Well Connected: The Art and Science of Tailoring Movement Therapy for Spinal Pain and Injuries - A Practical Guide for Pilates, Yoga and Integrated Movement Therapists

Freedom to Move is an evidence informed practical resource which provides movement therapists of all disciplines with an exercise blueprint for rehabilitating spinal pain and many related ‘injuries’.

In essence, Freedom to Move describes what goes wrong in the spine and what to do about it. It integrates the applicable contemporary neuroscience around spinal movement and pain with the clinical evidence and understanding gained from the author’s enquiring practice, and her exploration of various movement approaches and their contribution - or otherwise, to spinal well-being.

It examines the relationship between healthy torso structure and functional control and describes and explains the author’s model of spinal dysfunction – the remediation of which forms the basis of the author’s model of care for the spine, The Key Approach®.

The book’s main focus is on a practical, therapeutic exercise/movement approach which addresses the common movement faults and dysfunctions observed in people with spinal pain and stiffness.

In particular, the Fundamental Patterns of control are introduced as important, innate ‘key’ movements which naturally provide the sound foundations necessary for a healthy spine – but which have commonly been ‘lost’ in the movement repertoire of people with spinal pain syndromes.

These are re-established and reincorporated into various poses, movements and stretches by way of specifically directed mindful movement explorations. The client is helped to regain more optimal function and move out of pain - with more freedom.

The approach is applicable within all industry models of teaching therapeutic movement: in the rehabilitation of spinal pain within physiotherapy, Pilates and Yoga; and in the fitness industry, for injury prevention, health promotion and optimising spinal health in exercise programmes in general.

Josephine Key is a neuro-musculo-skeletal physiotherapist with over 45 years in clinical practice – of which the last 30 years or so have been devoted to seeking a better understanding of the spine in health - and its dis-ease. She gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy from Sydney University in 1984.

The evolution of her model of care, The Key Moves® Programme of Therapeutic Exercise and Movement, is the result of evaluating and integrating the available movement and neuroscience; the ample evidence gleaned from clinical practice; the exploration and evaluation of various movement disciplines (Body Mind Centering; various forms of Yoga; Somatics; Feldenkrais; Pilates; Gyrotonic, streams within the fitness industry) - for what they offer in terms of healthy spinal control – or otherwise. Josephine is increasingly exploring the felt sense of movement and the ability to exploit neuro-plastic change - ‘retraining our brain’ to organise healthier movement patterns and better biomechanics.

She has developed and continues to refine classes for spinal health – to help clients move without pain and gain enhanced function. Presently, her practice conducts over 40 ‘Key Moves’® classes a week. This unique programme has been running for over 16 years. Central to it is the re-establishment of important key Fundamental Patterns of Control – which also provide a vehicle to access restrictions in the fascial system, help to rebalance the muscular and nervous systems and restore optimal joint and soft tissue loading, It represents a paradigm shift for exercise therapy for the spine – both therapeutic and preventative.

Josephine has had a number of papers published on her work in the international peer reviewed journal, Bodywork and Movement Therapy. Her paper “The Core: Understanding it and retraining it’d dysfunction” was one of the journal’s five most downloaded papers in 2014.

She is the author of the text book BACK PAIN: A movement problem. A clinical approach incorporating relevant research and practice - published by Elsevier, Edinburgh in 2010.

She has presented at the International World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Pain in 2007, 2010 & 2013; the Fascia Research Congress in 2009, 2012 & 2015; The Physiotherapy New Zealand Conference 2014. She conducts workshops nationally and internationally for physiotherapists and interdisciplinary manual therapists and movement teachers.