I've read the book and am considering taking one of the classes, but I have a question about hernated disks in the thoracic region. The book addresses lumbar herniations and advises which of the 8 tools can be used without problems, but it does not speak to thoracic hernations.
I have a small herniation on the T10 and T8 discs notice when I stretch seat, I'll often get a sharp pain in the thoracic area when I first "stretch". The pain is for a second or two then goes away. I'm wondering if expanding the lumbar region results in compression in the thoracic area. Are the techniques safe to use if you have a thoracic herniation?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
16 min 48 sec ago
09/10/2008 - 8:36pm
We consider that any new pain or exacerbation of an old pain is a signal from your body to stop doing what you are doing. Nature took millions of years to evolve the phenomenon of pain as a way of sending a message from our tissues to our brain, so it behooves us to pay attention.
It's less usual to have a disc problem in the thoracic portion than in the lumbar or cervical portions of the spine. That said, a herniation can happen any place in the spine and when it does, you need to protect the area. So whereas the thoracic area usually benefits from moibilization / stretch, your thoracic spine needs stabilization. I would not stretch it, even if the resulting pain subsides after a few seconds.
Stretching the lumbar area doesn't usually result in compression in the thoracic area, but depending on your spinal geometry, you may have to modify some or all of our techniques. For example, if you have a lot of thoracic curve, straightening out the upper lumbar curve in sitting and standing could result in your head and shoulders being more cantilevered forward. In your case, that's not a good idea. There are ways to modify your technique to benefit from the lumbar lengthening without sending your head and shoulders obliquely forward, but how depends on a number of things. I recommend you work with one of our teachers who can guide you in a way tailored to you.