Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living

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.