Want better posture? Go see Dr. Berkebile. (814) 266-3775
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"The importance of posture to emotional and physical health has been over-looked too long. Most doctors learn about posture from their mothers, as in “Stand up straight”, or “Stop slouching”. We know that a person with really good posture creates an aura of self confidence, standing tall erect and proud. While a person with poor posture gives off the opposite vibrations. But there is a much
greater negative effect from poor posture than just not “looking
our best”. There are real clinical syndromes associated
with certain posture profiles. Syndromes that are readily detected
by doctors and other health care professionals. I’m not
talking about idiopathic scoliosis, or even compensatory scoliosis
of known origin (falls, surgery or other trauma). No, I’m
talking about the most common posture profile presented in a
doctor’s office, yet the most overlooked. It’s so common,
it has been accepted as the norm. But it’s not normal. Just
prevalent in about 90% of patients. I’m talking about the
“Forward Head” posture profile. This profile of head over the shoulders, increased lordotic lumbar curve is a masterful robber of health. It robs its victims of normal range of motion, of muscle strength, of natural neck protection, of long joint life, vital lung capacity, and of the emotional and healthy vitality we should expect into our later years. It doesn’t have
to be this way. Forward Head posture is easily detected AND corrected.
The following pages will deal with some posture fundamentals
and then will proceed to explain the importance of this posture
profile and how to detect and correct it." Joseph Ventura D.C. Normal/abnormal posture is fairly easy to detect. The figures on the right show the areas commonly looked at in determining normal posture. Typically the eyes (or top of ears), shoulders, hips, kneecaps and ankles should present a straight line, parallel to the ground, if a line is created by connecting the two endpoints representing the right and left sides. In other words, there should be no offset or no angles created by these lines. Additionally, a plumb line should bisect the body equally. From the lateral view a plumb line should pass over the center of the ear (External Auditory Meatus), the center of the shoulder, center of the hip, and fall just slightly in front of the ankles. For Every One Inch The Head Moves Forward of Neutral (Ear lined up with center of shoulder), an Additional 15-30 Pounds of Tension is Placed on the Supporting Neck Muscles. Most adults will present
with two or more inches of additional forward dis-placement.
It’s estimated that 90% of the general U.S. population carries
this type of posture profile. That doesn’t mean it’s
normal, just prevalent. A secondary result of this pos-ture profile
is an increased curve in the lumbar spine. Many think that the head posture is a result of the in-creased low back curve, but it is actually the opposite. In an attempt to balance the body, in light of the 10-12 lb head being forward of the normal center of gravity, the body bends backward. This increases the low back curve and tilts the pelvis forward. While many clinicians look for posture profiles, we should be paying closer attention to the more common Forward Head pos-ture profile. This is more easily detected from the side view. Direct and associated pain and dysfunction in the above joints can be directly attributed to the effects of Forward Head posture. When the muscles are placed under additional stress, the vertebral joints and disks are placed under additional physiological loads. This can lead to pain and/or weak-ness. It can also be a reason that chiropractic adjustments don’t hold or why they are difficult to deliver. Over time the effects of Forward Head posture can be seen in the rounding of the shoulders, the head way forward of the center of the shoul-der, and a compression of the thoracic cavity that can diminish lung capacity. The typical external indicator is the Dowager’s Hump.
Effect
of Poor Posture on the Muscles and on the spine. You may remember from physiology that a muscle
stretched beyond the physiological resting position tends to
weaken. This is called “Stretch Weakness”. On the flip
side, muscles kept in a shortened position tend to lose elasticity.
They may test strong in the shortened position, but become weak
as they are lengthened. This is called “Tight Weakness”.
These two effects are present in patient with a postural dysfunction
pro-file. Some of the short term effects of this profile may
be pain from stress to the shortened structures, and a predisposition
to injury or overuse syndromes, due to strength and flexibility
imbalances. In summary, the forward head, round shoulder
posture profile: 1.
Decreases the load-bearing capabilities of the spine Is it possible that this overall instability in the cervical spine can lead to subluxations or mis-alignments? All three of these effects are important to the doctor of chiropractic when con-sidering a treatment plan. It is rare that an adjustment alone can correct this type of deficient posture profile. Direct intervention is needed to correct the muscle imbalances first. Dangers
of Forward Head Posture Muscles Affected Muscles That Shorten
(Short Weakness) Muscles That Stretch
(Stretch Weakness) My Posture Pro program is 8-12 weeks in length, to restore your posture to normal. If you have poor posture and want better posture call the office today. |
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