, should read this book."-Karen Margolis, MD, Senior Clinical Investigator, HealthPartners Research Foundation; Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School "Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living is an important contribution to the literature on diagnosis and treatment of musculo-skeletal problems."-Douglas W. Brown, MD, President, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine; former Team Physician, U.S. National Soccer Teams (1986-2004) "Craig Williamson has written a brilliant book: clear, concise, and profound. Reading it may not only change your awareness of your body, it may also change your life."-Donald Hankinson, DO, Director of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at Maine Medical Center "Craig has paid his dues in many years of exploring the field, from the arts to psychotherapy to the biomechanical sciences. His book is a breath of fresh air-an appeal to the innate but largely unused power of our kinesthetic intelligence to heal and 'right' ourselves."-Tom Myers, LMT, NCTMB, author of Anatomy Trains "I recommend Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living for yoga teachers as well as anyone who wants to move with better function, elegance, and ease."-Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, physical therapist and yoga teacher since 1971; author of six books, including A Year of Living Your Yoga "Craig Williamson's Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living is a revelation for people who seek relief from chronic bodily pain. It is a book about healing that works, because Craig knows the vital importance of awareness to healthy living."-Robert K. Hall, MD, cofounder Lomi School; author of Out of Nowhere; Dharma teacher "Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living opens the door to healing through increased awareness-for professionals, athletes, dancers, and people in the street. Author Craig Williamson extends an invitation to all readers to discover their own habitual patterns and transform connections between their minds and bodies. I recommend it to students and teachers alike as an accessible and useful guide to come back to again and again."-June Vail, Professor of Dance, Bowdoin College