ELDOA Method to Heal Your Back Pain

Combine ELDOA w/Myofascial stretch

Doing myofascial stretches before the ELDOAs creates a better response in the body for postural alignment.

I have to say that in all of my many years of various studies I am truly blown away by the results of this workout with my clients and myself - the ELDOA Method to heal your back pain is truly revolutionary. I’ve used it to straighten scoliosis, helped postural/spinal dysfunction, pelvic dysfunction, shoulder pain, disc issues and more. The body is really incredible and you can heal a lot of dysfunctions yourself given the right set of tools in your toolbox and ELDOA is one of the best.

So, you may be wondering what exactly is the ELDOA Method? ELDOA are postural exercises you can do yourself with the  primary goal being to increase space within a given articulation. For example, if you had a disc bulge at L4/L5 there is a specific Eldoa for it and for the area above at L3/L4 to relieve the compression to the lower discs. As space is given the results are of improvement in joint mechanics, increased blood flow, reduced pressure on the disc, a reduction of pain, spinal disc rehydration, better muscle tone, improved posture and a sense of well being and awareness. There is also an affect on the viscera organs because there are nerve links to them. An example would be doing an Eldoa for L1/L2 which has an attachment to the liver via the diaphragm. Giving space there would also help the liver to function more efficiently. Cool, huh?!

ELDOA for L4/L5

Each Eldoa has a specific alignment using fascial chains to elicit a response in the focused segment.

The ELDOA Method was created by a French Osteopath, Guy Voyer DO (who has a lot of degrees) and he was one of the first medical doctors to map the fascial chains of the body and to define it’s role in movement and biomechanics. He is truly ahead of his time, his accent may be hard to understand but he is brilliant nonetheless.

Now, what is the fascia? I’m sure you’ve heard about it more recently as the new it ‘buzzword’ but there is way more to it than just being a buzz worthy fad. 😉 Thankfully the technology to study it more effectively has evolved as well. Fascia is a form of connective tissue that is everywhere in the body. It is composed of irregular interwoven collagenous fiber bundles of varying density. It has basic elements of collagen, elastic fibers, and ground substance. There is a whole world happening just under your skin to keep you alive!

The fascia is the link from the top of your skull to the tops of your toes. It is the link between all the structures of the body, making the body a global structure. It is highly protective in nature and it is also lubricating. Its cellular composition also suggests an immune function and a neurosensory role too.

It’s interesting because for me the Fascia is like the Yin to the Yang of the muscles. 💪 It is the feminine flow while the muscle is the masculine meat. We all have feminine and masculine energies that equate to the left and right sides to our bodies. “Fascia is the skin of the structure that gives it shape and structural integrity.”  Fascia looks to me like a beautiful flow of water on a leaf rolling down but just under your skin. It imbibes water and moves it to where it needs to get to. When your body gets dried out, dehydrated, or there is compression then water is not able to get through which, leads to death of tissue and eventually, life.

What’s happening beneath your skin?

There is an entire Universe inside your body, just under your skin doing miraculous work and a beautiful flow to keep you alive.

Did you know that the prime age for a disc bulge is 38? That’s right, most people will have one and whether or not it presents with pain depends on the person. Spinal compressions from sitting at a computer all day, being in an accident, lifting incorrectly or posture pathologies lead to eventual bulges and pains. Back pain is one of the worst pains and can leave you feeling crippled and depressed. The cause is always some type of compression either by gravity or an accident. It costs millions of dollars every year in surgeries, missed work and play. It’s really awful and quite painful! I should know, I’ve hurt my back as well from an accident when I was younger and then, my awareness was also affected. When you get injured you will instinctively move away from pain. The rest of your body responds with various compensations that you’re not even aware of. “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” So, you must find the weakest link and heal it to be stronger as a whole.

Prime age for disc bulges = 38

Surgery is avoidable - you can keep yourself aligned and strong with as little as 10 minutes a day.

ELDOA is a French acronym but in English it is LOADS which means Longitudinal Osteo-articular Decoaptation Stretches. The Eldoas use the myofascial chains to stretch and put tension around a primary lesion making it the center of “separating forces.” They are actually considered stretches as well as exercises. On one side of the body there may be a stretching/lengthening response but on the other side a strengthening one.

I have to admit that the Eldoa Method to heal your back pain is not an easy method to do. They are hard but it’s only for 1 minute of time under tension and, we can do anything for a minute, right?! 😉 The first time I did a class I thought I’d die! It was really challenging mentally for me as well as humbling since I thought of myself as being so physically strong. Boy, was I was wrong! It’s good to be humbled though to learn about where the weakest links are. I was really strong in certain areas but not in others. I love a good challenge and it gave me  a goal to evolve and learn from. Something to work towards and to become more aware - to heal what needed to be healed so there isn’t worse damage later on. And well, my spine and body never feel as amazing as when I consistently do them. It’s worth taking the 10-20 minutes daily for them!

I don’t think I really understood the link that is from the head to the toe as deeply as I did after I took my ELDOA Trainer course. I had to really delve into understanding the body in more of a 3-D image rather than looking at it in parts such as one muscle in relation to the other. Viewing the body as a whole and how it is linked was not something taught in my anatomy classes. The American system is to see the body in parts and then prescribing medications for pain or generic physical therapy exercises. Dr. Guy Voyer DO’s way helped me to see the links between all. That if there is a dysfunction or pain in the shoulder - the cause may actually be from the foot. This Method helps others to learn how to heal themselves with just a few minutes a day - to empower us and not to put a bandaid on it.

ELDOA Graduates

I’ve been taking ELDOA courses for years but here I finally finished part 4 and got my ELDOA trainer certificate. Super exciting! Learned so much more to help my clients, friends and family.

Empowerment is key to changing habits and healing. We all need to start relying more on ourselves - turning inwards for healing and paying more attention to living healthier lifestyles. Did you know that at least 75-80% of all ailments and dis-eases are lifestyle related? You have a lot more control than you think. It’s time to start living it as this will also create a much needed positive and healthy rippling affect that branches out into the whole world.