August 2021 • 5 min read
20 Movement, Neuroplasticity, and Feldenkrais
If necessary, rediscover the magic of movement
Our bodies are designed to run, jump and manipulate objects. Unfortunately, most of us spent far too much of our day sitting. Our sedentary lifestyles have led to serious health problems, and as we age, we are often not able to carry out daily tasks comfortably. Unfortunately, some of us are confined to wheelchairs which makes movement very difficult.
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In the past, most people were engaged in physical work. They sat for three to five hours per day, mostly during rest breaks, whereas most present-day Americans sit for 15 hours per day at work behind a desk and then watch TV and use electronic devices during their free time.
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There are many ways to incorporate movement into your day. A simple one is to set reminders to stand and move at least once every hour. One of my former caregivers, with years of clinic respiratory therapy experience, reminded me every hour that if I didn’t get moving, my blood would soon become sludge. That always scared me into action.
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Remember that movement does not necessarily require a lot of effort. Physical therapists are skilled in designing programs for those of us with physical limitations. Try to find someone who is experienced in working with neuromuscular challenges, such as ALS.
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I have benefited greatly by working closely with skilled physical therapists since my ALS diagnosis. As my physical limitations have become greater, they have taught me new movement patterns and exercises that I can easily use. I continue to utilize many physical therapy exercises, although now I focus on Feldenkrais method therapy that Alex Shaefer, MPT, GCFP is based on neuroplasticity. I believe Feldenkrais is particularly suited for those of us with neuromuscular diseases.
Brain plasticity, also known as neuroplasticity, refers to the brain’s ability to adapt and change. Modern science has confirmed that the brain, through neurogenesis, has the ability to create new neurological pathways and connections (rewiring) throughout one’s life.
The Feldenkrais Method, often referred to simply as Feldenkrais (fel’dankris), is a system of movement education created by scientist, engineer and martial arts teacher, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais in the mid-1900s. It is a form of mind and body learning which emphasizes self-awareness in moving, feeling, visualizing and thinking. It has a funny name, but it really works.
ALS throws your body out of sync. The first year, my legs felt like moving, while my upper body needed continual rest. I am right-handed, but my left arm was stronger than my right arm. My greatest concern was my developing head drop due to my weak neck muscles. This impacted my posture and balance and put extra stress on my shoulders and back.
ME AND ALEX
Initially, I focused on traditional physical therapy, but for the past four years, Alex has used Feldenkrais movement therapy to assist me in building new neurological pathways in order to utilize my diminishing muscles more effectively and comfortably. The plasticity of the brain makes this remarkable therapy helpful for everyone. You can learn more from Alex Schaefer’s website.
Repetitive-type exercises are useful, although the nervous system just acts without thinking or feeling. Because of this there is movement memorization, but no neurological learning as with Feldenkrais. One approach is exercise, and the other is learning through movement that values comfort and pleasure.
When I was diagnosed with ALS, I thought that once I lost my ability to complete a task in a certain way that I would not be able to complete that task again. Feldenkrais therapy has taught me that many movements can be completed using what muscles are available. For example, learning to turn my head with my trunk and knees instead of my disabled neck, walking with greater ease, using my entire body to facilitate and make my stack breathing exercises easy and requiring much less energy because of new learned integrated movement patterns.
Several years ago, I began dragging my weaker foot when walking. Following several Feldenkrais sessions, I learned to shift my weight onto my lead foot and leg. This lengthened my lead leg, thus shortening my right leg, which allowed my right foot to swing free above the ground.
My brain integrated this more efficient movement into my muscle memory so that it became my new way of walking. This new way of walking also saves energy because my muscles need to work less since my weight is more supported by my skeleton.
Feldenkrais is very adaptable and can be used by those who spend much of their day in a chair or wheelchair. I have learned movements involving many parts of my body that have been specifically designed to be done in my comfortable chair. These chair exercises come in handy when I need to get some movement going after spending a lot of time on my computer or just resting.
I have greatly benefited from physical therapy throughout adult my life, and it still plays an important part in my exercise program; however, I do not respond as well to exercises that involves repetition, counting. and memorizing complicated steps. I find this type of exercise distracting, stressful, and I find myself rushing through my practice sessions.
Feldenkrais has no counting, repetition or stress. For students with major physical limitations like me, it is taught slowly with lots of rests in order to both conserve energy and for your nervous system to process the new movement patterns being taught. Different movement variations are introduced to allow your nervous system to sort out which options work best for you based on comfort and ease.
Many exercise programs focus on the notion of “no pain, no gain;” whereas, with Feldenkrais, the slogan could be “strive for ease.” Alex has designed all of my sessions to be done on a mat or in a chair, so I don’t have to deal with gravity. This has allowed me to add greater joy and pleasure to my exercise program.
With Feldenkrais, I have been able to better recognize my limiting habits and movements and learn ways to involve more of my body in movements and experience an enhanced sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being. It helps me feel more relaxed with less stress.
One of the things I have done to improve my brain plasticity is adding novelty to my daily activities, such as brushing my teeth and eating with my non-dominate hand, varying which sock I put on first, wearing different neck braces and taking different routes in order to challenge my brain.
Recently, I took an online Community College class to learn the basics of a complicated photography computer program. This challenged my brain and taught me some useful skills.
I am certainly not an athlete, but I use several brain exercises used by high-performance athletes to challenge my brain while sitting in my comfortable chair. They can be adapted for any ability level. I also have an exercise in which a caregiver pushes and pulls me in different directions to force my brain to quickly respond to avoid falling. It can be done safely and slows my balance loss.
Although Feldenkrais has become my movement therapy focus, I incorporate traditional physical therapy exercises in my regular home exercise routine along with modified Yoga and Qigong movements. All my exercises have been designed by my physical therapist to allow for my specific physical limitations.
