Conditions We Treat

Gentle, Effective Relief for Chronic Pain and Movement Issues in Driggs, Idaho

The Alexander Technique is a proven, hands-on method for relieving pain and improving how you move through everyday life. At Learning to Move, Cathy Pollock works one-on-one with clients to identify the unconscious habits of tension and misalignment that cause or worsen a wide range of conditions.

Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, recovering from injury, or looking to move with more ease and comfort, the Alexander Technique offers lasting, meaningful change—without drugs or surgery.

Back and Neck Pain

Chronic back and neck pain are among the most common reasons people seek out the Alexander Technique—and for good reason. A landmark study published in the British Medical Journal found that Alexander Technique lessons provided long-term relief for chronic back pain.

Much of this pain stems from harmful, unconscious muscle tension habits that build up during daily activities—sitting at a desk, driving, lifting, even sleeping. Over time, these patterns compress the spine and strain the muscles that support it.

Through the Alexander Technique, you learn to recognize these habits and gently retrain your body to move with better spinal alignment, improved coordination, and less effort. The result isn’t just temporary relief—it’s a lasting change in how you carry and use your body every day.

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

Repetitive strain injuries develop when a harmful or inefficient movement pattern is used over and over—whether at a computer, in the garden, at a workbench, or on a musical instrument. Over time, this repetition can lead to chronic muscle and joint pain, headaches, and even breathing difficulties.

The underlying issue is often the same: certain parts of the body are doing all the work while the rest remains disengaged. This creates localized strain and tension where the body is overworking.

The Alexander Technique teaches you how to use your whole body in a more integrated, coordinated way. By spreading the workload across your entire structure, you reduce the concentration of strain that leads to RSI—and you learn to perform repetitive tasks with greater ease and less wear on your body.

Breathing Difficulties

Breathing is one of the body’s most fundamental functions, yet it’s remarkably sensitive to tension, stress, and postural habits. While some breathing difficulties have anatomical or physiological causes (and should be evaluated by a medical professional), many are rooted in how we hold and use our bodies.

As human beings, our mental and physical wellness are deeply connected. The nervous system regulates breathing automatically—the sympathetic system speeds it up under stress, while the parasympathetic system slows it down for rest and recovery. Breathing is unique in that it’s both an automatic process and one you can consciously influence.

The Alexander Technique places special attention on encouraging the parasympathetic—or relaxation—response. By helping you notice and release the patterns of tension that interfere with natural breathing, an Alexander teacher guides you toward a calmer, more supported way of breathing that benefits everything you do.

Performance Anxiety

Performance takes many forms—on stage, on the field, in the office, or in any high-pressure situation. Wherever anxiety shows up, it creates tension in the body that interferes with your ability to perform at your best.

The Alexander Technique offers practical tools for transforming anxiety into productive, focused action. By learning to recognize where you hold tension and how to release it in the moment, you can approach performance situations with greater confidence, presence, and physical ease. Musicians, actors, athletes, and professionals of all kinds use the Alexander Technique to perform with more freedom and less fear.

Poor Posture and Alignment

There are many misconceptions about what “good” posture actually means. Most people think of it as holding yourself upright—pulling your shoulders back, raising your chest, tucking your tailbone. But this kind of “posturing” actually increases tension rather than relieving it.

The Alexander Technique takes a different approach. Rather than imposing a rigid position, it works with the concept of “use”—how you use your whole self in everything you do. Good use naturally includes good posture, but it goes much further.

Through lessons, you learn to find a dynamic balance between muscle tension and muscle tone throughout your entire body. The result is posture that feels effortless and natural—not forced—and that supports you through all of your daily activities.

TMJ Disorders

TMJ disorders involve pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint (the jaw joint) and the muscles that control jaw movement. Symptoms often include clicking, popping, jaw locking, and headaches. These issues can be caused by injury, arthritis, teeth grinding, or widespread tension throughout the body.

If you’ve consulted your doctor and are still looking for relief, the Alexander Technique offers a gentle, non-invasive path forward. Because TMJ disorders are closely linked to tension patterns in the head, neck, and jaw, the technique’s focus on releasing habitual tension makes it especially effective. Many people find significant, lasting improvement through this approach.

Headaches

Headaches fall into two broad categories: primary headaches (tension, migraine, and cluster) and secondary headaches (caused by illness, injury, or other underlying conditions). While common treatments include medication, rest, and lifestyle adjustments, these approaches often don’t address a key underlying factor—the physical tension patterns that trigger and sustain headache pain.

The Alexander Technique offers a powerful complement to conventional care. Through kinesthetic re-education—learning to sense and change how you hold and move your body—you can significantly reduce or even eliminate tension-related headache pain. Many clients find that learning the Alexander Technique gives them effective, lasting tools for managing their headaches on their own.

Ready to Find Relief?

Every person and every body is different. Cathy works with each client individually to understand your specific condition, goals, and needs. Whether you’re dealing with one of the conditions above or something else entirely, a conversation is the best place to start.

Contact Learning to Move today to schedule your first session in Driggs, Idaho.