Alexander Technique lessons can result in long-term benefits for people with chronic back pain.

This was the finding of a clinical trial funded by England’s Medical Research Council and National Health Service. The clinical trial known as the “ATEAM trial” conformed to the protocol of a randomised controlled trial. Findings were published in the esteemed British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2008.

The findings of the high-quality trial were that 24 one-on-one Alexander Technique lessons lead to long-term benefits, namely:

• Participants who received 24 individual Alexander Technique lessons enjoyed an 86% reduction in days of pain one year after lessons began (compared to those in the control group who received standard GP care).
• Compared to the control group, participants experienced only 3 days of pain per month (as against 21 days per month by those receiving usual GP care).
• Participants who received 24 individual Alexander Technique lessons enjoyed significant improvements in functioning and quality of life, with a 42% increase in the number of everyday activities that could be carried out without being limited by back pain (as against those in the control group)
• Alexander Technique provided greater benefit to sufferers than those who received either standard GP care or massage
• No adverse effects were reported by any person in the Alexander Technique group of the trial (288 participants who together received over 2,400 lessons).

For more information on this trial, please visit the BMJ website.