What is Bowen Therapy?
Bowen Therapy, also known as Bowen Technique was developed from the amazing work of the late Mr Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916 – 1982) in Australia. Taught and practiced all over the world since the 1980’s, Bowen Therapy is now one of the fastest growing natural therapies of current times.outlookindia.com
The Bowen technique is a holistic approach to pain relief and healing that is based on the recognition that the underlying cause or source of many musculoskeletal, neurological, neuromuscular and other health or pain problems can be found in the form of an imbalance of the energetic and facial systems of the body.
Fascia is a specific type of connective tissue that forms a three dimensional web surrounding every tissue in the body. Considered the body’s connecting web, fascia embraces all nerves, bones, arteries, veins and muscles. Fascial dysfunction can affect every structure, muscle, nerve and organ in the body and has therefore become the subject of increasing research and recent studies, showing it to be the largest sensory organ in the body.
Bowen Therapy is a very gentle and non-invasive, but extremely powerful, soft connective tissue hands-on therapy that addresses whatever is out of balance within the body. It works so well and quickly because it works on stimulating the flow of water throughout the body – water which carries energy around the body through the soft connective tissue (Fascia). This energy has been referred to by many names from many cultures for thousands of years; Chi, Life Force, and Prana to name a few. It is not important to label it, but simply to understand that without a free uninterrupted balanced flow of this energy, and water, throughout your body, you will have health challenges of varying kinds and severity.
What can Bowen Therapy be used for?
The Bowen Therapy addresses pain and restriction anywhere in the body. A key element of Bowen Therapy is that it aims to balance the body as a whole, not just the presenting symptoms.
Some of the common ailments attended are:
- Back pain
- Knee problems
- Hamstring flexibility / tightness
- Shoulder / neck pain
- Sports injuries
- Stress
- Depression
- Headaches
- Pregnancy-related issues
- Tennis / Golfers elbow
- RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury)
- IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- Frozen shoulder
- Arthritic pain
- Acute and chronic fatigue
- Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Sciatica
- Functional movement
- Flexibility
- Sinusitis
Is Bowen Therapy effective for Sports Injuries?
Bowen Therapy is being increasingly recognised as a valuable tool in the treatment and healing of sports injuries. This unique therapy encourages the body's own healing systems to resolve dysfunctions and restore musculo-skeletal balance, and because of its non-invasive nature, can be used prior to or alongside training exercises and programs. It also helps to achieve a "whole body balance", i.e. of mind and body, which greatly assists in improvement and maintenance of performance.
Bowen Therapy is increasingly being used by elite athletes, not only to treat injuries, but also to help prevent them. It has also been shown to improve post-competition recovery times. Any musculo-skeletal injury can be treated, as well as repetitive strain injuries, such as tennis / golf elbow, frozen shoulder, back strains, etc. Improvement can be seen immediately in certain cases, and the body continues to work itself out through the hours and days following treatment. Most acute injuries respond quickly and may require up to three treatments while chronic injuries may take a little longer.
Most athletes recognize that if their body is in balance, they have more stamina and suffer fewer injuries, and they are also able to focus and control the stress response, which results in an improved performance.
Bowen Treatment can be carried out in consultation with athlete's coaches, managers or other support staff to ensure maximum integration into training programs, so as to achieve desirable results in athlete's health and performance.