Ottawa SensoriMotor Repatterning

01/19/2022

Three and a half months ago, I completely resolved phantom pain in an amputee after two sessions of SMR.

I'm looking for three more people in the Ottawa area who have phantom pain that has not been resolved by traditional treatments. I would like to provide three complimentary sessions to each person with the hope of repeating the success of my first amputee client.

My long-term goal is to obtain a grant to teach others this method.

Of note, this method is only likely to succeed for people who have lost a limb due to physical trauma. Medical reasons for amputation such as diabetes are unlikely to be a good candidate, due to pre-existing neuropathy.

If you have phantom pain or know of anyone who suffers, please pass my contact info on... [email protected]

I have James's permission to post his testimonial on Facebook...

Here is James's testimonial, shared with permission...

James S.
Dec 1st 1969
Date of accident
Sept 21st 2001

Lower left leg amputee
My injury is no different than many others... wrong place wrong time... working on the family farm too close to the PTO shaft spinning at 1800 RPM
I'll spare the brutal details and give the short form

Friday was the accident
Friday night they reattached the foot to the leg
Sunday morning they cleaned up the area
Sunday afternoon gangrene had set in and they had to FastTrack the amputation of my left foot
They had to leave my leg open and exposed to allow the poison to drain
I was in an induced coma for 5 days with a 30% chance of survival…
8 days after amputation they closed the remaining limb up
I spent over a month in ICU

The road to recovery was fast and I was determined I found hospital rehab/physio lacking because they have other people they worked on and I ended up just learning to strengthen and walk better on my own…

Over the years I used to get phantom limb pain about 2 or 3 times a month.... lucky to me I've heard people live with it every day.

About 2 years ago, 18 years after the accident I started getting major and massive phantom pain constantly... sometimes for 6 hours sometimes 48 hours.... really bad no sleep sore teeth from grinding them, and muscle spasms…I really didn't think there was much hope or help out there for this kind of issue…

My sister was seeing Colin for her issues stemming from her years in the Military.... and suggested him.... like most people who even attempted to explain what and how he works to help with people’s situations...I thought she was crazy.... and Colin and his practice sounded like a joke…

Another year passed things got really really bad 4 me when it came to phantom pain .... meds... massage.. hot and cold compress didn't help... and mentally and physically I was failing... going deeper into depression...

I got Colin's number and made the appointment....skeptical of course.... but I'm so so so much pain and mental stress.... the first session didn't stop the phantom pain but it actually moved the pain from where the limb was getting the pain to the other side.... still pain is pain no sleep mentally tired…

second session…I was getting pain when he started in.... at the end of the session things felt good...I got 2 slight sharp pains in my limb on the 3-hour drive home.... but that was the last ones…

I had a third appointment 3 weeks later where he seemed to just go through everything and double-check to see if anything had changed…

I left feeling really good.... but skeptical that the phantom pain would return. I was supposed to write him about how I felt after a while to see how I was doing…I waited even longer just to be sure... and now I can honestly say I haven't had any phantom pain in a long time.... and not only that but my overall well-being has improved.... less stress, better sleep, losing weight because physically I feel better...

I’m 100% in a better place than before I had my sessions with Colin.

I really thought I was wasting my time when I first went to see him but I was desperate and willing to try anything…

Best decision I ever made…I hope that people with the same issues I have with an amputation... will read this and be willing to give Colin a shot.... what I thought was a wasted long shot..... change my life for the better... no joke

Respect

06/13/2020

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/post/covid-19-stress-and-your-muscle-pain

Do you realize that they are linked? You're not supposed to! Our nervous system has a built-in mechanism to distract us from stress. It's called pain, and it's very efficient, COVID-19 has this stress-to-pain mechanism working overtime. Dr. Sarno was the first western medical doctor to popularize th...

02/24/2020

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/post/2020/02/23/traumatic-brain-injuries-concussions-and-post-concussion-syndrome

Brain Injuries have three distinct presentations that can be improved upon from a SensoriMotor Repatterning (SMR) Therapy perspective. Firstly, a brain injury c

01/13/2020

01/02/2020

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2019/12/31/bjsports-2019-101611

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is often associated with costly, ineffective and sometimes harmful care.1 What drives disability and poor care?2 Unhelpful beliefs about LBP are associated with greater levels of pain, disability, work absenteeism, medication use....

