Somatic Movement Center®
Student Survey Results

The Somatic Movement Center® Student Survey may be filled out by students who have completed the Level One Course or the Scoliosis Course and have been practicing Clinical Somatics exercises regularly for at least two months. The survey began on February 28th, 2019 and is ongoing. The results below were last updated on January 6th, 2024 with a total of 2,037 respondents.

Other research: In 2022, a study of Hanna Somatic Education (a.k.a. Clinical Somatic Education) was published in a peer-reviewed journal for the first time. Researchers evaluated the effect of one-on-one Hanna Somatic Education (HSE) sessions in 103 patients with chronic lower back and/or neck pain. After completing a mean of 2.8 HSE sessions, the mean lower back pain rating decreased by 81%, and the mean neck pain rating decreased by 80%. You can learn more about the study in the article New Study Shows Pandiculation Relieves Lower Back and Neck Pain, and you can read the full study here: Effect of Hanna Somatic Education on Low Back and Neck Pain Levels.

PAIN RELIEF

This is question is asked conditionally:

Before you started practicing Clinical Somatics exercises, did you experience pain on a regular basis?
If yes, has your pain been reduced as a result of practicing Clinical Somatics exercises?

Of students who practice the exercises 5-7 days per week, 94% responded yes.
Of students who practice the exercises 3-4 days per week, 90% responded yes.
Of students who practice the exercises 1-2 days per week, 87% responded yes.

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO EXPERIENCE PAIN RELIEF

REDUCTION OR ELIMINATION OF PAIN MEDICATION

This is question is asked conditionally:

Before you started practicing Clinical Somatics exercises, were you using pain relief medication to manage your pain?
If yes, have you been able to reduce or eliminate your use of pain medication?

Of students who practice the exercises 5-7 days per week, 78% responded yes.
Of students who practice the exercises 3-4 days per week, 72% responded yes.
Of students who practice the exercises 1-2 days per week, 80% responded yes.

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE PAIN MEDICATION

REDUCTION OF MUSCLE TENSION

This is question is asked non-conditionally in the section:
What other benefits have you experienced from practicing Clinical Somatics exercises?

Of students who practice the exercises 5-7 days per week, 84% checked “Reduced muscle tension.”
Of students who practice the exercises 3-4 days per week, 80% checked “Reduced muscle tension.”
Of students who practice the exercises 1-2 days per week, 72% checked “Reduced muscle tension.”

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO EXPERIENCE REDUCED MUSCLE TENSION

IMPROVEMENT OF POSTURE

This is question is asked non-conditionally in the section:
What other benefits have you experienced from practicing Clinical Somatics exercises?

Of students who practice the exercises 5-7 days per week, 63% checked “Improved posture.”
Of students who practice the exercises 3-4 days per week, 57% checked “Improved posture.”
Of students who practice the exercises 1-2 days per week, 50% checked “Improved posture.”

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO EXPERIENCE IMPROVED POSTURE

STRESS RELIEF

This is question is asked non-conditionally in the section:
What other benefits have you experienced from practicing Clinical Somatics exercises?

Of students who practice the exercises 5-7 days per week, 60% checked “Stress relief.”
Of students who practice the exercises 3-4 days per week, 52% checked “Stress relief.”
Of students who practice the exercises 1-2 days per week, 55% checked “Stress relief.”

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO EXPERIENCE STRESS RELIEF

DISCUSSION

Students who complete the Somatic Movement Center® Student Survey have been practicing Thomas Hanna’s Clinical Somatics exercises on a regular basis for at least two months. These students learn the exercises in the online Level One & Two Courses or the Scoliosis Course, which include video demonstrations, audio instruction, and written explanations.

Clinical Somatics exercises use the movement technique of voluntary pandiculation as developed by Thomas Hanna. Voluntary pandiculation sends feedback to the nervous system about the level of tension in the muscles, and reduces baseline muscle tension. This neuromuscular retraining results in relief from pain, muscle tension, and functional musculoskeletal disorders (such as sciatica and functional leg length discrepancy) for many people.

Students are advised to practice the exercises 5-7 days per week in order to experience the benefits of the movements. It is interesting to note that survey respondents who practice the exercises 1-2 days per week and 3-4 days per week report pain relief at nearly the same rate as those who practice the exercises 5-7 days per week.

The survey is short and simple in order to encourage students to fill it out. However, the simple survey design results in some limitations:

  • While 87-94% of people experience pain relief, only 72% to 80% of people who use pain medication report that they have reduced their usage of pain medication. So, approximately 20% to 28% of people who use pain medication and then experience pain relief do not reduce their use of pain medication, and the reason for this is unknown.

  • The questions that are asked non-conditionally might have higher response rates if they were asked conditionally. For example, to get accurate results the question about posture should be asked: When you started practicing Clinical Somatics exercises, did you have a postural issue that you were trying to change? If yes, has your posture improved as a result of practicing Clinical Somatics exercises?

This is an in-house survey carried out by Somatic Movement Center® in order to track the effects of Clinical Somatics exercises as taught by Sarah Warren, CCSE, RSME.