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Tag: post surgery recovery

Low Back Pain Relief Case Study – My Mom!

Do you suffer from low back pain?

Are you fearful of movements like bending or twisting?

How would it feel to reconnect with your body, build strength and mobility, eliminate your fear of movement, reduce your pain, and enjoy moving again?

Give me a call today to discuss what’s going on with your body, and how I can help.

(503) 705-4762

Here’s the story of Claire, my sweet mommy. She is in her 70’s, lives in Florida, her and her husband keep a year round garden (collards in the winter, in April she already had waist high tomato plants). She loves to putter around the yard. She exercises just about every day, rocking out to her 50’s cassette tapes in the spare bedroom, and walking along the river with her husband. She is active, vibrant, and loves being outside.

Look how cute she is!

Recently, she was suffering from back pain so bad that she was unable to do the things she loves. When I visited her this spring, and saw how stiff she was, I knew we had to do something right away.

We started with heat, massage, and abdominal breathing. Each day we did a few exercises, and/ or soft tissue work. As she started to feel better we added new moves, slowly working our way from tiny clamshells and bird dogs, to bridges, squats and plank variations. After two days she was feeling better, after two weeks she was pain free!

She was walking at her normal pace, and able to do her regular exercises (she was even able to get on her hands and knees to pull weeds!).

If this sounds like an experience you have had, or are having with your back, watch this video, and listen closely to my cueing.

Go slowly, do less than you think you can, breathe, rest, and be really sweet with yourself.

There is hope, even if you have been diagnosed with arthritis, or a disc issue. Whether you are trying to prevent surgery, or recovering from surgery, I am here for you.

If you’d like me to personally take you thru these exercises give me a call. (503) 705-4762

Together we will go through my trademarked R.O.S.S. protocol to safely get you out of pain, and get you moving again! There is a way out of chronic pain. Come with me to the land of relaxation, and making peace with your body.

From Claire:

I’m Claire, Anne’s Mom.

I have an area in my low back which gives me trouble about every 6 or 7 years when I do something stupid. I love to work in the yard and exercise. In early spring, there’s always a lot of yard work I want to tackle. In mid-February our weather was beautiful. I over-did it and ended up with some nasty low back pain. When Anne came for a visit in mid-April, my back was a little better, but I was still not able to exercise or do yardwork.

Anne massaged my back, applied heat, and showed me some exercises and stretches to help me. After a week and a half, I was much improved. A few days later I was just about pain free! In the last week I have been able to work in the yard 2 days with no problem. I’m continuing my back exercises, and plan to start back on my regular exercises soon.

Anne was a lifesaver. She knows her business and wants to help you.

Don’t stay in pain – give her a call!

Client Case Study – Post Surgery Strength Training

Meet Doug. In 2015 he suffered a shoulder injury that left him with pain, and limited range of motion. A few months later he underwent a successful surgery to reattach a torn tendon. He then went to physical therapy, religiously did his exercises and has regained all of the lost mobility in his shoulder. He began meeting with me for movement + massage sessions in the fall or 2015. Over the past two years he has been lifting progressively heavier weights, and is now stronger than he was before his surgery.

He and his wife love to kayak. In fact right now they are in Mexico where they have done something active every day: lifting weights, yoga, Pilates, swimming, kayaking, hiking to waterfalls… Before he left for Mexico we talked about his desire to continue his workouts while on vacation, so that he wouldn’t lose the strength he has built over the past year. I offered my favorite body weight travel exercises (squats, lunges, push ups, dips) in case there was no traditional gym where they were staying. He concocted a plan to make his own weights using dowels, sandbags and a fishing scale to confirm the weight (did I mention he is a creative genius?). I wasn’t sure exactly what he was talking about until he sent me this photo.

Dougs homemade barbells 3.17

I present to you Doug’s homemade beach barbells! Maybe I will have him video a tutorial on how he created these once he is back in town.

 

Who do you know who is recovering from surgery? Could your person benefit from strength training with Anne?

