Do you have a knee or ankle injury?

Lovely people, yes I'm looking for volunteers yet again.

This time I need people who have knee and/or ankle problems to take part in a nationwide study looking at the efficacy of Bowen Technique to help resolve or improve injuries in these areas.

If you have never had Bowen Technique before, live in, or can get to, New Barnet or Beaconsfield then email me for more information.

Thanks.

Michael - that's fine by I will have to charge you my travel expenses 

Jane - can you you email through 'Message Member' so I can email you further details.  Unfortunately your email facility isn't enabled.

Runathon - whereabouts are you?

Sarah,

How does the Bowen Technique deal with the "wearing of the cartilidge on my knee" experenced by Runathon?

If one had a mechanical problem ( for example a stone in your shoe) then you need a mechanical solution ( for example remove the stone) do you not?  If one applied the bowen technique to a runner with a meniscal tear causing painful degenerative change leading to osteoarthritis over 2 years which could have been prevented by removing the unstable part of the meniscus he or she would be pretty disadvantaged would they not?

So to which diagnoses causing ankle or knee pain do you apply this technique?

 If this is a Nationwide study with funding surely it is ethical to warn patients of inclusion and exclusion criteria before dragging them all the way from Aus or even Essex? Have you got LREC for such a study?

John Hardy

John,

There are a wide variety of diagnoses to which Bowen can be applied. I will be discussing each individual's case in private offline to assess whether or not they are suitable.  Of course if they had severe knee pain and had not already done so, I would expect them to see a GP first for a diagnosis.  And if they are currently seeing a GP or consultant for an injury then I would also ask them to check that the GP is happy for them to go ahead with the Bowen Technique.  I wouldn't 'drag' anyone from anywhere.

Why do you assume that applying Bowen would cause painful degenerative change?  I realise you have considerably more experience in orthopaedics than I ever will, but are you aware of the many areas within sports injuries where Bowen Technique has given a positive result?

In Runathon's case we don't know if he is referring to meniscus or to articular cartilage.

Sorry Sezz but I have to agree with John on this one.

Edit: That reads like I don't normally agree with him, which is in fact the opposite!

Not enough clinical evidence for me.

This article also refers to that. If there are more recent clinical studies available I'd be interested in reading them.

Not enough clinical evidence for me either, but to be fair to Sezz if I understand it correctly, that's part of what this study is about.

Having said that, it should still meet with ethical considerations.

I'm intrigued to know how the participants are going to be blinded to itnervention (assumign there's a control group)

the thing about Bowen, and i dont know much about it, is its either going to work on you or it isnt. there isnt anything about it which is going to cause you pain from the treatment. Its the type of thing i'd try if i wasnt getting anywhere with normal treatment.

i have tried it for a knee problem and i cant say it worked for definate, but i've heard good things about it

anyway, who wouldnt want to be manipulated by Sezz for half an hour fro free?

on a further point, i've had a foot problem all this year which i cant seem to shift, but a friend who does bowen is back from SA for a few weeks very soon so i shall ask her to give it a little tweak and report back.....