Bilateral total knee replacement and Feldenkrais

At the end of last year, one of the long-time students at my Feldenkrais practice underwent surgery. She had attended class and had many individual sessions over several years. During this time she built up a toolbox which was available to ensure her recovery. Here, in her own words, is her story:

Bilateral total knee replacement and Feldenkrais

What I learned over the years in Feldenkrais class was of inestimable use throughout the whole knee replacement journey. I am very grateful for the techniques, but even more the mindset and attitudes I learnt and practiced. There is no doubt in my mind that my experience and recovery were significantly helped.

How? The really biggest contribution was that good old Feldenkrais phrase, 'awareness through movement'. It came to mind in so many situations during the process. Add that to the emphasis on quality and ease of movement and I was on a winner.

In the years leading up to surgery I attended class to try keep as mobile and flexible as possible. Knee surgery was always inevitable but I think I avoided it for several years and was in much better shape to undergo it because of what I learnt in Feldenkrais classes. I had better movement than I would have had but the crucial thing was it had become second nature to tune into my body, be aware of how it was or was not functioning, and adjust accordingly.

In rehab the greatest benefit was that marvellous Feldenkrais principle ... quality of movement. I kept surprising the physios by asking them to correct how I did things to make sure as I learnt to walk again I established good patterns. Most people just wanted to get moving and get on with it so their focus was on building up speed and distance. I was interested in the right gait and posture, walking through the whole foot, from the hips, keeping the shoulders relaxed.

So all that attention over the years at the beginning and end of class on observing how we were walking, making sure you walk through the whole foot, from the hips, keeping the shoulders relaxed was absolutely invaluable. Awareness, awareness, awareness! I surprised myself by doing it automatically and it really worked. I am convinced that my recovery owes everything to that little phrase.

Doing the rehab exercises that other Feldenkrais question "How can I do this more easily?" was the key; the progression we learnt "how can I do this more easily, then more effortlessly then elegantly" was my mantra. I am not sure I got to elegant but I really worked at finding ways to do things easier. One funny side issue was that in rehab I found I was the only one who had learnt that clenching your teeth, immobilising your upper body, holding your breath doesn't actually help.

In class you find yourself putting your body in strange configurations, and you get used to focusing on what bit is doing what. That skill helped over and over again learning to walk again and doing rehab exercises. Again, good old awareness.

In class you learn to trust yourself and your body, that you can listen to it, work with it and it will serve you well. That experience was invaluable time and time again during the recovery process. I had learnt over the years to keep listening, keep adjusting, keep working how to do things easier, trust your intuition, the body's innate intelligence and it will happen.

The experience of that never left me no matter how slow progress seemed at times. Even on days when it was one step forward, two steps back I knew somewhere, somehow if I kept to what I knew it would come right because that is what I had experienced in all those years coming to class.

So was Feldenkrais helpful?

I cannot imagine going through this process without it. The principles I learnt were deep-seated and supported me unfailingly. Even better was that I knew that they worked, all I had to do was keep applying them and things would work out.

And they have, I am not running marathons, probably never will, but I am walking confidently, stable with really good flexion, going up and down stairs pain free that in itself justifies the process. Instead of my world continually contracting because of knee pain it is expanding, who knows where it will end. Three cheers for Feldie for making the journey that much more successful and setting up a bright future of freedom of movement.

LM, Baulkham Hills