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You’re never too old to ward off pain, 91-year old fitness expert says
Bonnie Prudden Develops Exercise Program
Women's Climbing Group Forms National Network
Myotherapy is designed to ease pain in muscles
Catching Up With...
Bonnie Prudden,
Fitness Pioneer
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Myotherapy In The News
Denver Post - Monday, March 28, 2005
By Linda Buch, Denver Post Columnist
Myotherapy is designed to ease
pain in muscles
Q: Have you heard of "myotherapy"? I had a sore shoulder and was
referred to a myotherapist. I had to pay outside my health plan, but he
worked wonders.
- Gerald P. Vargo, Lakewood
A: Myotherapy is the offspring of myofascial trigger point therapy,
which was developed in the 1940s by John F. Kennedy's physician, Janet
Travell, and her research partner, David G. Simons. Treatments involved
injecting the spot with saline and a mild anesthetic. Trigger point
massage therapy, on which so many rely for pain relief, derives primarily
from Travell's research.
A trigger point occurs in the muscle when it is overstimulated by
trauma, repetitive motion, overuse, stress, poor posture or injury. The
affected area of the muscle feels like there is an actual knot inside of
it. These knots, referred to by the medical community as "myofascial
trigger points," can range in size from a mere speck to something that
feels big enough to be seen from space.
In 1976, Travell's friend, Bonnie Prudden (a nationally known fitness
and wellness proponent since the 1950s), stumbled upon a pressure
technique now called "Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy."
Prudden found that when pressure was systematically applied over a wide
area, followed by therapeutic exercises to re-educate the muscles back to
their relaxed state, the recurrence of the muscle knot was prevented.
For 10 years, Prudden worked on this technique and eventually developed
a world-renowned training system for practitioners of myotherapy. The
training is extensive. Interested practitioners must commit to an initial
1,300-hour training program and an additional 45 hours of training every
two years to maintain certification.
Her method is so successful it has made it into medical dictionaries.
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (F.A. Davis Co., 2005, $34.95)
provides this information: "Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy is a method of
relaxing muscle spasm, improving circulation and alleviating pain.
"To defuse 'trigger points,' pressure is applied to the muscle for
several seconds by means of fingers, knuckles, and elbows. The success of
this method depends on the use of specific corrective exercise for the
freed muscles."
Because this therapy is usually outside most insurance plans, her book
may be the way to go. "Pain Erasure: The Bonnie Prudden Way," by Bonnie
Prudden et al. (Random House, $14), and other pertinent information can be
found at www.bonnieprudden.com or by calling 800-221-4634.
If stepping outside your insurance plan is not possible or appealing, a
great resource within the medical community is the physiatrist - a
physician who specializes in rehabilitation. They are medical doctors who
pursue further training that includes four years of postdoctoral residency
and treating chronic pain without surgery.
More information on this specialty can be found at www.aapmr.org or by
calling 312-464-9700.
Linda Buch, ACE certified exercise specialist and co-author of "The
Commercial Break Workout" (Prima/Random House, 2002) will respond to
fitness questions in her weekly column but not individually. Send
questions to: Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO
80202 or e-mail her at
LJBalance@aol.com.
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