I went to Rancho La Puerta, the legendary wellness retreat and spa in Tecate, Mexico, to whip myself into shape and get healthy and centered. Certainly those goals seemed ambitious enough for one week. What happened instead was quite unexpected; I discovered a series of classes and activities that allowed me to focus on alleviating the back pain that’s plagued me for years. And through Rancho La Puerta‘s gifted teachers, I learned of cutting-edge new treatments that have allowed me, for the first time, to imagine a life free from pain.
When you arrive at the San Diego airport, before you even board the bus for the Ranch, a representative meets you and hands you a welcome packet that includes a list of the classes offered that week. You also get a handy dandy weekly calendar that you fill out with all the offerings that appeal to you. There are so many tantalizing options that the only problem is finding time for everything you want to do. All week long at the ranch, you see people walking around, calendar in hand, scribbling out one choice and pencilling in others as they hear about more and more things they’d like to try.
With an hour to spare before the bus departed, I sat down and scanned the list. Imagine my surprise when, in addition to the yoga, pilates, meditation, and dance classes I’d expected to prioritize, I saw classes like Posture Therapy, Feldenkrais, Release and Mobilize, Foam Roller, and Back Care. I immediately penciled them all in, starring each entry. After all, six years of doctors’ visits, physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, and acupuncture had gotten me nowhere. Why not take advantage of these unexpected resources?
Once at the Ranch, I discovered another unexpected resource. At my very first posture therapy class, who should I meet but other back pain sufferers. I don’t know why this was a surprise; after all, who else would eschew ballroom dance, hula hoop, and water aerobics for something as un-exciting as posture therapy? But the unexpected gift of a community of people also in pursuit of pain relief proved an incredible boon. After class, we all eagerly compared notes, and throughout the week, as we all turned up regularly at each class with a spinal therapy component, we got to know each other better, pelting each other with tips, suggestions, and supportive comments.
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| Nathan Briner at Rancho La Puerta |
But the real resource was the teachers themselves, particularly biomechanics expert Nathan Briner, who taught the posture therapy, release and mobilize, and foam roller classes in addition to the yoga level 2 classes most of us also joined. A true fanatic for pain relief and freedom of movement, Nathan runs True Balance Dynamics in San Diego in addition to teaching at Rancho La Puerta.
I was so astonished at the gains in mobility and flexibility, as well as the pure and simple pain relief I obtained from Nathan’s classes that I scheduled a one-on-one session with him to learn more about the multi-faceted approach he advocates for relief of back, neck, shoulder, knee and hip pain.
Nathan’s philosophy is that pain is merely a signal that our bodies are protecting an injured area by tightening up the muscles that surround it. However, while traditional physical therapy focuses on stretching the affected muscles to relax them, Nathan believes this brings only temporary relief. Instead, he takes the opposite tack, working tostrengthen the affected muscles by targeting them with special exercises and stimulation techniques that rebuild the signals between the muscles and the central nervous system.
During our session, Nathan was generous in introducing me to a wealth of groundbreaking neuromuscular therapies, none of which I’d heard of before, and all of which I found spectacularly helpful and am continuing to pursue with the help of his referrals.
They are:
• Muscle Activation Technique – A form of neuromuscular therapy invented by Colorado-based athletic trainer Greg Roskopf, MAT is starting to be recommended by many orthopedic surgeons who’ve seen it heal injuries they expected to require surgery.
• Primal Reflex Release Technique – a variation on MAT, PRRT has “taken MAT into a new paradigm,” as Nathan puts it, allowing faster results.
• Pain Neutralization Technique – pioneered by chiropractor Stephen Kaufman and also called the Kaufman Technique, this trigger point technique stimulates neurological reflexes.
In addition to these, Nathan’s therapeutic method includes take-home postural strength training that incorporates the biomechanics resistance therapies taught by sports therapist Tom Purvis in his Resistance Training Specialist training program.
