Category: Physical Therapy

By PSI Physical Therapy, Running Exercises ,

Robert Forster PT to Olympic Champions Co-Authors Book: Healthy Running Step by Step

1 Dear Friends and Family,
Very exciting news from Forster Physical Therapy and Phase IV Health: We have a new book coming out authored by our Founder and CEO, Robert Forster PT. Healthy Running, Step by Step represents the culmination of 35 years of experience treating and training runners from the novice to Olympic Gold Medalists. This book is covers everything from proper running technique to science based nutrition and hydration for runners and includes everything you need to know about flexibility, strength training and injury prevention. There is also a do it yourself guide to resolving the most common running injuries.

This is what 5 x Olympic Medalist and World Record Holder Jackie Joyner Kersee says about the book: “Authentic, loaded with insight and information, Healthy Running, Step by Step illustrates the scientific approach Bob used to help me and many others stay injury free and achieve our ultimate Olympic goals.”

Special Offer: For our friends and family only: Pre-order this book through any of the links provided below and we will send you a free copy of Robert Forster’s best-selling book “The Complete Water Power Workout Book” which has been published in five languages and has been recognized as the best water exercise book ever written. It includes all the “vertical” water workouts (it’s not a swimming book) that we use in the daily in our Santa Monica clinic. Everyone can benefit from water exercise because it is easy on the joints yet provides a great time efficient total body workout.

Pre-order Healthy Running, Step by Step and get two great books for the price of one!

Healthy Running Step by Step:
Self-Guided Methods for Injury-Free Running: Training – Technique – Nutrition – Rehab

By Robert Forster, P.T. & Roy M Wallack

ABOUT THE BOOK2

Healthy Running Step by Step will help runners of all ages and abilities understand why running injuries occur, how to prevent them, and how to speed up recovery. Injuries plague the majority of runners, wrecking training plans and cutting running careers short by decades, but they are not inevitable. Authors Robert Forster, P.T., and Roy M. Wallack explain that nearly all running injuries can be rehabilitated quicker and even avoided altogether with the right training, strengthening, stretching, running form, and diet strategy.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Robert Forster, PT, has practiced Sports Physical Therapy in Santa Monica, CA, for 31 years and has lectured throughout the US and Europe on Sports Rehabilitation and safety in exercise. Robert has published several articles in the scientific press and co-authored The Complete Water Power Workout Book published in 1993 by Random House. He has also written a regular column in Triathlete magazine, appeared in several episodes of the popular Fit to Hit series on the Tennis Channel and recently created the Herbalife 24 Fit Exercise Video for the world’s leading weight loss
company.

3Roy M. Wallack is a Los Angeles Times health and fitness columnist and former editor of Triathlete and Bicycle Guide magazines. A participant some of the world’s toughest running, cycling, and multisport events, including the Boston Marathon, Badwater UltraMarathon, Eco-Challenge, La Ruta de los Conquistadores, and TransRockies Run, he finished second in the World Fitness Championship in 2004. Wallack has written for Outside, Men’s Journal, Runner’s World, Competitor, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, and authored The Traveling Cyclist: 20 Worldwide Tours of Discovery (1991) and Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100 (2005), an athletic longevity plan for cyclists.

ABOUT FAIR WINDS PRESS

Fair Winds Press offers nonfiction books in a range of practical categories, including nutrition & cookery, fitness, parenting, beauty, treating sickness, mental health, and using new medicine.

BOOK AVAILABLE AT WWW.FAIRWINDSPRESS.COM, WWW.AMAZON.COM AND ANYWHERE BOOKS AND EBOOKS ARE SOLD

By PSI 0 Comments Medication, Physical Therapy ,

You are too powerful for pills – Neuroscience Nugget No. 4

Neuro Orthopaedic Institute (NOI) Australasia has been in operation for over 20 years, founded by David Butler, with highly qualified instructors teaching multidisciplinary audiences on all continents. NOI Neuroscience Nuggets written by David Butler and NOI faculty.

“You are too powerful for pills”

The successes of medication for inflammatory pain do not translate over to chronic pain, especially pain where there is no intervening disease. Ten people with chronic pain may have to take medication before one gets any significant effect. This lack of response is increasingly understood as immunological. Activated glial cells in the brain disrupt opioid efficacy thus contributing to opioid tolerance and dependence. Essentially the patient has to take higher and higher doses for efficacy, thus risking side effects. The work of Linda Watkins and Mark Hutchinson are worthwhile reading.

