Exercise Therapy Program Begins
When NAKO began, we were relieving pain by guiding the body to the correct posture. This is called exercise therapy. As a method of correcting posture, we adopted a program that combined gymnastics and strength training. The superiority of this program was that the exercises were simple and could be worked on without the use of special equipment. With the exception of sudden triggers such as accidents, the cause of pain is a factor of lifestyle, so the continuation of regular physical exercises was an excellent way to change the body to be less prone to recurrence.
The need for change on the spot
Eventually, the scene came to offer a program to relieve back pain in a different place than Japan. Although there are differences in the length of bones and ligaments, the structure of the body is the same, and those who receive instruction in the exercises improve. One man who was suffering from back pain was about to undergo surgery, but he wanted to solve his problem without surgery if possible. After a few days of exercises, the pain disappeared, and he was happy to find that surgery was no longer necessary. These positive results spread by word of mouth, and he decided to stay in the area for a while and continue teaching the exercises.
Three problems that came to light
After a while of teaching exercises in the area, problems began to emerge.
One is that the patients cannot do the exercises due to severe pain.
Because medical technology differs from that in Japan, I have many opportunities to meet people with severe symptoms that I had not encountered in Japan.
Until then, I used to tell them to move their bodies as much as they could if their symptoms were severe, but that does not work here. Without holding back the pain, they cannot do even the slightest movement exercises.
If they cannot move their bodies, there is nothing we can do to help them, because the program only gets better if they can do exercises.
Second, there is not enough time. Gymnastics consists of regular exercises and training. Therefore, it takes time to feel the pain disappear.
However, because of visa restrictions, the duration of stay is limited, so we cannot make suggestions such as, "If you don't feel as good as you think you will, let's revise the program.
Some of our clients travel several hours from neighboring towns to visit us, so we cannot make suggestions based on the assumption that we will see them again.
Third is the language barrier.
Even if they are able to do the exercises, the more time it takes, the harder it is for them to believe that they will get better and continue until the day the pain disappears. Even encouraging the patient to keep going becomes more difficult in a foreign language.
In addition, there is a time limit. In the past, we were able to maintain the desire to continue each time we met again, but now we don't have the chance to meet again and again as we did in the past.
What these three problems demanded was an immediate solution to remove the pain on the spot. We began research to solve this problem.
Find a method that can be effective in a short time
We thought that if we could remove pain on the spot, it would make it easier for people to engage in gymnastics, even if they had severe symptoms, limited time to stay, or language barriers. Furthermore, we could expect to gain a better understanding of training for the purpose of preventing recurrence.
Acupuncture and moxibustion, chiropractic care, and bodywork are among the methods that have been proposed to immediately alleviate any symptoms.
Acupuncture and moxibustion have the great advantage that they require few tools, are easy to move, and can be performed anywhere. However, because needles are inserted into the body, there are different preferences. Furthermore, it was expected to be difficult to accept in areas with different cultures and environments.
Chiropractic care is more easily accepted because it is well recognized, but we had to forego it because it requires x-rays before treatment and a special bed.
We thought that bodywork would be easier to accept because it has an image similar to that of massage. Furthermore, it can be conducted anywhere with a single mat, which is excellent in terms of traveling to several countries.
Thus, a three-step concept combining bodywork and exercise was developed.
Step 1: Reduce pain with bodywork
The elimination of pain lowers the hurdle to exercise.
The experience of getting better helps people understand the benefits of exercises.
｜Step 1: Reduce pain through physical therapy.
Step 2: Implementation of exercises/training
When pain is eliminated, exercises can be performed with less burden.
｜Step 3: Prevent recurrence
Step 3: Continuation of exercises and training to prevent recurrence
Step 4: Suggestion of new lifestyle habits to maintain good condition
The next step was to investigate which techniques to learn from among the many types of bodywork.
What we sought in bodywork
In selecting the techniques we needed from among the many types of bodywork, there were some things we were particular about.
Focus on reproducibility
One of the things we focused on in our search for bodywork techniques was reproducibility. This means that we can achieve the same good results no matter who we treat.
This is because we perform our treatments across multiple countries and regions, where ethnicities and lifestyles differ greatly. Even so, we have to deliver consistently good results every time. This is why we employ anatomy-based techniques.
Anatomy-based bodywork is a treatment based on the mechanism of muscles and bones. Even the same muscle may work differently when you are standing than when you are sitting. We have come up with this method to reflect such a mechanism.
Therefore, we do not perform bodywork for no particular reason, nor do we relax muscles because it feels good.
I participated in human anatomy practice in the U.S. and learned how osteopathic techniques function in the body. These anatomy-based bodywork techniques produced stable and homogeneous results in all areas, regardless of gender or age.
Sticking to the changes on the spot
The second thing we insisted on was change in a short time.
This is because when symptoms are so severe that exercises cannot be performed, if the pain is not resolved on the spot, there is only so much that can be done. If your body is stiff and your movement is restricted, you will not be able to do the exercises as you would like. Furthermore, if the pain is severe, we cannot even teach the exercises without reducing it.
The limited time we had to be there meant that we had to get rid of the pain right away.
Focus on Safety
The third thing we focused on was safety and security.
It is obvious that the procedure should be safe, but even if safety is guaranteed, there is no small amount of anxiety about what kind of treatment one will receive. If there is a language barrier, they may feel even more uneasy.
Therefore, in order to provide you with peace of mind, we have adopted a method of treatment in which we do not touch the location of the pain. For example, if you have a pain in your neck, we will reduce the pain without performing the procedure on your neck. This is essential because many people do not want us to touch such a sensitive place like the neck.
We do not employ techniques that twist joints with strong force or make joints pop.