The Limber Concept
Designed and formulated by a team consisting of neurosurgeon Dr W Adriaan Liebenberg, and dance therapist Seugnet Esterhuyse and physiotherapists; Limber Dance Therapy aims to improve the quality of life of people with back and neck pain without surgery. So far it has proven to be extremely successful.
Degenerative diseases of the spine are progressive, share a genetic deficiency and continue to be a scourge of humanity.
Whilst there is a definite place for surgery, this is ideally reserved for patients who have progressive deficits and impending paralysis. There is excellent evidence that for most patients a conservative, non-surgical approach is equally effective as surgery and has the benefits of not having the multitudes of complications associated with surgery.
The modern inactive predominantly seated lifestyle and obesity contributes to increase the burden of disease. Movement, spinal balance and suppleness are key to spinal health. There is excellent evidence that Dance Therapy is beneficial in Obesity, Fibromyalgia, Breast cancer, Chronic heart failure, Dementia, Autism, Parkinson’s disease, Depression, Chronic Pain, Labor pain and Psychosis.
We know that the lower cost, comradeship and feeling of well-being of group therapy are factors contributing to long term participation in spinal programs. It is a natural progression to add music and extended bio-mechanical routines into these programs.
Our experiences over many years have lead to the development of an interactive, bio-mechanically sound dance therapy designed and tested to primarily rehabilitate spinal pathology in both the surgical and the non-surgical patients.
References
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