The week after Thanksgiving, Briner will be leading a special week of classes at Rancho La Puerta, Powerful Posture, with an extended schedule that features all of his posture therapy and back pain techniques. If you suffer from back pain, I can’t recommend this program highly enough. You could be giving yourself a gift of flexibility, pain relief, and mobility that will last the rest of your life.
The back courses at Rancho La Puerta sound amazing. As one who experiences constant twinges in her back, I can relate to your excitement in finding a way to deal with back issues. I've attended posture therapy classes on a sporadic basis. Your post reminds me to find a way to fit them into my daily schedule.
Well done! You have found the mother lode. Few people believe me when I tell them that structured rehab is the way to relief — nothing whatsoever to do with what we know as physical therapy — the ice, stim routine. Sounds like you found what you needed! More coming when my book, THE FRAGILE COLUMN: How to Outsmart the Hundred Billion Dollar Back Pain Industry and Get On the Road to Recovery is published by Crown in 2011.
Congratulations!
Hi Cathryn,
I was called and contributed info to your book THE FRAGILE COLUMN. My info was recorded about my experience at LASER in Tampa FL. Looking forward to reading it. Do I get a book free?
I am surprised it is taking so long to get it published.
Sincerely,
Doris Carlson
Wow this all sounds amazing! I would love to go here!
I've found neuromuscular therapy to be an amazing way to deal with pain. Glad you've found it too!
Cathryn, thanks so much for the compliment, means a lot coming from someone with your expertise. I'm eagerly awaiting your book!
Melanie, can you tell me more about the neuromuscular therapy you've found helpful? I'm still working my way through the various treatment methodologies!
Quite impressive and so happy that you found such a helpful way in dealing with back issues. This sounds like an amazing place – one I'd love to visit some time.
How much did your stay at the ranch cost, Melanie? Or was it a sponsored trip? This sounds AMAZING I just don't know how I could afford it…
This sounds great. I had horrible chronic pain in the spring, from a pinched nerve. it went away after a few months thanks to some PT, but living with chronic pain until then was not fun!
I'm so glad I haven't battled back pain yet–my grandmother had scoliosis, so I try to pay attention to my posture. I'd love to read more about the therapies mentioned here, thanks for the links.
This sounds awesome. My back has always bothered me, but I had an accident last week and it's been worse. Wish I could try this!
Healing, self-loving and peaceful – that's how all this sounds. What a wonderful way to tend to the body.
Damn, I would LOVE to go to one of these retreats. Someday!
It is very expensive, though at one point I sat down with a calculator and added up what I would have paid for all these therapies and this amount of instruction in so many disciplines and all of a sudden it seemed quite reasonable! I was there with a group of travel bloggers, but I do have many friends who make a yearly pilgrimage and count it as part of their health maintenance budget.
I'm fortunate not to have this issue, but it sounds like a great way to relieve pain. It must be SUCH a relief to finally discover something that works for you.
Found myself straightening my posture unconsciously as I read this piece – I hope Nathan's techniques are helping you beyond the ranch!
Take me next time, take me! My back will thank you.
Rancho El Puerta is a great destination for medical travels. They have a chiropractor clinic and a wellness spa.
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts.
Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
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That’s a pretty nice post, i was reading something related on another web page not too long ago that essentially said the same thing although yours is better,
plus its good to have some validation on seeing two sources agree.
Does the spa still offer the Healthy Back and Bar Method programs? I’ve read that they also offer activities like hiking, yoga, Pilates, HydroFit, and circuit training.
Rancho La Puerta offers an incredible array of activities; some are always available and others change depending on who’s teaching that week. They always have yoga, pilates, and some back therapy programs such as foam roller. Some of the more specialized back programs may not be offered every week, so call ahead and ask. And yes, they do offer water fitness classes, circuit training, hiking, dance, and many other fitness activities.
Your Blog is awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed your post and will keep my eyes open for updates. Keep up the good work! Thanks.
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