The Alexander Technique

The ATEAM Study

 
Professor Paul Little and his team at Bristol and Southampton Universities have conducted a controlled trial to test the effectiveness of AT compared to excercise and massage when treating chronic and recurring lower back pain.

The results of this study were published in the British Medical Journal in August 2008

Referred-to as "The ATEAM Study", the trial was funded by the Medical Research Council and the NHS Research and Development fund. It was widely reported in the press and also featured on BBC TV and Radio 4.

In summary, one-to-one lessons in AT from a fully qualified teacher were shown to have long term benefits for people suffering from chronic back pain. The study followed-up a group of sufferers one year after receiving either 6 or 24 AT lessons or being prescribed massage or monitored exercise by a doctor.

It is simple to understand why this would be so. AT changes the way patients use their bodies and, by applying this new use on an ongoing basis, they effectively continue to treat themselves.

You can view the study online or download a PDF copy of the study by clicking any of the following links

• ATEAM study reported on the BBC. This link shows a nice video clip of AT teacher Diana Maclellan working with the news reporter, Jane Hill.
• Details of the ATEAM study published in the British Medical Journal. This is the official publication of the results of the study on the BMJ web site.
• The BMJ follow-up article showing an economic evaluation of the trail. This shows a really nice video clip from the BBJ which shows AT teachers at work and pupils talking about the benefits they have received from AT.
• The BMJ article in PDF format. Use this link if you would like to take a print of the study with the detailed results tabulated.