Framed another way – if a person’s brain constructs that there are enough dangers and threats within themselves and society, worthwhile of increasing sensitivity,  then a defense  against synthetic medication may be mounted. In a biopsychosocial framework, maybe the medications would work better if other drivers of increased sensitivity were dealt with or maybe the medications may not even be needed.

This nugget can turn a clinical negative (medication failure) into a positive outlook

For more NOI Neuroscience Nuggets and information from David Butler go to NOIjam at www.noigroup.com

Neuro Orthopaedic Institute (NOI) Australasia organizes over 100 seminars a year throughout the world; NOI’s faculty members are active in many conferences, university programs and other postgraduate education sessions. The company reinvests in education and clinically based research and Noigroup Publications has grown from the demand for resources to support this emerging research.

 

“Neuroscience nuggets”

Neuroscience nuggets are information nuggets – pieces of biological information based on statement or metaphor that can be used as educational analgesia, explicit education or part of overall story telling. We have collected over 100 of these for a book and will release one or two a week with a short description and references if appropriate.

Explain Pain 2nd Ed, the Graded Motor Imagery Handbook and all noigroup courses are all bursting at the seams with the latest and greatest neuroscience nuggets. 

By PSI Physical Therapy

One of the top 3 indicators of your life span – your breath

Breath capacity and Life span

Two long term studies discussed in the Harvard Medical School guide to Tai Chi found a strong association between efficient breathing and a longer life span. The first was a landmark study called the Framingham Heart Study in which a cohort of 5,209 men and woman were followed for more than 20 years. Each was evaluated for (FVC) Forced Vital Capacity which is simply the amount of air you can forcibly exhale from the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible measured with a spirometer. FVC was a strong predictor of cardiovascular-related death and disease.

A second more recent study at the University of Buffalo followed 1,195 men and women for 29 years. They evaluated (FEV1) Forced Expiratory Volume which is the maximal amount of air you can forcibly exhale in one second also measured by a spirometer. In this study, lung function was a significant predictor of all-cause mortality, not just hear disease.

These 2 studies indicate that the health of your breath may predict your life span.

Your core muscles and their relationship with breath

According to breath expert, Julie Wiebe PT, “Core muscles work through: Teamwork – Alignment – Preparation.”
Teamwork – How many core muscles are there? Why are they defined as core muscles?

There are 4 core muscles:

  • (TVA) Transverses abdominus
  • Multifidus
  • Diaphragm
  • Pelvic Floor

Core muscles are defined by muscles that contract before movement is initiated to create an anchor of stability for all muscles to move from. All 4 of these core muscles are your primary breathing muscles. Core stability is not primarily gained through strength training (setting aside time at the gym—if you go to the gym).

Alignment – The core machine only works efficiently if all of the gears line up. This includes:

  • Pelvic neutral
  • Lumbar spine neutral
  • Rib cage alignment

Preparation – Core stability is better gained through efficient breath with everyday activities. Using your core muscles this way increases motor programming.

4 Ways to improve your breathing

  1. Practice taking deep breaths
    Medical studies have shown that subjects practicing incentive spirometry on a daily basis for five to six weeks significantly improve both lung capacity and lung function, including vital capacity, maximal dynamic pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, maximal inspiratory pressure , and general inspiratory muscle performance. Incentive spirometry involves, essentially, training respiratory muscles using various “mechanical aides,” especially those that offer “visual feedback. (Disposable spirometer costs less than 10 bucks).
  2. Eat fruit & vegetables
    Multiple medical studies have found that intake of fresh fruit and vegetables directly improves breathing, including general lung function lung capacity, FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and FVC (forced vital capacity). Apples (which contain high levels of the antioxidant quercetin) and vitamin E appear to have a particularly strong positive effect on lung function. Red onions, blueberries, red grapes, raspberries, and various other types of berries also contain a high concentration of querceti.
  3. Don’t wear tight clothes
    Clothing that restricts movement of either the abdomen or the rib cage increases resistance, creating what physiologists call external loading of the system. Restrictive clothing can significantly inhibit breathing, including decreasing vital capacity, FEV1, and forced vital capacity.
  4. Take big breaths, even when you don’t think you need them
    Studies have found that expiration at high lung volumes (that is, blowing out after taking a large breath) requires less force and fewer overall muscles than at lower lung volumes. This benefit of elastic recoil in expiration decreases in an approximately linear manner with lung volume. In other words, the less air you have in your lungs, the more effort it requires to expel a given amount of air.

