A Lifetime of Back Pain Caused by a Childhood Accident Eased by Body Stress Release
Gill is a 71-year-old former Head Teacher, who retired to the Isle of Wight from Yorkshire about 10 years ago. Gill’s career centred around children with behavioural and learning difficulties and, in addition to being a Head Teacher, she was also Head of Education at a Local Authority Secure Unit. She lives with her husband, and four of her five adult children have also moved to the Isle of Wight. Gill is a hands-on grandmother to her grandchildren, which includes looking after her 19-month-old granddaughter for three days a week.
A Childhood Accident
Gill knows when her back pain started. She was at school and the class was doing shotput – the throwing of heavy lead balls. As Gill bent down to pick up her ball, a classmate threw her shotput and it landed on Gill’s upper back, right on her spine. The immediate pain was manageable but over time it got considerably worse. Gill was unable to stand up straight, and when she tried to straighten her spine, it hurt. Gill could not pull her shoulders down and, although she tried to improve her posture by walking with a book on her head, she found it very difficult to maintain a good, comfortable posture.
Short-term Pain Relief
Gill’s career was in a challenging environment, but she was able to manage her pain through exercise and the daily use of a TENS machine. Gill’s husband was supportive and, at the end of each day, he would help her attach the TENS machine to ease her pain. The TENS machine was effective in taking the pain away on a short-term, daily basis, but it did not remove it permanently. Gill had a similar outcome with reflexology, acupuncture, and Thai massage, each of which would temporarily relieve the pain but not completely alleviate it.
An Explanation
When Gill was about 50 years old, she required a body scan for another health condition. Her consultant realised from this scan that Gill had a chipped spine. Finally, Gill had an explanation for why she had been in such considerable pain for so many years. The consultant could exactly pinpoint where Gill’s pain was stemming from and, Gill felt better just knowing that there was a cause for her pain.
A Timely Recommendation
Gill initially received a recommendation to try Body Stress Release because of a problem with her rotator cuff. She knew she had nothing to lose and booked the initial three sessions. She had no idea that Body Stress Release would be able to help with not only her rotator cuff, but also the considerable back pain that she had been living with since her teenage years.
BSR: Like Winning the Lottery
When Gill attended her first BSR session about two years ago, her practitioner, Davie Flannagan, was able to accurately identify exactly where Gill’s pain was and released her locked-in body stress accordingly. The first session was very gentle, and Gill thought it felt relaxing. By the third session she could tell something was really starting to change, and from that point on Gill was astounded by the results. She describes it as “like winning the lottery”! Gill can now move her shoulders, positioning them correctly, and no longer has back pain. BSR has made a huge difference to Gill’s life, and she now takes real joy in movement and focussing on her posture. She is as excited about the results now as she was two years ago.
The Effects of BSR
It took a few weeks for the pain to really lessen and for Gill to realise that she could move normally and be the grandparent she wanted to be. After so many years of temporary solutions, Gill felt more energised, energetic, and, in her own words, more “useful”. Gill can now sit up straight and put her shoulders back and down. Not only has the pain in her back gone, but her posture has also improved.
Maintaining a New Lifestyle
Gill has BSR maintenance sessions every few weeks, and values the fact that her practitioner, Davie Flannagan on the Isle of Wight, has never “pressurised” her over the frequency of her sessions. Gill loves her new lifestyle and credits BSR with allowing her to maintain her new-found lease on life.
Gill says, “It is not an exaggeration to say BSR changed my life. I don’t understand how it works, but I don’t need to… I didn’t really understand how my TENS machine worked either. All I know is that it does work! BSR came into my life unexpectedly and was life changing. I am thrilled with the results and cherish all that I am now able to do. I recommend anyone who is living with pain to give it a try. If you are like me, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain”.
