FAQs 2 | FreeYourSpine

FAQ
What might you be wondering?

Preparing for change...

You don’t need to have it all figured out before you begin.

It’s completely normal to have questions before starting something new — especially when the work is subtle, body-based, and a little different from what you may have tried before.

This page is here to answer the questions I’m most often asked about reflexive strength, the Back-to-Strength method, safety, and how to practise in a way that actually supports your body rather than pushing it.

You don’t need to read everything.

You might only be curious about one or two things.

Feel free to dip in wherever feels relevant.

And if there’s something you’re wondering about that isn’t answered here, you’re very welcome to ask.

You can send me a question by clicking the button below, and if it’s something others are likely to be curious about too, I’ll add it to this page. That way, the FAQs stay alive and useful — not fixed or finished.

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What is Reflexive Strength?

Reflexive strength is the body’s ability to organise support on its own.

It’s the background system that holds you upright, manages load, and responds to movement or imbalance — without you having to consciously do anything.

When it’s working well, movement tends to feel easier. More coordinated. Less effortful.

When it’s not, the body usually fills the gap by gripping or bracing. That’s when people start to notice stiffness, fatigue, or pain.

From a physiological point of view, this system is supported mainly by Type I postural muscles and the connective tissue that links the body together. These tissues aren’t designed to work hard. They’re designed to work quietly — fine-tuning alignment and passing load through the bones efficiently.

This capacity isn’t broken, and it’s not something you’ve lost.

Most of the time it’s just been overshadowed — by stress, injury, long periods of sitting, or training that teaches the body to try harder instead of organising better.

The aim of this work isn’t to strengthen more.

It’s to create the conditions that allow this automatic support to come back online, so the body can do its job without constant effort.

Is this for sports and active people too?

Yes. Very much so.

And often, the more active you are, the more useful this work becomes.

Most training focuses on voluntary strength — muscles you consciously contract to produce force. What’s usually missing is the reflexive support underneath. The part that stabilises the spine, transfers force through the skeleton, and keeps the breath available when things get demanding.

When that reflexive support is there, movement feels clean.

When it isn’t, even strong bodies tend to compensate with subtle gripping and over-bracing. That’s often where recurring niggles, asymmetries, or plateaus come from.

This work helps restore postural tone, connective tissue continuity, and spinal organisation that respond before you move. In practical terms, that usually shows up as:

less wasted effort
easier balance when you’re knocked off-centre
better endurance without extra fatigue
and less strain on joints and discs

A lot of active people notice that their existing training suddenly feels different. Strength work feels more connected. Rotation is easier. Breath doesn’t disappear under load.

Performance improves — not because they’re pushing harder, but because the system stops getting in its own way.

This work doesn’t replace training or sport.

It supports it, by giving your body a stable, adaptable base that can handle load, speed, and unpredictability more intelligently.

How is the Back-to-Strength method different?

Most movement approaches focus on one or two things — stretching, strengthening, or conscious core control — and hope progress builds over time. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t. Plateaus are common.

The Back-to-Strength method works as a sequence.

There are six stages, and each one sets up the next. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is forced.

Assess — We quickly check how your body is organising itself using the Back MOT
Release — Long-held muscular guarding begins to soften
Reshape — The body starts to realign at a connective tissue level
Mobilise — The nervous system learns how to move with that new organisation
Stabilise — Reflexive support switches on, so changes don’t need to be held by effort
Re-Assess — We re-test so you can feel and see what’s actually changed

That last step matters. It keeps the process grounded and honest, and it helps your nervous system trust what’s happening.

Can I practice this safely?

Yes. Safety is built into the way this work is done.

It’s zero-impact and ground-supported, using simple props so the body feels secure. We’re not chasing stretch or intensity. We work with sensation, and we move at a pace the nervous system can stay relaxed with.

Everything stays within what I call the "foothills" — roughly a 2–3 out of 10 in sensation. That level is intentional. It avoids triggering protective reflexes and allows real change without the body needing to brace.

This makes the work suitable for sensitive or protective bodies, and for people with long-standing patterns often linked to things like disc issues, scoliosis, or frozen joints — because we’re working with the nervous system, not trying to override it.

If you’ve had surgery, fractures, or metal implants, personal guidance is important. And if you’re currently in constant, high-level pain, the work may need to be paced more carefully at first.

What benefits can I expect?

In the short term, most people notice a clear reduction in local tension or pain — often somewhere between a third and two-thirds. We usually measure this together by re-testing the Back MOT at the end of a session.

People also often notice a sense of ease or lightness, as if the body is being held up from the inside rather than carried by effort.

Early changes tend to be local, which is why the method uses five core routines to gradually address the whole body.

Over time, the benefits become more global. The body handles stress, uneven load, and unexpected movement more easily. There’s more range, more resilience, and less wear and tear.

How often do I need to practice this?

One of the best times to practise is when there’s mild discomfort present. That sensation gives you something to work with, and it makes changes easier to notice.

For most people, practising two or three times a week works well at the beginning. That said, there’s no pressure to practise at home. Attending classes or coaching is enough to keep things moving.

Home practice is simply an option — a way of taking care of yourself with minimal time, cost, or equipment. Many people find it reduces their reliance on massage or on training that manages symptoms without resolving them.

Sessions can be short or long. Even 15 minutes can be enough.

How long before I get improvements?

Every session creates some change. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s obvious.

More stable shifts often start to appear after around 10–20 hours of practice. For many people, that’s five to ten sessions.

Building a body that feels consistently comfortable and capable is a longer process. That refinement tends to continue over months or years as the nervous system integrates each layer of change.

Even practising occasionally continues to build capacity. Longer sessions simply allow more time in the deeper release and reshaping stages, while mobilisation and stabilisation help those changes hold.

FAQ What might you be wondering?