First published 'Embody' Magazine, UK Autumn 2009.
Definition: The Bowen Technique comprises a series of precise movements over muscle and connective tissue to naturally assist the body in re-balancing and re-setting itself.
Case Study J… November 2008 and ongoing
Mrs J is an inspiring person, having been through breast cancer and mastectomy in 2005 as well as a variety of other problems. She is aged 66 and has had multiple operations for osteoarthritis. These include: a laminectomy for the lower lumbar and sacral vertebrae for spinal spondylolisthesis, joint replacements for both shoulders, left knee, one hip twice and one hip three times.
Osteoarthritis affects the joints in the body, often resulting in damage to the cartilage that lines the end of bones and limiting smooth movement. This can cause inflammation within the joint and bony outgrowths form to reduce the load on the cartilage creating a thickened appearance of the joints both internally and externally. Spondylolisthesis is a Latin term meaning ‘slipped vertebral body.’ A laminectomy is a surgical procedure to alleviate pain where the operation removes bone or disc that is causing neural impingement.
In 1974, her story was featured in a medical journal as it was believed she had suffered from Perthes Disease (also known as Legge-Calve-Perthes Disease) as a child because she kept falling over. It is possible that if she had been correctly diagnosed at that time she would have had to wear callipers or plaster casts which may have helped align her hip joints, a condition that would now be revealed by bone and MRI scans.
At her first Bowen session, the consultation process involved taking notes about the medical history and current assessment of the patient’s general health and well being. Mrs J was mostly in continuous pain from the osteoarthritis, but recently had experienced sciatica plus loss of sensation in her hands following a fall. The sciatic nerve pain can be caused by compression or irritation from the lumbar vertebrae, down through the buttock and back of leg, often ending at the feet. As the patient had a history of lumbar complaints, Helen immediately thought of the connective tissue areas and muscle groups that may help support the route of the nerve with the corresponding Bowen moves.
One of the key principles of Bowen and often quoted in training sessions by Oswald Rentsch is ‘less is more’. For those not familiar with the technique, it is quite an incredible phenomenon when only a few light movements can produce a change for the better in the patient. At the first session for Mrs J, Helen carried out only four moves over her lower back and when she returned the following week, she reported that she had more days without pain then those with it.
Helen’s aim was to treat either the lower body or the upper part, the area that was most dependent on providing pain relief in between clinic appointments. At the second session, Helen continued the same sequence of minimal moves over the lower back and gentle moves over the hamstrings. At the third session upper back moves were added as well as the Bowtech sciatic move. One week later for the fourth session, the lower back was repeated along with hamstrings, knees and ankles. In line with the Bowtech practice, she then had a month’s break and reported the sciatic pain had all gone and now her arms were aching. In response, Helen carried out upper back, neck and arm moves and Mrs J reported that after one week, the condition of her arms was much improved.
Helen applying Bowen moves around the knee for Mrs J.
Another month passed and at the next session she was tired and tense, a clue that her body was low in energy. Helen made minimal moves over the lower back. The following week, Mrs J phoned to say she had swollen knees, walking was difficult and that she had stayed in bed. Helen spoke to her GP and arranged a home visit, where she took with her Bowtech Lectric Crystals and applicator which were fixed over the knees to assist with drawing off fluid. These are specialist Bowtech branded products now available in the UK and Ireland to all therapists. After four hours, both swollen knees had started to reduce. Instructions were left to keep the applicator in place overnight and Helen returned next day to carry out specific Bowen knee moves. Over the next few days Mrs J was up and walking confidently.
Another couple of months went by and she returned for more work on her upper back, shoulders, arms and hands. One exciting improvement was the return to fullness of the muscles on the side of her body where her mastectomy scar had been, this improved her shape when wearing a bra and shirt and also indirectly helped her shoulder and arm lift higher. The feeling also came back in her hands. In total, Mrs J had 12 sessions over a seven-month period and now comes every four to six weeks for a ‘top up’ treatment. Helen has seen her gain mobility, improved posture and cheerfulness.
“I know I have improved physically as I feel more flexible. I also feel the sessions have helped me mentally as I have had a lot to cope with in my life. I now feel more peaceful and at ease with myself.”
- Mrs J, Peterborough
Sources:
Helen Mary Perkins MAR BTA (UK) 01733 555476 or www.bowtechease.com
The Bowen Association UK 01205 319100 or www.bowen-technique.co.uk and www.bowentraining.co.uk
‘Understanding the Bowen Technique’ and ‘The Bowen Technique – The Inside Story’ by John Wilks, available from www.cyma.org.uk
Arthritis Care 020 7380 6500 or www.arthritiscare.org.uk
Spinal conditions www.spine-health.com and www.nhs.uk
Perthes Association 01483 306637 or www.perthes.org.uk
Apendix 1
About Helen
Helen has 30 years experience as a complementary health therapist, having begun in massage therapy and trained by a physiotherapist. She has worked with the consent and in liaison with GPs and consultants both in the UK and within the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Australia, where she first discovered the Bowen Technique.
On returning to the UK she set up and managed a complementary therapy service at the Sue Ryder Care neurological day centre in Peterborough and today runs her own clinic alongside working as a tutor and speaker. She is a member of the Association of Reflexologists (MAR) and the Bowen Therapy Association (BTA) where she is recognised as an advanced level practitioner.
Apendix 2
About Bowen
Bowtech (the original Bowen Technique) is a gentle non-invasive therapy named after Tom Bowen who developed his unique method at his clinic in Australia during the Fifties. With no previous formal training in any modality or discipline, he was a visionary who developed the treatment after becoming interested in ways to alleviate pain.
Bowen Therapists follow a two-year training programme accredited by the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia (BTAA), the only professional organisation that follows the original principles as laid down by the founder. Instructors and practitioners worldwide are assessed and examined by the BTAA. Year one is devoted to anatomy and physiology and the second year to a seven-module course comprising intensive two-day sessions covering the fundamental Bowen moves (see case study) in theory and practice. A therapist who already holds a certificate in anatomy and physiology can apply for dispensation through accredited prior learning. To assimilate and absorb the information a period of six to eight weeks is recommended between modules, which are reviewed and assessed by written and practical examination. BTAA certification is achieved upon successful completion of each module together with 10 detailed case studies.
Therapists are encouraged to take four subsequent modules to achieve an advanced level with the possibility of a higher diploma or degree level in the future. This will become even more important as the UK government is actively seeking to introduce voluntary self-regulation of complementary therapies to maintain high standards and protect the interests of both practitioner and client.
A qualified Bowen therapist must undertake 16 hours of continuing professional development and training each year to be able to continue to practice, supported by an up to date first aid certificate and indemnity insurance through the Bowen Therapy Association. There are just 100 Bowtech instructors in 30 countries, accredited by Oswald and Elaine Rentsch who worked with Tom Bowen up to his death in 1982. They continued to document his work and have since taught hundreds of therapists around the world – including Helen. There are just 26,000 Bowtech registered practitioners in the world.
To find out more about how to become a Bowtech practitioner, please go to www.bowen-technique.co.uk and www.bowentraining.co.uk to access a prospectus. Helen also recommends www.bowtech.com for detailed research studies from BTAA.
News Date: 29/09/2009