Restoration Physical Therapy: Bowenwork

Conditions Bowenwork Can Help:

Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Myofascial Pain

Frozen Shoulder, Tennis Elbow, Repetitive Stress Injuries, Accident and Sports Injuies,

Problems with Posture and Body Alignment,Migraines and Recurring Headaches,

Pregnancy related Back/Pelvis Pain, Women's issues, Fertility.

Bowen can help emotional issues where relaxation is a

prime factor in easing pain and anxiety.

What is Bowenwork?

Bowenwork is a soft tissue manual therapy technique that is applied to muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the body in a very gentle manner and with minimal pressure over precise points on the body. It consists of a 3-part combination move; the practitioner takes some slack, applies a challenge, and then applies a rolling movement over the body structure being addressed.

"Like tuning a stringed instrument, Bowenwork resonates through the nervous system inducing the body to reset, recharge and heal itself."

Frequently Asked Questions

Conveniently located in North Snohomish County and serving Arlington, Everett, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Millcreek, Snohomish, Stanwood and Tulalip.

A key element in the treatment is the prescribed wait periods between the sets of moves. The several minutes of waiting brings about a calming relaxation response. During this time, the nervous system has a chance to process the sensory information and make adjustments.

Often people feel a vibration resonating out from the spot of contact, much like the plucking of a guitar string. Others feel warmth permeate the area, a subtle shift, or a transient discomfort as the body integrates the input and makes corrections in order to heal. The wait periods are crucial. Over the next 3 - 4 days, this integration (or conversation between the muscles and the brain) continues.

How does Bowenwork work?

Bowen therapy addresses the human body as a whole system rather than just the presenting symptoms. There are multiple body systems impacted by the Bowenwork moves that influence healing.

Autonomic Nervous System Rebalancing:

Bowenwork helps the body shift from the stress oriented sympathetic control to parasympathetic dominance. As a result, muscular tension decreases, nerve hypersensitivity is reduced, blood flow is increased bring oxygen to starved tissue, and lymph flow is improved thus reducing inflammation and stimulating the immune response.

Joint Proprioception and Muscle Stretch Reflex:

Bowenwork done near a joint affects the ligaments and joint capsule which are richly innervated with proprioceptors (stuctures that sense body position). Muscle spindle cells sense the degree of muscular tension. Bowenwork influences these highly sensitive pathways to interrupt the

pain-muscle spasm cycle to invite normalization of the muscle resting length and joint function.

Fascia System:

Fascial networks are sheets of connective tissue that connects everything in the body. It plays an essential role in coordinated muscular movement, flexibility, postural alignment, and overall structural and functional integrity. Bowenwork helps to free the relationship between the fascia and the nerve, muscle, or tendon being addressed. It is common after a Bowenwork session to feel adhesions loosen, scar tissue soften, and posture and mobility improve without harsh mobilization, or stretching.

Segmental Viscerosomatic Spinal Reflex:

Many of the Bowenwork moves are performed along the spine over the erector spinae muscles (the thick muscles running the length of the spine). These moves produce referred reactions to the internal organs often leading to improvement in digestion, circulation, elimination, and sleep.

Lymphatics:

Bowenwork helps to activate the drainage of the lymphatic system, decreasing swelling or edema and stimulation of the immune system.