Ideal sitting posture questioned
26 Aug 2009
Dr Andrew ‘Happy’ Claus, led this study on how we sit, how we should sit and it ain’t necessarily so (Andrew would appreciate that….) – ABC Science picked it up – ‘Ideal Sitting Posture Questioned‘ which also got a write up in MedIndia. Although he is currently turning down most requests for public appearances, Andrew has squeezed this in just for BodyinMind.org!
Learning to move phantom limbs
October 2009
Getting a fair bit of interest is Interdependence of movement and anatomy persists when amputees learn a physiologically impossible movement of their phantom limb (PNAS October 26, 2009, online edition) or, as reported in Science Blogs (great write up): Phantom limbs can contort into impossible configurations; New Scientist: Lost limb leads to flexible new body image; Nature: Neurology Impossible Movements; Reuters Health News: Amputees defy anatomy, learn to move phantom limbs, ABC Science: Phantom limbs make impossible moves and ScienceNews: Redefining self, phantom self.
Inspirations:
Here is an email received by the superb Anna-Louise Bouvier. She was kind enough to send it on (with the sender’s permission!)
“Hi, I saw you on the Today Show today and thought you might be interested in my son’s condition. My son Mike, 19yrs, went on a ski trip and had a fall, didn’t break anything but injured his left back/shoulder. He spent 3 years at home in pain. He collapsed 4 times, saw every specialist on the Gold Coast. Had mri’s, ct scans, all revealed nothing. They thought it was nerve damage, he had day surgery trying to freeze the nerves which didn’t work and sent his back into spasms and more pain.
Eventually they sent him to the Chronic Pain Unit at the Gold Coast Hospital. They spent 5 weeks with him, about 5 hours a week. They realised any tests he did with the right side of his body he got 100%, left side was 40%.
They used mirror therapy to trick his brain – got him to remove his ring from right hand to left and do exercises in the mirror – gave his mind exercises. Said they thought his body had a little bit of pain but his mind was saying ‘oh my goodness this pain is unbearable’ and after 5 weeks of treatment from the psychologist and occupational therapist he said – Mum, it doesn’t hurt anymore!
He has been pain free for a year now. I couldn’t believe after 3 years of all the tests and treatment he went through that it was all to do with the mind. I hope you can keep going with your research so that no other kid has to go through this and it is diagnosed sooner.”
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