A 58-year-old woman presented with long-standing fibromyalgia and bursitis in her right hip. She had widespread pain throughout her body, with pain from the right hip travelling down towards the knee. This affected her walking, balance and day-to-day activities, and she was using a walking stick for support.
She had been taking pain-relieving medication consistently for around ten years. At the start of the case study, she was taking eight pain-relief tablets a day, including Cocodamol and Naproxen. She had also been unable to work for the past three years, as pain levels by the end of the day had become overwhelming.
Alongside the physical pain, she was also living with fatigue, brain fog and the ongoing stress of being a full-time carer for her husband. This meant her nervous system had been under long-term pressure, with her body holding protective patterns around pain, posture and movement.
At her first session, she rated her widespread fibromyalgia pain as 7/10, her right hip pain as 10/10, and her fatigue as 6/10. Her posture showed a clear side ways drift, pelvic imbalance, a forward-stooped position and reduced natural lift through the spine.
She received a course of Spinal Touch sessions at my Plymouth practice, with additional gentle release work around the right hip, gluteal muscles, psoas and sacral area where appropriate. The work was slow, gentle and responsive, with the aim of supporting alignment, reducing protective bracing and helping the nervous system settle.
After the first session, she reported feeling relaxed and calm. By the second session, although hip pain was still present, her medication had reduced from eight tablets a day to six.
By the third session, clearer changes were beginning to show. She felt more “with it”, with less brain fog, and reported a noticeable increase in energy. She had not needed to sleep during the day, which was a significant change from her usual fatigue pattern. Her widespread fibromyalgia pain had reduced from 7/10 to 5/10, and her right hip pain had reduced from 10/10 to 5/10. She was also able to lie on her right side at night, something she had not been able to do for some time due to hip pain.
By the fourth session, she was still using her walking stick, but appeared noticeably more upright and moved more easily through reception. She reported being able to sleep on her right side for a whole night, and on one evening that week she had not needed to take any pain medication at all. Her fatigue had reduced to 1/10, brain fog was down to 2/10, and the right hip pain was described as manageable.
After a three-week break over Christmas, she returned for her fifth session without her walking stick. She reported that she was now able to manage short distances without it, although she still used it for longer walks. Her balance had improved, her posture appeared more upright, and her medication had reduced further.
By this stage, instead of taking eight pain-relief tablets every day, she was taking three to four tablets a day depending on activity levels. Although symptoms still fluctuated, particularly around hip pain and fatigue, the overall change from the first session was significant.
This case shows the gradual progress that can occur when long-standing pain, stress and postural holding are supported gently over time. Improvements were seen in pain levels, medication use, fatigue, brain fog, posture, walking confidence and day-to-day function.
The most important milestones were reduced pain medication, improved sleep on the affected side, clearer thinking, improved energy, easier movement, and arriving at the fifth session without her walking stick.
Spinal Touch does not force the body into correction. In this case, the aim was to support the nervous system, reduce protective bracing and allow the body to gradually reorganise towards better balance, comfort and stability.
Client Feedback
The client reported feeling calmer and more relaxed after treatment. As the sessions progressed, she described feeling “more with it”, with reduced brain fog and improved energy.
She also reported being able to sleep on her right side again, needing less daytime rest, and gradually reducing her reliance on pain medication.
By Session 5, arriving without her walking stick marked a significant shift in confidence, balance and functional independence.
Curious About Spinal Touch?
Spinal Touch is a gentle, light touch therapy that may support people experiencing pain, postural imbalance, reduced mobility and nervous system tension.
I offer Spinal Touch sessions from my Plymouth practice.
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