"If you ever saw the musicals Wicked in San Francisco or Cats on the road youve probably heard Joe Rodriguez blasting on his trumpet. I met him recently at the musicians union hall in downtown San Francisco.    But hitting those notes night after night in a cramped orchestra pit takes a toll on the musicians.    Enlarge this image toggle caption Josephine Gray Josephine Gray    The fact of having your arms up and carrying the weight of this instrument and pushing the instrument toward you and so you have this stress this wall youre pushing against says Rodriguez. And a well designed instrument will push back.    Hes been a working trumpet player for four decades and all that backarching and shoulderpinching has left him with chronic pain in his lower back. Research suggests an alternative therapy called Alexander Technique may be an effective way to treat back pain.    Rodriguez first tried massage chiropractic and powerful pain killers. But finding a remedy for back pain can be a lot like a guessing game.    He says it was only through Alexander Technique lessons that he trained his body to move in a way that eased his aching back. Alexander Technique is a series of posture lessons devised by a th century Australian actor named F.M. Alexander who had troubles with chronic laryngitis whenever he performed.    Its a feeling of working with yourself from the inside out says Rodriguez. If you know youre twisting a certain way and using too much force its easy enough to know Let that go.    In particular Joe now holds himself differently during his solos because of Alexander Technique.    I know that I can just sort of be on my sits bones instead of a funny arch with my stomach pushed out or my back arched in some strange way says Rodriguez    Josephine Gray is Rodriguezs teacher and is a certified instructor in Alexander Technique. When I visited her I was on my hands and knees next to her trying to relearn how to stand up.    Let the neck be free the head go forward and up Gray tells me.    Once I make it to my feet feeling somewhat like a newborn giraffe theres a beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay out of the studio window.    Gray teaches the technique and says low back pain is a common complaint of clients.    A summary of the results of a major back pain study published in the British Medical Journal in . The study showed that the Alexander Technique was highly effective in treating back pain. British Medical Journal YouTube    We look at what you are doing that causes that problem in the first place so how you sit at the computer or how you pick up your child or what you do when youre driving says Gray. I look at ways of changing your postural habits so you dont get into pain.    These arent static postures though. Those who promote the technique say its more about how you move and training yourself to release tension.    These are subtle  tiny almost imperceptible shifts. And although the teacher will put her hand on your neck or shoulder its more to bring awareness than to make adjustments.    The whole point is that you understand the process so that you can arrive there yourself says Gray.    Gray and Rodriguez the trumpet player both say the lessons are no cure all. But there is evidence it can ease chronic low back pain over the long run.    Paul Little is a primary care researcher at the University of Southampton in Britain. He led a study of some  patients who were given Alexander lessons massage or the usual care of pain killers and exercise.    After a year those who had massage were no better off. Those who had six Alexander lessons showed some improvement. And those who went the distance got the best results.    The people who had  lessons had gone down from about  days of pain that the usual care group reported to about  days in pain says Little. So a really dramatic difference there is reported days in pain.    Littles research was published in the British Medical Journal in . But now he wants to figure out why it appears to work.    Hes about to start a new study that involves giving chronic back pain sufferers lessons in the Alexander Technique and exercises and then measuring how far their spines can twist and the size and strength of their deep lumbar muscles  which Little thinks might work poorly in people with chronic low back pain.    He cautions though that it may be something else entirely that accounts for the apparent success of the Alexander Technique. If thats the case Little says hell have to go back to the drawing board."