Guy Voyer
Founder; ELDOA
"Not in twenty-five years as a holistic health practitioner and professional trainer have I been witness to more people getting positive results from one exercise modality as I have with the ELDOA exercises. So much so, I made it my business."
Deane Birkett
Introduction:
ELDOA (Etirements Longitudinaux avec Decoaption Osteo-Articulaire) are exercises designed to improve and maintain good posture and spinal health & integrity.
ELDOA was born in the 70's by world-reknown Osteopath and Medical Doctor, Guy Voyer. ELDOA is the result of over thirty years of research and successful application in thousands of cases.
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What Is ELDOA?
ELDOA are a series of decompressive longitudinal stretching exercises targeting the spine - more specifically, the vertebral segments of the spine. A vertebral segment composes the two bony vertebraes (for example, L4 & L5 in the diagram), the spongy disc between them and the tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves) that attach and directly influence the segment. The human spine has 23-24 vertebral segments.
There is an ELDOA for each vertebral segment.
Why Is ELDOA Important For Everyone?
During a skydive, I can reach speeds of over 200 mph. This alone demonstrates the compressive forces that gravity exerts upon our spine every moment of every day! Our lifestyles (the number one position in the workplace is sitting) and the fact that we are living longer adversely impact our spines also. If you are not actively supporting the health of your spine, it is just a matter of time before the spine succumbs and becomes symptomatic (exhibits pain) to these forces. No one is exempt from these forces!
Performing ELDOA on a regular basis will counter these effects and help keep the spine healthy and useful.
How Does ELDOA Work?
ELDOA is a process of reeducating the body and mind to adopt a more efficient and functional structure. To understand how ELDOA works, we must first understand the mechanism behind its application.
For a vertebral segment to decompress, or more accurately, decoaptate while performing ELDOA, a specific posture is assumed. The posture directs self-induced tension to the myo-fascia* influencing that particular vertebral segment. Maintaining both the posture and tension that the ELDOA demands for a duration of at least 60 seconds will give both the nervous system ('driver') and body ('car') time to become aware and adjust. Eventually over time and repetition the body moves towards a position of postural normalization and eased tensions.
Regardless of a person's posture, the factors of progression and no-impact make the ELDOAs user-friendly, progressive and extremely effective.
There is an ELDOA for each vertebral segment.
The key to ELDOA's success lies with the conscious integration of the body and nervous system. What this means is in order for the nervous system to reset the habitual postural positioning of the body, you must be consciously present (aware) during each ELDOA exercise. In essence, you are retraining the nervous system to adopt the new posture.
ELDOA is a natural therapy whereas you are asking the body to use its own innate capacity to heal itself. The mind's timely expectation for resolution must take a back-seat. It is not unusual for patients and students to have preconceived ideas of how long this will take only to be disappointed when it does not happen within this period. It will happen. Determining this will be your motivation, the effort you are willing to invest, and what and how long you have had your condition.
*Fascia is the sheet of fibro-elastic tissue that sheaths the entire body and the organs. All the connective tissue (except the bones) is organized by fascia. This tissue is suspended from osseous bone attachments - in this instance, the spine. Any disruptions in the tension of the fascia and/or the connective tissue it sheathes has a direct influence on the balance of forces upon the spine. ELDOA helps correct these tensile disruptions. What Are Some Of The Effects To Expect From Doing ELDOA?
Through my own clinical experience and observations and also those of my peers, these are some of the effects a person may experience from performing ELDOA:
compressive forces within vertebral segments is eased
disc hydration and regeneration!!
improved posture
decreased and/or eliminate joint and muscle pain
improved circulation
improved muscle tone & strength
normalization of myo-fascial tensions
improved sense of well-being
sleeping patterns normalize