Bowen for muscular and skeletal problems

Among the muscular and skeletal conditions treatable with Bowen therapy are:

• back and neck pain, including sciatica, whiplash and lumbago
• muscle and joint pain, including frozen shoulder, arthritis, hip pain, ankle and knee pain, RSI, tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome
• conditions such as scoliosis, kyphosis, increased lumbar lordosis, tilted pelvis and leg length difference
• temporomandibular joint disorders
• problems with posture and body alignment
• the physical effects of conditions such as cerebral palsy and stroke. (See separate pages for sports injuries, golfing injuries, stress-related conditions, neurological conditions and respiratory and digestive problems.)

How Bowen can help joint pain sufferers

Bowen therapy helps to reduce pain and also improve range of movement throughout the body.

• Shoulder and neck pain: This can be very debilitating – especially in cases of adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder, where movement is restricted. In a 2008 study, 86% of clients who received Bowen therapy for shoulder or neck pain reported either full or partial recovery after just three treatments.
  
  
• Back pain: By triggering a re-balancing of the muscles around the lumbar and pelvic areas, Bowen Therapy can help to stabilise a weak area, reduce compression around the nerve roots and improve circulation to the spinal discs, muscles and joints. In a 2007 study, around 90% of back pain sufferers treated with Bowen experienced either complete or significant relief after three treatments.
  
  A 91-year-old who had been suffering from back problems for seven years estimated that the condition had improved by at least 80% after three treatments. Another client, who had suffered from back pain for 53 years, reported an improvement of at least 70% after the third treatment.
  
  
• Ankle and knee pain: Ankle joint pain is often the result of an imbalance in the muscle tensions around the leg or foot. Bowen is thought to provide a trigger for the body to reset muscle spindle length, reducing tightness within the muscles and tendons and easing compression on surrounding tissues such as blood vessels and nerves. The body’s natural healing mechanisms are stimulated, and pain is relieved.