12/04/2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/28/opinion/brain-body-thinking.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage&fbclid=IwAR0dy0Q3KAEvCDUjD4JPw1tcs-bvfvQ44Gem1wcOH7RDgNMJi6qeIyi0bKM

You are not just thinking with your brain.

10/29/2019

"patients often react to the label 'degenerative disc disease' by losing hope and seeking more invasive and higher-risk treatments. They avoid beneficial physical activity for fear that exercise and movement will worsen their condition, possibly leading to chronic pain. The majority of spinal pain is self-limiting and can be managed appropriately without the need for medications or risky procedures such as injections or surgery"
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20191025/AAOMPT-opposes-use-of-degenerative-disc-disease-as-diagnostic-term-for-neck-back-pain.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3RqQom2hWll6YwPH_Paft6pgHZtxlxHUu39d6-CBttA2z6NX-rDmv0-Ts

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists has released a position statement opposing "degenerative disc disease" as a diagnostic term for the cause of neck and back pain.

10/17/2019

"Physicians do not commonly tell patients about the possibility of joint collapse or subchondral insufficiency fractures that may lead to earlier total hip or knee replacement. This information should be part of the consent when you inject patients with intra-articular corticosteroids."

Researchers said patients with little sign of osteoarthritis on their X-rays should be particularly closely monitored, if the pain they were experiencing was disproportionate to evidence on the scan. Such patients are at greater risk of destructive arthritis after injections, they said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cortisone-injections-hip-knee-pain-140000134.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

10/17/2019

“Overall, our goal in this review is to explain how the war on cholesterol has been fought by advocates that have used statistical deception to create the appearance that statins are wonder drugs, when the reality is that their trivial benefit is more than offset by their adverse effects.”
https://kellybroganmd.com/cracking-cholesterol-myth-statins-harm-body-mind/?fbclid=IwAR1ViFJQkUrcoGl1I0qy92X7A1jW4EWKwT5TRAdh_QWDe4OaeOyvywXRZ18

Kelly Brogan MD shines light on suppressed data that shows how using statins to lower cholesterol increases your risk for 300+ adverse health effects.

09/27/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/09/27/Knee-Pain-and-SMR-Treatment-Protocol

The knee is a hinge joint and therefore, a stable joint. The hip and ankle joints, on the other hand, are highly mobile joints. Therapists will often say that

09/24/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2016/10/09/Tune-Up-Your-Muscles-For-XC-Skiing-Season-With-SMR

You tune up your skis pre-season, why not tune up your muscular system? Sensory Motor Repatterning (SMR) is an incredibly powerful way to assess the firin

08/30/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/08/30/The-Neuro-Bike-Fit

Ottawa SMR is offering a world-first - The Neuro Bike Fit, which enhances riding ability and reduces the risk of injury for all cyclists by adapting the nervou

07/17/2019

https://medium.com//many-orthopedic-surgeries-dont-work-better-than-placebo-2a9953b365c9

Research on “sham” surgery shows that effects may be more psychological than physical

05/28/2019

Good read on Zone 2 training, thanks to Julia Cooper-Aimers from Team Triumph for bringing it to my attention!

Zone 2 training might not feel as gratifying as a tough interval session, but it’s vital to your success in triathlon.

05/22/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/05/22/Chronic-Neck-Pain-and-SMR

The common finding with SensoriMotor Repatterning (SMR) in people with chronic neck pain is that their neck muscles tend to be either neurologically inhibited

05/18/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/05/18/Chronic-Lower-Back-Pain-and-SMR

Lower back pain is easily fixed with SMR. It is rare that I can’t fix lower back pain within three sessions. Thus it seems fitting that I should blog about the

05/15/2019

I recorded a video describing the methodology of Sensorimotor Repatterning (SMR)...

04/10/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/04/09/The-Mind-Body-Connection-to-Chronic-Pain-and-other-Physical-Symptoms

“Unconscious emotions are a potent factor in virtually all physical, non traumatic ills,” states Dr. Sarno in his book, “The Divided Mind.”In 1991, Dr. Sarno p

03/29/2019

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-cartilage-arthritis.html?fbclid=IwAR2ChUcD51GtRucx4zAub11ZVJxM-jwsAGY6_BKop0ZIasIdQ5DPh4p2jK8

Exercise helps to prevent the degradation of cartilage caused by osteoarthritis, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London.

