Elite athletes have been using Alexander Technique and acupuncture for years to maximize their on-field performance.

Professional basketball, football, hockey, and baseball players, and olympic athletes are all on record as benefiting from acupuncture and associated modalities (Olympic swimmers famously demonstrated their use of cupping with purple circular marks on their backs). For elite athletes, the relief from muscle tension, pain and inflammation that acupuncture provides is crucial to their performance. Read a more detailed article here.

The Alexander Technique is best known by performers (actors, dancers, musicians) to help them operate at their highest level so they can perform their art. What many people don’t know is that it can help athletes achieve their personal best, too. Alexander Technique improves coordination, balance, and overall efficiency, all of which lead to fewer injuries and less recovery time. There are several Alexander teachers around the world who specialize in specific sports (running, swimming, skiing), but any AT teacher will be able to help you improve your general coordination, which will benefit every activity you engage in.

Bob Quinn, an Alexander Technique client of mine writes about his experience here. He says, “I have been a runner since 1973 when I first joined the track team at my high school. I am now 62. For most of those intervening years I have been out on the roads and trails logging mile after mile. That is a lot of wear and tear. I have injured hips, ankles, and my back many times. Since I started to take AT lessons though I have not injured myself running. That is quite an improvement!”

If you’re an athlete and want to know more about how I can help you maximize your performance, contact me!

 Hypermobility syndromes (including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) affect an estimated 1 in 10 people. Symptoms include chronic, generalized pain as well as digestive upset, bladder issues, skin changes, cardiovascular issues. Many hypermobility groups recommend Alexander Technique as a preventive measure to help with posture, movement, and coordination (e.g., see here and here).

With the Alexander Technique, people living with hypermobility syndromes can build coordination skills so they are less likely to injure themselves and less likely to make injuries worse.

Acupuncture is a wonderful complementary tool for all the symptoms mentioned above. Where Alexander Technique is preventative, acupuncture can help repair and re-balance systems that aren’t working as well as they used to.

Other traditional east asian modalities can be very helpful for chronic pain from hypermobility/EDS, for example, moxibustion has been shown to be helpful for chronic low back pain. Cupping and bodywork can also help with the generalized pain often experienced in hypermobility syndromes.

Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels.

Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for fibromyalgia (Cochrane Review). When compared to standard care alone (exercise and medication), patients who received standard care plus acupuncture rated their pain 30 points lower on a scale of 0-100. Research shows improvement in many areas after receiving acupuncture: pain, sleep, fatigue, stiffness, global wellbeing, and physical functioning.

When I work with people living with fibromyalgia, I treat the whole person, not just symptoms. I use a variety of modalities and tools to help people feel better. I am skilled in cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, polarity tools, and bodywork. These combined with acupuncture can be very beneficial for people living with fibromyalgia.

One fibromyalgia patient said, “I felt so much better after my first treatment with Lauri. I felt very relaxed and had much less pain.”