You Can Change Pain, Even After 20 Years

It really is never too late to change how your body moves and feels. This is Emma's amazing story.

Emma approached me in the summer for help with a knee that was still bothering her after a fall 20 years ago. Even though the original injury had healed, her knee remained painful, weak and prone to giving way randomly.

When we spoke, Emma was having monthly physiotherapy and acupuncture, but the improvements after each treatment just wouldn't stick and she was feeling very frustrated at the lack of progress.

We agreed to work together for 8 restorative movement coaching sessions over 3 months from August to October.

Here are the results in Emma's words:

"Last Friday I went on a trampoline for the first time since my injury. I can jog pain free and I can walk for miles all pain free. In the first session the adjustments made were incredible and i managed a short jog the very next day...I now feel I am more aware of how my lower body moves and tries to over compensate."

This is how Emma's life has changed over the past 3 months:

"I can walk my dogs further and to more interesting places. I can walk with my young horse, I can jog, I can trampoline and am looking forwards to getting back to netball. It also means as I can now exercise I can hopefully get fitter and lose some weight.

Even more astonishing is what Emma's leg looks like now, compared to when we started the sessions. It demonstrates how structure CAN be changed WITHOUT invasive surgery, painful manipulations or awkward stretches.

How did Emma get her "life changing" results (her words)?

First, have a look at the astonishing physical changes to Emma's lower body from August to October:

Wow, what a difference, don't you think?

And we achieved all of this without doing anything invasive or painful!

What Did We Do To Get These Changes?

In a nutshell, here are the steps we took to change how Emma's body moved and felt:

• Stacked and realigned her left foot, ankle, knee and hip so the joints can support each other, rather than relying on the muscles
• Re-balanced and centred her pelvis to restore it's role as the master controller of load management and movement for the whole body
• Mobilised the ribs for easy walking
• Levelled her shoulder girdle so she can stand upright and balanced on both legs, rather than leaning to 1 side to shift her weight away from her left knee
• Proprioception and balance training to develop Emma's awareness and control of her feet as well as build strength and confidence back into that injured knee
• Taught Emma how to move her legs independently from her pelvis for more stability and efficient movement

Check out these before and after videos of Emma walking:

END OF SESSION 1:

After we made the initial adjustments to Emma's left leg and pelvis, this was the first time Emma has been able to walk pain-free without limping since her fall 20 years ago.

You can see that her pelvis isn't totally level, and her body hasn't learned to relax yet...but more progress in just 1 hour than years of other treatments!

AFTER SESSION 7 (Our final session):

Note the differences:

• Steps more even
• Longer stride length
• Bigger arm swing

Look at how much more upright and level Emma is able to walk now!!!

Before Emma started working with me, she was worried that this wouldn't work either and would be a waste of money. She was already paying a lot of £££s for regular physiotherapy and acupuncture sessions, which gave her temporary relief but not the long-term results she craved.

Here's what Emma had to say about her experience of working with me:

"Life changing whilst being enjoyable at the same time."

Even Emma's friends have noticed the changes with 1 asking her in disbelief what she'd done as she would never have been able to keep up with her on a walk usually!

Emma started a new job recently as a delivery driver, which involves several hours of walking and carrying loads. Even this extra activity hasn't caused a flare up of her knee or lower back pain.

In between sessions 6 and 7, Emma mentioned that her knee wasn't hurting at work, but was feeling achy at night.

When Emma arrived for her final session, I could quickly see that her left foot had started to revert to being too far underneath her body, which was leaving her knee unsupported. A quick readjustment of her foot back underneath her hip brought immediate relief, and most importantly, Emma could feel the difference for herself.

Chronic pain makes your world very small. Getting out of pain means getting your life back.

You don't have to sit on the side lines any more. You can jump into all the things you love doing, quite literally in Emma's case when she messaged me to say she'd joined her client on the trampoline for the first time since her fall!

[NB] Results are dependent on many factors and will be different for every client. 

WAYS TO WORK WITH ME TO RELIEVE PAIN & PREVENT INJURY

If you're ready to find lasting relief from your pain like Emma, I have a variety of options, that you can choose from:

1) Pain Relief and Relaxation Techniques for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Workshop

Next date: Sunday 17th November, 1.15pm to 2.45pm (only 5x spaces). **Reserve your place HERE**

Angmering Village Hall  (The Kings Suite)

A friendly and inclusive small group workshop where you'll discover the factors that trigger fibromyalgia symptoms, why chronic pain is so hard to resolve even if you've tried the usual treatments, and how to find lasting relief from both conditions. We'll openly discuss the latest research into both conditions and how you can translate the findings into practical pain relief strategies.

The session will be a blend of informal group discussion and a restorative movement session, where you'll practice gentle exercises that re-programme the nervous system to release tense muscles, reduce stiffness and find new ways of moving without pain. 

After the workshop, you'll have lifetime access to a simple home programme to relieve pain in just 10 minutes a day. 

Click HERE to read all the details and how to book your place.

2) Unlock Your Body breakthrough session

This is a single powerful 1:1 session designed to help you find the root drivers behind your persistent pain. A breakthrough session is ideal if you have a specific pain or injury that you're struggling to resolve, even if you've already tried other treatments.

We'll work together to find new ways of moving without pain. You'll leave with a deeper understanding of what's triggering pain in your body, and a clear action plan to get lasting relief. 

Apply HERE  and I'll be in touch to arrange an initial complementary consultation to discuss which option will be a good fit for you. 1:1 coaching with me starts from £60.

3) Grab my free E-guide today "How to Get Relief From Back Pain and Muscle Tension in just 10 mins a Day". This informative guide introduces the 3x universal stress responses that lead to muscles getting stuck in contraction and locking you in chronic pain. There's 2x 10 mins video tutorials showing you how to effectively release muscle tension from the front and back of your body in the comfort of your home without expensive equipment or painful stretches. Download for instant access HERE

Other ways you can find help with managing pain or an injury are:

• Book into a Stretch or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to the foundational principles of The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method for pain relief and relaxation. This is my signature framework that I use to help my clients get out of pain and back to the activities they love.
• Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivering movement and pain relief truth bombs directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

You can connect with me through any of these channels:

• Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
• Follow me on Facebook and DM me on Messenger https://www.facebook.com/norma.pearsonfitness
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.