03/10/2019

Relevant to my post yesterday, this article is wonderfully written.

The research stats on the correlation between adverse childhood experience's and depression, su***de, cancer, and heart disease are staggering...

"If a woman was fortunate enough to grow up in an emotionally healthy home, she had an 18% chance of developing depression by middle age. But having just one adverse childhood experience (ACE) boosted her risk by 50%.5 Two ACEs boosted her risk by 84%. And the poor souls who had five or more ACEs had a 340% greater risk of developing depression than someone who grew up in an emotionally healthy environment."

https://www.madinamerica.com/2019/01/psychological-injury-model/?fbclid=IwAR0o19LIaAKwoZKp1DOxLWtvaJgtzKW16SnPFHKbUNRyoNGQdTOrgVbmIcQ

03/08/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/03/07/Stress-Anxiety-Pain-Polyvagal-Theory-and-SMR-Therapy

It is generally understood that emotional stress can lead to stomachaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and headaches, but people might not know that it can also

02/19/2019

02/17/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/02/17/Perfecting-Muscle-Firing-in-the-Pedal-Stroke

The perfect pedal stroke requires muscles firing at just the right time throughout the pedal stroke. It is a complex relationship of activation, inhibition, con...

02/13/2019

"Decreasing stride length during running has been shown to result in biomechanical changes that are associated with reduced loading of biological tissues and, by extension, also may reduce the risk of injuries such as stress fractures, iliotibial band syndrome, and patellofemoral pain."

https://lermagazine.com/article/implications-of-reduced-stride-length-in-running?fbclid=IwAR14NJxI86jHvJMO-Jsn5VrHtskPVzHq1sqsqp60DgJ8YTffChBUrzWgjnk

Decreasing stride length during running has been shown to result in biomechanical changes that are associated with reduced loading of biological tissues and, by extension, also may reduce the risk of injuries such as stress fractures, iliotibial band syndrome, and patellofemoral pain.

02/12/2019

Anyone suffering from a chronic illness that hasn’t found the root cause should check out the “root cause” documentary on Netflix.
I will preface that the first ten minutes of this documentary is really cringe-worthy, and the last ten minutes are even worse. But the information in between is excellent and is presented by some of the top forward-thinking healthcare practitioners in their fields.

https://www.netflix.com/ca/Title/81000862

A man’s 10-year search for the underlying cause of his chronic illnesses becomes an exposé of the dental root canal procedure's harmful health risks.

01/28/2019

"Use it or lose it - until you use it again"

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/f-mmd011719.php?fbclid=IwAR0mY3V-Wo3ZKV80GwO2m1fQ6zaxBGHqiRBX473dgYzsrTEO2H8y_2XrmeM

Exercise physiologists agree: muscle memory is real. But how are these 'memories' stored? A review published in Frontiers in Physiology has a simple answer: nuclei gained during training persist even when muscle cells shrink due to disuse or start to break down. This means we can 'bank' nuclei in ou...

01/20/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2019/01/20/New-Pains-Old-problems---The-SMR-Theory

In Sensorimotor Repatterning we consider that new aches and pains may stem from very old injuries? Be it knee pain, lower back pain, abdominal pain, headaches, ...

01/19/2019

I'm opening the clinic for the next two Sunday Mornings. If you haven't been able to come for treatment due to scheduling issues, now might be a good time to book.

01/16/2019

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2018/04/29/The-Lymphatic-System-Chronic-Inflammation-and-Pain

Is inflammation the cause of your chronic hip pain, sore back or aching shoulder? Clinically, I note the effects of chronic inflammation with clients on a daily...

12/04/2018

SMR can quickly find and fix inhibited muscles caused by faulty compensation patterns, that are in turn caused by incorrect sensor signals from previous injuries.

I advertised on Kijiji for someone who was willing to be treated with SensoriMotor Repatterning (SMR) for demo purposes.

Tyler seemed like a great fit, he has a Masters in Sport & Exercise Psychology. I knew he would find the process fascinating. We had never met before this recording.

