One of the areas in which I have most enjoyed working as a complementary therapist is paraplegics. I first worked in this area in 1997 whilst in Australia and then again in the UK when I was studying what is now called Neuroskeletal Realignment Therapy (NSRT; see www.neuroskeletal.co.uk). NSRT is a non-manipulative therapy that works through the central nervous system and energy systems (chakras and meridians) and has proved very successful for neurological disorders and musculoskeletal conditions. I now teach this technique at diploma level, as well as aromatherapy, at Morley College in London.

By Carole Preen

My introduction to NSRT came when I met a young man who had a complete lesion at the level of T11/T12 and his MRI scan, four years after he had been worked on with NSRT, showed a normal spinal cord at the injury site. (Previously, the fractured vertebrae had impinged on his spinal cord, distorting it.) When I worked on him, this patient started to feel an aching in his buttocks and was able to swim with the use of flippers, as he could now move his feet. As well as NSRT, he also had a massage; these two treatments were alternated every other week.

On my return to the UK, I was eager to work with some paraplegics in the same way, and was lucky enough to find a couple of willing volunteers. One in particular agreed to come and see me weekly for alternate treatments of NSRT and aromatherapy (I decided that I would include essential oils in the massage treatments). This patient presented with a complete lesion at T4/T5. A complete lesion is one where motor and sensory function is absent below the level of injury. It can be due to a severance of the spinal cord, by nerve fibre breakage due to stretching of the cord or due to ischemia of the cord resulting from interruptions of the total blood supply.

After a year of work, the patient could start to feel me stroking his back below the fracture site. The treatment also affected his spasms; he could feel a sensation coming 'from below water' when his toes were squeezed. He also reported a cold feeling around his groin. All these sensations were wonderful to someone who had previously lost all sensation in this area. He also stopped referring to his body as someone else's; he 're-owned' it, saying 'my legs' instead of 'the legs'. Aromatherapy massage and NSRT work very well together to address the various needs of the patient in all circumstances. Massage was fantastic for the paraplegics I worked with. Their arms need to do a lot of the work, so there can be a lot of tension in the arms, shoulders and neck   this can be relieved through aromatherapy massage. Also, massaging the parts of the body without any feeling helps the circulation and lymph flow. Essential oils always add an extra dimension to a massage treatment, so the treatment can be extended to help the patient in other ways (e.g., with any pathologies). Due to the paraplegic needs, I did have to use more remedial style massage and trigger point therapy rather than the usual relaxing aromatherapy style massage. I also incorporated a lot of lymphatic drainage into the massage, as this is particularly important for anyone who is immobile.

After the initial injury, and whilst in a specialised injury unit, both NSRT and light massage touch with aromatic oils would no doubt benefit any paraplegic: these therapies allow the patient to feel something in an area that had previously lost feeling Tetraplegics cannot move anything; they can only feel their heads, blink their eyes, and open their mouths. But a therapist can stroke their foreheads, massage round their eyes and do gentle scalp frictions. It is surely a relief to feel something This is an area I would personally like to develop in the future.

These are the essential oils I found particularly useful for working with paraplegics:

• Jasminum grandiflorum L: This is a very masculine oil despite its heavy floral fragrance. It should be used in moderation as it is highly concentrated. It does have an antispasmodic action and the paraplegics found it helped with the spasticity and was highly relaxing. (Of those patients with thoracic spinal lesions, 75% have spasticity.) Jasmine is also said to boost the confidence and help with low self-esteem and depression.
• Piper nigrum L. (Black Pepper): as with most of the spice oils, Black Pepper helps increase the circulation and reduce general muscular aches and pains. It also helps improve muscle tone and is good for the digestive system. The favourite blend became a mixture of Jasmine and Black Pepper. In 35 mls of base oils, I only needed to use 3 drops of Jasmine with 5 drops of Black Pepper. This blend reduced the spasms and made the patient very relaxed; the patient generally slept well after the treatment.
• Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel: Like all lavenders this is good for stress and tension. However, this hybrid lavender has a higher camphor content, making it great for aching muscles and general and localised circulation. It also helps anxiety and depression.
• Citrus paradisi Macfad.: This is such a versatil citrus oil. The usual precautions should be taken due to its phototoxicity, although Robert Tisserand and Tony Balacs in the Essential Oil Safety manual state that you would need to use in dilutions over 4% for this to be an issue. In the case of paraplegics, this oil helps emotionally as it relieves grief for loss of function. It is generally uplifting and energising. On a physical level it helps relieve muscle fatigue and cleanses and detoxifies the body, improving liver function.

Of course I tried other oils, especially because of the general tightness in the shoulders. Here I concentrated on oils that are indicated as being good for muscular aches and pains with analgesic properties, such as Eucalyptus and Peppermint etc. However, we regularly returned to the blend of Jasmine and Black Pepper, perhaps occasionally adding a drop or two of Lemon to lift it, depending on mood.

You are probably wondering which therapy the patients preferred and the simple answer to that is both. The NSRT was the foundation therapy, as it aimed to put the body into balance. The NSRT provided the initial positive effects reported above, However, there is never anything better for dealing with lactic acid in muscle tissue than a really good massage and the power of the caring human touch is invaluable for anyone, whether you have been through a serious trauma or not.

Obviously we didn't expect a miracle with these therapies - we could give back the ability to walk again - but the results we did get felt like minor miracles to the patients. This is certainly a very rewarding area for a therapist to work in.

We recommend you study this area thoroughly as there are precautions you need to take into consideration. All necessary information is covered in the course at Morley College. See www.morleycollege.ac.uk for further details. TT

 References

Aromatherapy Council's Core Curriculum & National Occupational Standards (1998, revised 2002 and 2008), available at
www.aromatherapycouncil.co.uk.

Lawless J (1994), The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Element Books.

Tisserand R and Balacs T (1995), Essential Oil Safety - A Guide for Health Care Professionals, Churchill Livingstone.

Carole Preen AC Office
Tel: 0870 7743477
www.aromatherapycouncil.co.uk

Reproduced with the kind permission of Today's Therapist