Illinois Valley News

Caryl Thompson, occupational therapist, in her Lister Street clinic. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News)

Facing the possibility of living with a debilitating injury or condition can mean limiting one“s engagement in meaningful activities.

Even chronic stress causes tension and pain, which affect life“s balance of work, play and sleep.

Occupational Therapist Caryl Thompson has studied the practice of restoring the body“s healthy function for 25 years. By helping the body to release tension stored in its connective tissue, the fascia, Thompson“s therapeutic use of myo-fascial and cranial-sacral release restores blood flow and neural-muscular function, resulting in less pain.

She“s worked in neo-natal hospitals, veterans hospitals and private practice.

“Occupational Therapy (OT) includes everything from bringing a newborn with a stroke to developmental milestones to post-traumatic stress,“ Thompson said. Her work often focuses on maladies of the hands, including carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic pain conditions.

Lower back pain and knee problems are almost as common as carpal tunnel.

“Chronic pain frequently involves neurological and cognitive aspects. Ninety-nine percent of the time, chronic pain has a cumulative trauma base to it,“ she explains. “Stored memories of trauma which elicited the fight-or-flight response cause us to go into a flexion pattern (flexion is a position made possible by the joint angle decreasing).

“Rather than releasing the memories, they are stored and begin to cause problems elsewhere in the body and in the life.“

Thompson said that so long as the tissue is not damaged due to a tear, the problem often can be overcome by releasing stored tensions. She has had some success treating older patients who display posture from kyphosis, or spine curvature resulting in an inward folding of the body.

“We call it the “turtle posture“,“ Thompson said, because of the way one has to bend the neck to look forward. One patient told her that after four sessions his posture noticeably improved.

“Everybody wanted to know if he was wearing a brace,“ she recalls, “because he was straighter and could look them in the eye. It was quite dramatic. “

Among other lifestyle culprits leading to painful conditions, Thompson said, are computer-related injuries and cell phone texting injuries from “sustained, tight, static posture.“

“Kids are looking at carpal tunnel syndrome surgery,“ due to the ubiquity of these devices, she said. “It doesn“t just come overnight, it comes from the posture the rest of the body is in while engaged in repetitive motion,“ she noted.

Thompson has developed a CT Exerciser for the purpose of opening up wrists and shoulders. The exerciser resembles a child“s beaded toy, but its use helps alleviate tension in shoulders and wrists. It can be used as a remedial tool when a computer user begins to have to “shake out the hands“ due to nerve strain or tension.

Thompson, who earned her bachelor and master degrees in OT from Texas Women“s College, treats the whole person. Occupational therapists are schooled in the biology, psychology and sociology of functional human beings. The profession is an outgrowth of the mental health and reconstruction aids for people damaged in the U.S. Civil War in the late 1800s.

She hopes to begin teaching the course, “Bones for Life,“ at Illinois Valley Senior Center. This program helps prevent osteoarthritis and restore strength to bones.

She discusses many aspects of a client“s well-being with them, including nutrition and the importance of fresh air and exercise. While she does not diagnose or prescribe, her individual approach and hour or more of hands-on treatment allow for a comprehensive interaction. The client“s responsibility for their well-being continues with follow-through activity.

Thompson can be reached for an appointment by phoning 541-592-9455.

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