How Can Bowen Therapy Support Pain Relief and Injury Recovery?
Bowen therapy is one of the gentlest, pain-relief and injury recovery bodywork therapies available and is referred to as the “homeopathy of bodywork” involving minimal outside influence to realize lasting results.
WHAT IS BOWEN THERAPY?
Frequently called the ‘homeopathy’ of manual therapy and body work, it is a non-invasive, complementary and holistic therapy. It targets specific points on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and nerves with gentle rolling movements. The soft touch that is applied helps the body to shift from the ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ State to the ‘Rest and Repair’ State. Rather than focusing on one specific area Bowen Therapists will treat the body holistically.
THE STORY OF BOWEN
Tom Bowen pioneered this technique in the 1950’s. He was an ardent sports fan and began massaging footballer’s injuries as well as treating his colleagues at the factory where he worked, but soon gave up his day job. He studied anatomy texts, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shiatsu and with well known ‘manipulators’ of his day developing his distinctive technique through continual experimentation throughout his lifetime. 90% of Bowen moves are performed over known acupuncture points. A local government survey in 1975 showed him seeing more than 13000 people per year, which is a testament to the success of his therapy.
THE BOWEN MOVES
A typical Bowen move consists of the therapist’s fingers or thumbs being placed on the body. The skin is drawn slightly away, and a gentle ‘challenge’ or push is made on the muscle or tendon for a few seconds before a ‘roll’ is made over the muscle.
The challenges and rolls are made in a very specific sequence on the body. It is as if we are putting in a specific code into the body that unlocks its own healing ability, like putting the correct code into a safe which unlocks it.
HOW DOES THE BOWEN TECHNIQUE WORK?
NERVOUS SYSTEM
It rebalances the Autonomic Nervous System. The nervous system is made up of different receptors, including deep pressure, vibration, stretch and soft touch to name a few. The Bowen therapy moves affect all these receptors with the majority of moves being soft touch. This in turn assists the nervous system to shift into a parasympathetic state, which is the Rest and Relax state. Healing can occur in this state. Thus, Bowen Therapy assists the body to start the healing process that has possibly been blocked due to stressors of different origins.
FASCIA
First of all, fascia is the connective tissue of the body which touches on all systems, runs superficial to deep, surrounding our muscles, bones and organs. Fascia responds as a single coherent system, like the liquid crystal display used in computer screens. The fascia will respond as a whole to stimulation, not just locally. The very light pressure of Bowen moves create impulses or small electric currents in the collagen fibres of the fascia. The type of stretching that is used in Bowen moves creates a stronger current than just pressing on it or going along the length of it with massage. The Bowen moves also encourage hydration of the fascia and stimulates the fascia receptors. Their stimulation leads to an altered input to the central nervous system, which then results in a change of the tissue tone. When we release the fascia with Bowen Therapy, we are initiating a healing response in the body. As the fascia becomes more fluid and freer, so too does the range and ease of movement.
MUSCLE STRETCH REFLEX
Most moves are done either at the origin, insertion or belly of muscles where receptors are located. The receptors inform the nervous system on the state of tension in the muscle, whether it is in spasm or not. When these receptors are stimulated by a Bowen move it inputs new information into the nervous system. The message that has continually being sent by the muscle (that might be in spasm) is blocked for a few seconds, thus helping the system to reset the muscle to its normal tone. Basically, new information is put in the body via the different receptors in the muscles and fascia which helps the body to reset itself.
CONDITIONS TREATED
A Bowen Therapist addresses the person holistically, not just the condition. Due to its gentle nature it can be done on anyone from newborn babies, in pregnancy and up to old age. Bowen Therapy can help with all types of injuries from acute to chronic, especially where healing has ceased or reached a plateau. Due to its effect on the Autonomic Nervous System, it is a wonderful complementary therapy to help with issues such as:
- All kinds of musculoskeletal injuries and pain, chronic or acute
- Stress, anxiety and depression
- Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis
- TMJ syndromes or jaw pain
BOWEN THERAPY WITH CATHY
“With my experience as a Physiotherapist for 20 years and as a Bowen Therapist for over 10 years my outlook on treating a patient is to not only treat a specific condition but to look at the body as a whole, aiming to find symmetry and thus treating the pain from its root. The sessions will involve looking at possible causes of the problem, physical assessment, treatment and following up with appropriate advice and exercise.”