Bowen Therapy.

 

What is Bowen?

Tom Bowen of Australia developed the Bowen Technique in the 1950s and since then, it has benefited thousands of people worldwide. Bowen Therapy is a neuromuscular technique involving gentle, yet purposeful 'rolling' touch, primarily over muscles – and perhaps not in the places we’d expect. Often, the place we feel pain isn't the source of it. As a result, I often work on areas that might not seem intuitive. For instance, I often have clients who come in with back pain, but upon assessment, we determine that their issue is arising elsewhere. Working on their back may give some short-term relief, but resolving the pain requires determining and resolving its source.

Pain is an early warning sign that our bodies are not functioning optimally. We often try to compensate to avoid pain. Bowen Therapy helps to address the underlying cause of pain, unravelling these compensations that may have developed over time. Bowen Therapy stimulates our body’s natural ability to reset and repair in helping to resolve pain.

Bowen Therapy helps to:

  • Rebalance muscle tension, allowing for postural changes, joint realignment and release of pinched nerves

  • Relax the body by lowering the stress response

  • Increase hydration of the fascia (connective tissue)

  • Restore the slide and glide of connective tissue

  • Improve the flow of blood, oxygen, nutrients and energy to promote healing

  • Stimulate lymphatic drainage and detoxification

Why Bowen?

We can develop fascial (connective tissue) and muscular restrictions from injuries, accidents, footwear, prolonged sitting, inflammatory food, trauma, muscle overuse, or surgery. This can result in a lack of slide and glide in the tissue, muscle tension, misalignments in our structure, strain on joints and compression of nerves. Compensations in movement can occur and get worse over time, leaving the body susceptible to pain, stiffness, reduced function and future injuries. The body can get stuck in a holding pattern of muscular and nervous system tension that makes it difficult to heal. Bowen Therapy helps to restore the slide and glide to fascia, release muscular tension and restore balance to the nervous system, allowing pain and stiffness to resolve.

Rebalancing the nervous system is an important aspect of Bowen Therapy. The Autonomic Nervous System, is made up of the Sympathetic Nervous System, or 'fight or flight' mode, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System, or 'rest and digest' mode. It is not uncommon for people to be in a chronic state of 'fight or flight'. Bowen Therapy helps shift the body toward the Parasympathetic Nervous System of 'rest and digest' by encouraging a deep relaxation, which is critical for the healing process.

 

Using a philosophy referred to as tensegrity, I consider the body as a whole.

According to the tensegrity model, the whole body is a 3-dimensional matrix, balanced by a system of compression and tensional forces, where the bones act as the non-touching compression struts and the continuous fascial tissue is the tensional system. Due to this whole body system of compression and tension, any applied force, say from an injury, can influence any other part of the body. An injury at point A in the body, say the knee, can produce pain at point B, say the lower back, where point B is often the person’s weakest point in the body.

With this in mind, I typically begin each session by assessing a clients' range of motion and looking for areas of the most restriction. I will move your body to its first point of resistance; this might feel like gentle stretching. 

I assess clients' gait and posture, looking for clues about the root cause of their pain. 

I discuss footwear, as shoes can change the natural shape of the foot and lead to dysfunction in the feet. This can translate up into the knees and hips, and contribute to pain.

I also consider specific connections of muscles in the body called myofascial lines, which transmit force along these lines and enable our movement. These lines have significance in the assessment and treatment of movement patterns and range of motion restrictions. For example, In order to generate maximum power in a throw, tennis or golf swing, a person must be able to transfer strength from the hips up through the upper body. If the adductor muscles in the Front Functional Line are tight, this can limit external hip rotation and prevent this transfer of power. The person may begin to compensate by overusing the upper body in the throw or swing, which can lead to elbow and shoulder injuries.

What Bowen can help with:

  • Mobility and balance issues

  • Migraines and headaches

  • Sports injuries 

  • Concussions

  •  Chronic pain and fibromyalgia

  • Arthritic pain 

  • Postural issues

  • Digestive disorders

  • Hernias

  • Stiffness

  • Chronic or acute back pain and sciatica

  • Shoulder pain, rotator cuff issues, thoracic outlet syndrome, frozen shoulder

  • Neck pain and nerve impingements

  • Elbow and wrist issues, such as tennis and golfer’s elbow and carpal tunnel 

  • Pelvic and hip pain and restriction

  • Ankle and foot issues such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, neuromas, and tendonitis

  • Shin splints 

  • Knee pain

  • Scoliosis

Bowen Therapy for concussions.

A client, Rob, struggled with debilitating concussion symptoms. Over the course of a few months of weekly Bowen Therapy sessions, he steadily but surely regained himself. As he said during the process, he was “emerging from the fog.” In the case of post concussion syndrome, Bowen Therapy can be very helpful in overriding and restarting a stalled healing process.

“I found Michelle had a gentle, firm and confident touch that allowed me to relax into the sensations of the treatment and allowed my body to take it in. Bowen helped open up areas, especially in my shoulders and arms, that increased my range of movement.”

- Former client

Bowen Therapy & Nutritional Consulting together.

Pursuing Bowen Therapy and nutritional consulting can be extremely helpful in accelerating healing, as certain foods are often the primary cause of inflammation in the body – contributing to pain. For instance, fibre helps feed our gut bacteria, which in turn make molecules that have significant anti-inflammatory effects in the body. Plant-based foods also contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that have extensive anti-inflammatory effects.

Research is showing that most people with fibromyalgia have elevated blood sugar levels and/or high insulin. Addressing insulin resistance and inflammation through food can be a critical piece in resolving chronic pain.