Resources

This is the first place I send patients and clients for more information.  A major part of my practice philosophy is education.  These resources help you understand more about your pain and how to work toward freedom from your pain.  I'm always adding more to this page, so check back often.

Download the Handout to Understand more about Why You Hurt…

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Changes in your lifestyle can affect your pain. I have reorganized this page to address an aspect of Lifestyle Health. As you read through each heading, decide which area you want to address first. Don’t think that you can address them all at once! Make small changes over time for the outcome that you want: Live More with Less Pain!

MOVEMENT

Yoga Physical Therapist YouTube Channel!

SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to to learn more about my approach. These are all lessons I teach in my virtual classes. So watching these videos will help support your Yoga practice. Here’s just one example to get you started:

Sample Yoga Class

This class was developed at the request of my clients. It’s gentle and designed to calm a nervous system stuck in “fight or flight”.

Try a Class!

SLEEP

Research has found a connection between the presence of chronic pain and sleep dysfunction. I found this book to be very informative:

Why we Sleep, by Mathew Walker

You can use the Insight Timer app and other guided meditations in order to calm the nervous system and allow your body and brain to fall asleep. If you don’t sleep 7-9 hours each night, you are setting yourself up for pain.

MIND

Simply put, “Just change you mind!” However, this is easier said than done. How you think has become a habit. To create a new habit, first become very aware of your thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions about your pain. Ask yourself: Are these thoughts true? Has this belief been working for me? Is my perception of why I hurt real?

Mindfulness and Meditation are ways that you can find ways to “change your mind”.

Start Meditating!

I cannot emphasize this enough. You cannot change what you don’t know. The practice of meditation helps you understand the ebb and flow of your pain. You learn how pain is not just a physical experience, but also a mental and spiritual experience. And once you realize, then you have the tools to start controlling how you feel.

You are Not Your Pain: Using Mindfulness to Relieve Pain, Reduce Stress and Restore Well-Being, 2013. Authors are V. Burch and D. Penman

  • Book with CD of 8 Audio Meditations. This is the first book you should read!

University of California San Diego, Center for Mindfulness Website

  • Free Audio Guided Meditations: http://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/mindfulness/programs/mbsr/Pages/audio.aspx

  • If you are new to a practice of Mindfulness, I suggest starting with the shorter clips

Self Compassion Guided Meditations (Click on the Practices tab)

  • http://www.selfcompassion.org/

The Insight Timer app is my favorite way to do guided meditation. Search for a Body Scan or Breathing meditation to start. Here are a few of my favorite teachers:

insight timer.JPG

  • Vidymala Burch (with specific focus on pain)

  • davidji (just LOVE his voice!)

  • Tara Brach (master meditation teacher!)

  • Andy Hobson (voice of the Headspace app)

  • Sonic Yogi (for music)

  • Kristen Neff (when you need self-compassion!)

Brain - Pain Connection

Body in Mind (http://www.bodyinmind.org/). The researchers (like Lorimer Moseley in the video) write blog posts to help us get a better understanding of how and why we experience pain.

Graded Motor Imagery (http://www.gradedmotorimagery.com/) is a rehabilitation process to move and also train the brain.


Cognitive Functional Therapy helps to overcome fear of movement and misconceptions about pain that keep you from healing. (Pain-ed.com). I recently read a case study using Cognitive Functional Therapy for low back pain.  As I was reading it, I was amazed at how I was already implementing.  This interview in the video will give you an idea of the process.



KNOWLEDGE

Understanding Pain

It is my belief that when you understand more about yourself and the science of pain, you are empowered to start taking the steps to a pain-free life. I use these resources to learn more about pain.  The research is good and I implement treatment tools into practice any chance I get:

  • Learn from me on a Podcast (I’ve been on several!)

  • Pain Science Education: Research over the last 20 years done by the researchers above, supports learning more about pain. So much of what we believe is based on myth! My coaching programs incorporate a workbook that I created to help you learn with lots of support from me.

Pelvic Floor:

  • Pelvic Floor Galore by Shelley Prosko: http://physioyoga.ca/blog (Feb 22, 2015 blog post)

Yoga Wall Set-Up:

  • For extra support and a way to create traction on your spine: watch this set-up for wall yoga:

Do you wonder if stress affects your pain?

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