Austin (76 y/o) experienced a severe injury to the humerus of his right arm during a mugging incident in January of 2023. The injury involved a complete fracture one-third down the humerus, a posterior dislocation of the humeral head from the shoulder socket, and multiple bone fragments.
Austin reflects on his ordeal, stating, "For several months the arm was in a sling most of the time. The bones of my arm became infected, and the infection slowed all recovery a great deal, for it required multiple surgeries attempting to clean out and treat the infection—and a return to the sling. All this meant that the muscles of my arm and shoulder spent a long time losing strength and mobility."
This prolonged immobilization led to significant muscle weakening and loss of mobility in the arm and shoulder.
Rehabilitation Journey: Austin embarked on a lengthy recovery path involving infection treatment and multiple surgeries, including bone replacement and plans for reverse shoulder replacement to regain arm mobility. As he described, "When I began working with Anna, I had little idea of what we would be doing. I still had quite a bit of pain in the arm and shoulder. I knew I was carrying my shoulder very carefully in an attempt to avoid pain, but I did not realize how high—and with how much tension—I was holding the shoulder up."
Our sessions primarily aimed to restore overall body balance despite the immobile arm, which caused discomfort and pain upon movement. Austin continued, "Anna spends time working on multiple aspects of my body and movement, but she has certainly worked most at helping me ease the arm and shoulder. There was a lot to do."
Gradually, I introduced techniques to direct the head forward and up while lengthening the back to improve his control and balance. By exploring the opposition between the head, feet, and ribcage to shoulder support, we gradually released protective tension around the injured area. This helped Austin understand his unintentional habit of holding tension to avoid pain.
Austin acknowledged the progress, stating, "With much patience, Anna showed me ways to think about what I was doing and how to begin to use the arm and shoulder in ways that were without tension. And she showed me that those ways of moving actually had less pain—and more range of motion."
As Austin learned to trust his torso’s support, he began to adapt a fingers-wrist-elbow movement sequence that eased shoulder and neck tension. However, slow bone healing necessitated another surgery, pausing our sessions.
Benefits of the Alexander Technique: Post-surgery, Austin reported significant recovery benefits from our lessons, noting a reduction in pain and tension. During his recovery process, he emphasized, "From the first week of limited physical activity and post-surgery pain, productive resting became essential."
Once cleared by his doctor, Austin quickly resumed lessons, regaining pre-surgery mobility with assistance from previously learned inner directions. This focus aimed to stop habitual compensatory actions and replace them with effective movement strategies.
The journey was not without challenges; Austin had to balance both sides of his body since the healthy left arm was often neglected in favor of the injured right side. Utilizing the "hands on the back of a chair" technique was pivotal in regaining equilibrium and encouraging finger-led movement while maintaining primary control.
As Austin approached the reverse shoulder replacement surgery, he shared, "I was optimistic about my recovery for a second time. I noted our lessons helped ease post-surgery difficulties by recognizing and halting unwanted tension."
Recovery and Outcome: Now, Austin focuses on regaining control, expanding his range of motion, and strengthening muscles around the new shoulder. He combines physical therapy with Alexander Technique lessons, and every doctor visit reaffirmed that his efforts were yielding positive results. He expressed, "It’s now almost two years since my injury. Ten months ago the infection was finally gone. I received a total reverse shoulder replacement, and it was also necessary to remove my rotator cuff. Though there is still pain—it was a very severe injury, compounded with multiple operations on the bones and muscles—the pain is very much reduced."
Despite lingering pain, Austin noted, "I don’t manage to relax the shoulder all the time—Anna still has to sometimes remind me not to tense and use it when it’s not necessary—but the shoulder is tension-free a great deal of the time. This has certainly made life more comfortable and helped the recovery progress very much. My range of motion has increased a great deal."
Recently, he said, "I was visited by my brother, whom I had not seen for several months. He said I looked much better, more at ease, and that my shoulders were finally the same height." Austin even began playing the piano again, a passion he had before the accident. Our current lessons emphasize overcoming the tendency to favor the injured shoulder and recognizing torso expansion and spinal lengthening for arm freedom.
The Alexander Technique has significantly impacted post-injury and surgery recovery. By emphasizing tension release, balance, and efficient movement, Austin's journey illustrates the technique's potential benefits in rehabilitation and improved quality of life.
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