Everyone has faulty patterns, but our nervous system wants to be optimally functional. If we show the nervous system dysfunction, the reason for the dysfunction, and a better way to operate, it will immediately adapt.

11/30/2018

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/worried-about-clogged-arteries-drink?fbclid=IwAR2aReGqSUCTyMehJlM-0uIELRTwtigJ6BzEO6GwyY6YniOH8Ob4UdG3Jm8

Millions take toxic cholesterol and blood pressure lowering drugs that may do nothing to reduce heart disease specific mortality. What if a simple fruit extract worked better?

11/29/2018

Here is a video that clients can share with friends to demonstrate the effectiveness of SMR and how it can make a huge difference in how we move in a short period of time…

https://youtu.be/UMT8doOKV7g

SMR can quickly find and fix inhibited muscles caused by faulty compensation patterns, that are in turn caused by incorrect sensor signals from previous inju...

11/28/2018

This research review looks at how lower back pain can cause motor control dysfunction as a result of faulty sensory input, specifically proprioception, that in turn can cause “degeneration of intervertebral discs and other tissues, potentially maintaining recurrent or chronic LBP.”

Clinically I tend to find it more frequent that faulty sensory input is the initial cause of lower back pain, and the pain then causes further motor control dysfunction. It’s a case of which came first, the chicken or the egg. Ultimately, who cares, let's fix it, SMR does so in just a few sessions.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30387689?fbclid=IwAR3eaWtxavA25Lh1xPRX2XO1gJZmii2qfqJ36MVvAVDnRB9v_gccV953WBI

Neuroscientist. 2018 Nov 2:1073858418809074. doi: 10.1177/1073858418809074. [Epub ahead of print]

11/16/2018

“What has developed in the scientific community over the past five to 10 years is a clear movement away from the original dehydration/electrolyte-imbalance theory and an increased focus on the altered neuromuscular control theory”

Great article, in short, you can remove cramps while exercising with Sensorimotor Repatterning Therapy, or you can eat pickles (while exercising).

https://www.irunfar.com/2018/01/holy-cramp-the-science-of-exercise-associated-cramping.html/amp?fbclid=IwAR1uPv6KwcbgtB3SKnAUwWbkCSKvBZw1Q8IgZQ2zso4j_RT9C34w5psnJXw

New ideas in the science behind exercise-associated cramping.

10/21/2018

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2018/10/21/Time-for-a-Checkup

A change of season means a change of activities, use of different muscles and different movement patterns. For instance, if you have been running and cycling al...

10/07/2018

The cross-over gait: The link attached is a good video from the Gait Guys explaining crossover gait. Dr Allen talks about the glute medius not functioning correctly causing movement in the frontal plane. Cross-over gait can also be caused by the opposing quadrates lumborum (QL) muscle not functioning correctly, causing the pelvis to drop at terminal swing (just before the foot contacts the ground).

The quadrates lumborum is one of the core muscles and is particularly prone to inhibition. It is one of the first muscles I test for correct function and one of the main goals of a first session is to have the QL functioning correctly at all times. The glut medius and QL are often both inhibited at the same time by a dysfunction at the Sacroiliac joint. With SMR this dysfunction can be fixed in minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG-xLi2m5Rc

Here Dr. Shawn Allen of The Gait Guys works with elite athlete Jack Driggs to reduce a power leak in his running form. The Cross-over gait is a product of gl...

10/04/2018

Edit: Congratulations to Amanda Sterczyk, who is the winner of the competition! Stay tuned for more.

Win 3 Free Sessions of SensoriMotor Repatterning therapy at Ottawa SMR worth $360.
To Enter Simply Share and Like this post for a chance to win.
Winner will be announced Friday 11th of October. Good luck everyone!
OttawaSMR.ca

09/21/2018

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2018/09/21/Glutes-Not-Working

Feeling like you are running or cycling but your glutes aren’t pulling their weight? You are in good company. I meet very few runners or cyclists whose gluteus ...

09/15/2018

https://www.ottawasmr.ca/single-post/2018/09/15/Will-SensoriMotor-Repatterning-Change-Post-Surgery-Rehab-forever

I sure hope so.  An estimated 80% of all scars cause faulty sensory input which induces faulty movement patterns and potentially chronic pain. This is why I can...

09/10/2018