Contact her to set up a consultation and discuss if you are a good fit (503) 705-4762.

Anne McCranie is a Portland based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She works with her clients one on one and in small groups, using a combination of movement + massage to aid in pain relief, increase strength, and improve mobility. 

August Feldenkrais With Kim Cottrell

Have you heard me talk about Kim Cotrell’s weekly Feldenkrais classes? I have known Kim for years and popped in to her classes when my schedule allowed. For the past few months I have been regularly attending Kim’s Tuesday morning lessons and I can really feel a difference in my back. Since my back surgery in 2014 my view of “movement vs. exercise” has shifted dramatically. In my twenties if I had a break I was going for a run. Now if I have a break I do release work, somatics, undulation exercises, or myofascial release on the foam roller.

Feldenkrias is subtle, relaxing, frustrating, difficult to explain, and really good for my back. One of the goals of this work is to increase our movement options. I describe this as taking a machete and clearing a new path through the jungle (my brain being the jungle).

The official description is a little more eloquent – a form of somatic education that uses gentle movement to enhance function, increase ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement.

In August Kim is offering a pelvic floor focus. If you are available Tuesdays morning at 11 I highly recommend these classes.

 

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers weekly classes and one on one sessions that incorporate her signature movement + massage concepts to aid in pain relief, stress reduction and improve strength.

Contact her today for your complimentary consultation. (503) 705-4762

Client Testimonial – CranioSacral Therapy

A client recently sent me this testimonial…

I have been going to Anne for massage, particularly craniosacral therapy massage, and I must say that she is the best of all who have worked on me. I leave our sessions completely relaxed and refreshed. Anne is not only a highly skilled practitioner, but what makes her special is that she truly cares about her clients, focusing her efforts completely on each session…… DF, Portland

 

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Reading this warmed my heart. I truly love working with my clients to facilitate pain relief, reduced stress and improved quality of life.

This client first came to see me after shoulder surgery (well, actually after his wife told him for months “you should go see Anne” 🙂 ). He was suffering from pain and limited mobility in his shoulder. He did his physical therapy exercises religiously and when he was released from P.T. started seeing me for personal training, massage, and craniosacral therapy. Over the past year he has greatly improved his range of motion. His goal was to be able to lift a suitcase into the overhead bin, or take a bike or kayak off the roof rack without pain and he is now able to do so.

Now that his shoulder pain has subsided we have been focusing on relaxing soft tissue work and CST, or what I call the “massage cranio sandwich”. I work his back, legs, neck and arms using a combination of Swedish and neuromuscular massage, then we do a solid hour of CST. This modality is so relaxing he often falls asleep.

Better sleep, less musculoskeletal pain, improved joint function, better quality of life… Sound good? Call or email Anne to find out how her Movement + massage program can help you!

 

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers customized programs to build strength, reduce pain and lower stress. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation. (503) 705-4762

Client Testimonial – Pilates

I recently received this testimonial from a client. I sure do love hearing success stories like these!

 

I started doing Pilates on my own after rupturing my achilles tendon, having surgery, etc. I bought a book (did a lot of research and found one that was excellent) and was able to stay in amazingly good shape while I recovered. I then went to the reformer class in Seattle, which I loved. Then I moved down here and found you through Yelp.

I was a little nervous about taking a “mat” class vs. the reformer and was concerned that I wouldn’t get the same level of workout. Boy, was I wrong. You really are a gifted teacher, Anne. Your commitment to your profession is an inspiration – I’m always impressed by the fact that you’re constantly learning new things and incorporating them into our class. The class is never the same (so we don’t get bored), you always give very good “visuals” to help us do things correctly and it’s a GREAT workout.

I REALLY, REALLY appreciate you and am so, so happy to have found you. I have noticed that my arms are much stronger. All those pilates push-ups that I hate have helped me a great deal – Ha! 🙂 My spine is also healthier than it’s ever been!