Lena Schibel-Mason, right, demonstrates the Alexander Technique to relieve back pain on student Rosemary Morris

Millions of people in Britain suffer back pain, but there may be an answer to this scourge, as Nicola Fifield reports.

A STAGGERING 83 per cent of British adults suffer from backache at some point in their lifetimes, according to new figures released to mark Back Care Awareness Week.

But despite spending his entire working life bent double, 40-year-old professional glass blower Stephen Gillies does not have a single ache or pain in his body.

And the secret to his pain-free life?

Stephen, who works at Rosedale Abbey, in the North York Moors, said he believed it was the Alexander Technique - a system that has re-taught him how to move.

He said: "Glass blower's hip is renowned in my job because we spend hours every day leaning over to one side - completely crushing that side of the body.

"All the other glass blowers I know have severe back pain, but I've never had any problems.

"I go to York once a week for lessons in the Alexander Technique and I swear by it. I would recommend it to anybody.

"It has taught me how to use my body better, so that when I come into the glass-blowing studio I'm not tensing up.

"I now understand where my joints are, so I move properly and that's really important when you're lifting heavy objects."

He added: "For me it's a preventative measure - I'm self-employed, and there's no way I could afford to have time off work due to back pain.

In York, a group of four teachers offers one-to-one classes in the Alexander Technique, which originated in the performing arts. Its founder, Frederick Alexander, noticed defects in his posture while studying himself in mirrors to work out why he had lost his voice.

York-based teacher Lena Schibel-Mason, of South Bank, said: "The idea is to be more economic with whatever you are engaging in - to come back to your inborn balance.

"You don't do it through exercises. It's more about teaching people how to change the way they do things and get rid of their bad habits.

"It's about undoing what you have been doing for your whole life.

"As a teacher, I would look at you and, for example, see how you are holding your shoulders and how you are standing with your feet.

"I would notice where your head is in relation to your shoulders.

"Where we really differ from other approaches is that we're not addressing particular painful areas to put them right, we're changing bad habits so that these problems don't recur."

She added: "With Stephen, I have taught him how to bend.

"He used to bend more from the middle of his back, but now he has learned how to bend from his hip joints.

"It's not something you learn overnight - it takes a long time to relearn how to do things you've been doing for years."

Teaching the technique is very hands-on, and instructors use touch to monitor where the tension in somebody's body is arising.

Twenty-minute taster sessions will be run at the Healing Clinic, in Museum Street, York, on Monday, between 2.30pm and 5.30pm.

Entry costs £3 and it is possible to book in advance by phoning the clinic on 01904 679868.

Teachers of the Alexander Technique in York are Pam Mason, who is available on 01904 414640, Lena Schibel-Mason on 01904 651367, Gentian Rahtz on 01904 632665 and Mary Greene on 01904 414793.

2:34pm Friday 5th October 2007

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