She now takes individual sessions with Christine Wilson, RN, a certified master trainer at Gyrotonic San Luis Obispo in California. During sessions, Wilson moves Jud’s body in ways she’s no longer able to do on her own. According to Jud, it reminds her of the “normal” motions she used to be able to perform, which, she says, gives her an overall feeling of well-being. It opens her joints, stretches her muscles, and eases her spasticity. If Jud has one regret, it’s that she didn’t start using the Gyrotonic Method earlier.
Smooth, Flowing Motions That Increase Strength and Agility
Watch a demonstration of Gyrotonic movement and you won’t be surprised to learn that it was created by a dancer, Juliu Horvath, who, after rupturing his Achilles tendon while dancing with the Houston Ballet, was no longer able to dance and turned his attention to yoga and other movement practices. The components of Horvath’s Gyrotonic Expansion System — the Gyrokinesis and Gyrotonic methods — can increase agility, improve range of motion, and develop strength, and for those reasons may be helpful for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although Gyrotonic movements are not designed to be performed, the exercises call to mind ballet moves — flowing, graceful, and precise. According to Sarah Simpson, Gyrotonic teacher trainer, communications director, and educational assistant to Horvath, “The Gyrotonic Method is an original and unique movement method that addresses the entire person, opening energy pathways, stimulating the nervous system, increasing range of motion, and improving strength and movement efficiency.” With Gyrotonic exercises, Simpson explains, “Each movement flows into the next, allowing the joints to move through a natural range of motion without jarring or compression. These carefully crafted sequences create balance, efficiency, strength, and flexibility.”
What a Gyrotonics Session Looks Like
Gyrotonic sessions are practiced in private or small groups under the instruction of qualified trainers. They involve the use of “specialized equipment to support and give feedback to the student,” says Simpson. Gyrokinesis sessions are group classes that do not involve equipment. “A Gyrokinesis trainer leads students through movement sequences on a mat and chair,” Simpson says. (Individuals can practice at home using an instructional DVD.) Gyrotonic sessions generally last for an hour. Simpson describes the sequence: “A Gyrotonic trainer starts the session by leading the student through some slow, fluid spinal movements and specific breathing patterns on the Gyrotonic Pully Tower bench or on the Gyrotonic specialized equipment. This warms the joints and tissues and slowly stimulates the nervous system. As the session progresses, the student moves through the full range of motion of all joints, with specific modifications to accommodate any limitations or restrictions the student might have.” Especially appealing to people with MS, “Gyrotonic trainers are trained to make exercise choices according to each student’s unique abilities and needs and to design a custom class that fits each particular person and where he or she is on a particular day,” says Simpson. “The pace, intensity, and choice of the exercise sequences vary throughout the class in accordance with the needs and goals of each particular student.”
Improved range of motionIncreased functional strength and flexibilityImproved coordination and athletic performanceImproved joint health and stabilityStimulation of the nervous system, especially the parasympathetic nervous system. This, Simpson explains, promotes energy, calmness, and mental clarity at the same time. “It’s the effect commonly referred to in sports as ‘being in the zone.’”
In addition, people with MS may enjoy more specific rewards. “MS affects everyone differently, so depending on the progression and amount of spasticity, the Gyrotonic method is a helpful adjunct for lasting function and mobility,” says Justine Bernard, who has a doctorate in physical therapy and created an orthopedic and neurologic private practice in a fitness studio in Washington, DC, called Elements. “Specifically for someone with MS, the Gyrotonic movements help decrease tension from the altered movement patterns developed due to spasticity and weakness, and allow the person to move with more efficiency and less effort. For example, in the hamstring series, the movement of circles helps the person elongate their adductors [muscles on the inner thighs] in a safe range for the hip, thus decreasing the effects of scissoring gait and relieving tension and pain in the inner thighs and low back,” explains Bernard. A study published in February 2016 in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, though not involving patients with MS, points to benefits that might have application for them. An eight-week program of Gyrokinesis exercise produced improvement in gait pattern in women with chronic low back pain, specifically resulting in changes in step and stride length, step width, and stride speed. According to Bernard, “In the Gyrotonic method, movements are active, performed by the person (sometimes with assistance), sometimes against resistance, not passively applied by the practitioner. The positive effects of the movements are integrated into the clients’ neuromuscular repatterning, and thus the effects last longer.”
Relaxation and Pleasure Accompany the Joy of Moving
In addition, Bernard says, “the use of breath helps with relaxation as well as increased, deeper respiration to help fatigue. Often when a movement gets difficult we hold our breath, so learning to incorporate and use the breath helps make moving easier and more enjoyable, not to mention the benefits of deep breathing for the parasympathetic nervous system.” The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response to stress to prepare the body to be alert and take urgent action. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is responsible for the rest-and-digest response, which induces relaxation. Furthermore, there’s a pleasure principle, says Bernard. “The system also allows people to move their whole bodies with ease and flow, thus having some time to take their minds off the deficits and feel the joy of moving, resulting in more energy.” Bernard recommends that people with MS take private sessions with an experienced Gyrotonic teacher. “If they have access to a physical therapist who’s also a Gyrotonic teacher, that would be ideal,” she says.
Expensive, but Worth It
When Jud first heard about Gyrotonics — which she understood to be “a place that has machines that help you move your body parts” — she didn’t think her MS was progressed enough to need it. “So by the time I started, I was walking on a walker, not able to move my legs properly, and with more weakness in the rest of my body than I realized. In hindsight, I wish I had started it much sooner,” she says. Today Jud uses an electric wheelchair, and although she can’t walk, she can still stand with help. She’s grateful to be able to work with Wilson, “who has not just the Gyrotonic knowledge but also, being a registered nurse, the medical background to help a person like me with advanced MS.” In addition to the reduced spasticity and increased feeling of wellness noted by Jud, “It also helps my core strength,” she says, “helping me with better balance.” The only downside, she notes, is the expense of private sessions, which isn’t covered by all insurance companies.
