Living with chronic back pain can feel like carrying a heavy backpack everywhere you go. Your lower back aches when you wake up, hurts when you sit at work, and makes simple tasks like bending down feel impossible. Many people in Grand Rapids deal with this problem every day. The good news is that osteopathy offers a natural way to help your body heal without surgery or strong medicines. At Alexandra Osteopilates in East Grand Rapids, you can find relief through traditional osteopathic care that treats your whole body, not just where it hurts.
What Is Osteopathy and How Does It Work?
Osteopathy is a hands-on treatment method created by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in 1874. Dr. Still believed that the body has an amazing ability to heal itself when everything is working properly together. Think of your body like a car—when all the parts are lined up correctly and moving smoothly, it runs great. But when something gets stuck or out of place, problems happen.
Osteopaths use their hands to find areas in your body that aren’t moving well. These tight spots often cause pain in your back. By gently moving your joints, massaging your muscles, and helping your spine move better, osteopathy removes the blocks that stop your body from healing. This approach looks at your whole body as one connected unit, not just separate parts. Your bones, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels all work together, and when one part has trouble, it affects everything else.
How Osteopathy Helps Chronic Lower Back Pain
Chronic back pain means your back has hurt for three months or longer. This kind of pain can come from sitting too much, poor posture, old injuries, or stress that makes your muscles tight. Research shows that osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) really works for people with chronic lower back pain.
During an osteopathy session, your practitioner might use several gentle techniques. Soft tissue massage helps tight muscles let go of tension. Spinal mobilization uses smooth, rocking movements to help your back move more easily. Sometimes, a quick but gentle adjustment helps stuck joints move freely again, giving you instant relief. These techniques work together to support your body’s natural healing powers.
The Power of Combining Osteopathy and Pilates
At Alexandra Osteopilates, you get the best of both worlds—osteopathy and classical Pilates working together. While osteopathy helps fix immediate pain and gets your body moving correctly, Pilates builds the strength you need to keep your back healthy long-term.
Classical Pilates focuses on strengthening your core muscles—the deep muscles in your belly and back that support your spine. When these muscles are strong, they take pressure off your lower back and help you move better. Pilates exercises like the bridge, pelvic tilt, and gentle stretches teach your body better movement patterns. This combination means you get faster pain relief from osteopathy, plus long-lasting strength from Pilates to prevent future problems.
Studies show that Pilates can reduce chronic back pain and improve how well your core muscles work. When you pair this with osteopathic treatment, you’re giving your body the best chance to heal completely. Many patients find that this approach helps them feel better faster and stay pain-free longer than hands-on treatment alone.
Stay Active in Grand Rapids While You Heal
Grand Rapids offers wonderful outdoor spaces that can support your recovery from back pain. Walking is one of the best activities for a healing back, and the Grand River Edges Trail gives you beautiful riverside paths perfect for gentle exercise. The trail has multiple access points including Fish Ladder Park and Canal Street Park, making it easy to find a starting point near you
Walking along the Grand River helps your back in several ways. The gentle movement keeps your muscles from getting stiff, improves blood flow to healing tissues, and reduces stress that can make pain worse. The flat, paved paths are easy on your joints, making them perfect for people recovering from back pain. During Michigan’s warmer months, you can combine your osteopathy appointments with short walks to speed up your healing
You can also enjoy Riverside Park’s shaded trails or explore the downtown riverfront connection. Start with just 10-15 minutes of walking and slowly add more time as your back feels better. Remember to listen to your body—if something hurts, slow down or rest
Alexandra Bohlinger’s Approach to Healing Your Back
Alexandra Bohlinger brings over 20 years of experience helping people overcome chronic pain at her East Grand Rapids practice. As a British-trained osteopath, she studied Dr. Andrew Taylor Still’s philosophy that your body knows how to heal itself when given the right support. Alexandra uses only her hands to find and fix the problems causing your back pain—no prescriptions or surgery needed
What makes Alexandra special is her combination of traditional osteopathy with classical Pilates training under Romana Kryzanowska, who learned directly from Joseph Pilates himself. This rare “second-generation” training means you’re getting authentic Pilates methods proven over decades. Alexandra treats the whole person, not just the painful spot, looking at how your entire body moves and functions together
Her studio at 251 Plymouth Ave SE in East Grand Rapids serves people throughout the area, including downtown Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, Ada, and Cascade. With flexible hours from 7am to 8pm on weekdays and Saturday morning appointments available, you can find a time that works with your schedule
Take the First Step Toward a Pain-Free Life
Chronic back pain doesn’t have to control your life. Osteopathy offers a proven, natural approach that helps your body heal from the inside out. By combining hands-on osteopathic techniques with the strengthening power of classical Pilates, you can find lasting relief from lower back pain.
Grand Rapids provides the perfect setting for your healing journey, with accessible outdoor spaces like the Grand River trails to support gentle movement as you recover. Working with an experienced osteopath who understands both traditional manual therapy and intelligent movement gives you the best chance for success. If you’re ready to stop living with back pain and start feeling strong and healthy again, osteopathy in Grand Rapids can help you get there