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Live Your Best Life!

Living a fuller life with fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. By Terri Rossi.

She couldn’t run. She couldn’t keep her balance. Even walking became an arduous task requiring orthotics in her shoes and frequent rest stops. For the last 20 years, ‘Kathy’ has suffered from two central nervous system disorders which caused abnormal pain perception, extreme fatigue and uncoordinated movement.

“At first I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but later my doctors decided I also had multiple sclerosis,” says 42-year-old Kathy.

“I once enjoyed walking, but began to dread it as my problems got worse. I became less and less active and more and more anxious,” Kathy explains. Frustrated with her extreme fatigue and pain and not wanting to end up home or wheelchair bound, a friend suggested she try the Feldenkrais Method®.

Developed in Europe and brought to the US in the 1980’s, Feldenkrais lessons influence brain and behavior through a learning process involving gentle movement exploration and directed attention. Children learn to lift their heads, crawl, roll over, sit, stand, walk and talk using this same process. Feldenkrais lessons help the brain communicate better with the body so that everything works better together.

The Feldenkrais practitioner gives verbal directions and uses gentle hand pressure to move the client’s body in sequences that may mimic common things, for example, walking, reaching or getting up from a chair. It is a self-organizing learning process, rather than a specific exercise regime, typically done on the floor, chair or therapy table. The Feldenkrais Method® offers an innovative way to discover and create posture and movement solutions which can enhance all aspects of life.

After about a dozen private Feldenkrais lessons, Kathy had less pain and could move in new ways with comfort. She found it soothed her nervous system, allowed her to recapture smoother movement, get better sleep and even decrease her ‘brain fog.’ “These movement lessons improve my day to day life,” says Kathy. “Before I started them, I would lose my balance and fall a lot, but now I rarely do.”

“One reason I chose Feldenkrais is because it’s not invasive or medication - it’s a way to help my nervous system and muscles to do their job more efficiently,” explains Kathy. “I only wish I had heard of Feldenkrais sooner.”

Fibromyalgia (FM) causes chronic widespread body pain. Most people with FM also experience moderate to extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, sensitivity to touch, light and sound, and memory problems. FM often occurs following an emotional or physical trauma, such as an injury or acute illness.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes numbness, blurred vision, poor coordination, slurred speech, extreme fatigue, memory problems, and bladder dysfunction. MS occurs because the body’s autoimmune system goes haywire and attacks the nerves. This nerve damage interferes with communication between the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body.

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