“To Stabilize, or Not to Stabilize, That is the Question”

Prince Hamlet said it well in his opening soliloquy, “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” It is here, that we will reference to it as “To stabilize, or not to stabilize, that is the question.”

Let’s look what happens when we have pain in our lower extremities. Who hasn’t had pain? If there is a long term pain in a knee or hip or even both hips after years of discomfort and anguish we tend toward replacing our parts. We are so much luckier than generations in the past who eventually became so infirmed that many became wheel chair bound or worse, bed bound. Nowadays we are fortunate for amazing medical technology to help us to live strong independent lives much longer than in past years.

The problem was clearly visible when I watched the Academy Awards in Hollywood recently. Some of my favorite actors and actresses had the fortune to replace knees and hips so they can continue on in their careers.

However, what was clear to me was they still walked stiff and rigid in their upper body still compensating for the age old pain before the hip and or knee replacement. The surgeon did his or her part, but where was the follow-through?

If there is pain down below, you can basically consider it a destabilized area. We will try to stabilize it by overcompensating somewhere else, which is upstairs in the torso. Oy! So, now, instead of limping, they are left limping. Did I say that? Yes, the limp comes from the upper body still holding on tight to try to keep the lower part together where all the discomfort was in the first place.

I think Shakespeare once said, “Quick, get thee to a Feldenkrais Practitioner!”

We don’t look at parts, we look at the whole. We don’t focus so much on strengthening exercises, rather we tend toward look at movement in terms of patterns. Then we can help through touch and teaching you how to regain these luscious movement patterns you once had as a child. This is where you find your vitality for life in both movement and freedom again.

Let’s bring back some common sense in spreading the wealth through our body and way of moving. And not make one area over work, therefore overcompensate and over stabilize.

Jane, call me. We can do this.

Kindly, Elinor Silverstein, Feldenkrais Teacher, etc etc