Best in Health,

Ivan

By PSI Physical Therapy ,

(NOI) Neuroscience Nuggets

Pinched nerves don’t have to hurt – Neuroscience Nugget No. 1 & 2 

Neuro Orthopaedic Institute (NOI) Australasia has been in operation for over 20 years, founded by David Butler, with highly qualified instructors teaching multidisciplinary audiences on all continents. NOI Neuroscience Nuggets written by David Butler and NOI faculty.

Nugget 1 “Pinched nerves don’t have to hurt”

“Pinch” – the word can makes you recoil a little. Apply it to a nerve as in “pinched nerve” and it’s not a healthy metaphor.  “Pinch” means different things to different people. Scary stuff sometimes –after all, you wouldn’t pinch a live electrical cable. There is lots of scary pinched nerve stuff on the web as well.

We have known for years that peripheral nerves, nerve roots and sympathetic rami and ganglia can be flattened and a bit ratty yet the owner has no idea of his/her battered looking nervous system – kind of like arthritic change in joints don’t have to hurt either, which is something we are more familiar with..

Juicy info to add:

We all have pinched nerves. They do it all the time –flex your elbow and your median nerve almost bends on itself and still works. It probably enjoys the workout.

The reason we sometimes think a nerve is pinched is that they can become sensitive to various stress and mechanical stimuli and they sometimes react with a “zing or zap”. They usually get better with a some knowledge and encouragement to keep wriggling. A true mechanical pinch is quite rare.

This links into Neuroscience nugget 2 “There is plenty of space where nerves join onto the spinal cord”.

The emerging nerve root complex only takes up about one third of the diameter of the space in the intervertebral foramen. Blood vessels and adaptable fat take up the rest. People are rarely told that.   It’s hard to squish them and the root complex loves a bit of a wriggle and “floss” to let a bit of air and light in (as an old anatomy teacher told me once).

For more NOI Neuroscience Nuggets and information from David Butler go to NOIjam at www.noigroup.com

Neuro Orthopaedic Institute (NOI) Australasia organizes over 100 seminars a year throughout the world; NOI’s faculty members are active in many conferences, university programs and other postgraduate education sessions. The company reinvests in education and clinically based research and Noigroup Publications has grown from the demand for resources to support this emerging research.

“Neuroscience nuggets”

Neuroscience nuggets are information nuggets – pieces of biological information based on statement or metaphor that can be used as educational analgesia, explicit education or part of overall story telling. We have collected over 100 of these for a book and will release one or two a week with a short description and references if appropriate.

 

 

By PSI Physical Therapy

The Habits of Healthy People Part 1

I took a continuing education course entitled The Habits of Healthy People last week developed by the group; Institute for Brain Potential. This course is intended for health professionals including; psychologists, counselors, social workers, addiction professionals, case managers, physical therapists, nursing home administrators, dieticians, and educators. I found it to be directly correlated with the pursuit of ideal health and wellness.

The course opened with a Tedx Talk by Lissa Rankin MD. Her personal journey in discovering some of the most important components of health including: healthy relationships, creative expression, healthy professional life, healthy body, being spiritually connected and more..

Find her lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tu9nJmr4Xs

Happy people generally have better:

  1. Medical health
  2. Dental health
  3. Psychological health
  4. and improve the health of people around them..

The scientific pursuit of happiness and positive emotion is the pillar of new branch in psychology first proposed in 1998 by Martin E. Seligman in his presidential address to the (APA) American Psychological Association

Happiness is — life experience marked by a preponderance of positive emotion..

Sources of Happiness:

    1. 50% Genetic
    2. 40% within our power to change
    3. 10% life circumstance

Happiness depends less on what happens to us and more on how we view the past, enjoy the moment, and imagine the future..

Two prime components of subjective well being:

    1. Feelings of happiness
    2. Thoughts  of satisfaction with life

The 6 Virtues of Happiness

1)      Wisdom & knowledge – Cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge

a.  Creativity
b.  Curiosity
c.  Critical thinking / Judgment
d.  Love of Learning / mastering new skills
e.  Perspective

2)      Courage – Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition (external or internal)

a.  Bravery
b.  Perseverance
c.  Honesty
d.  Enthusiasm

3)      Humanity – Interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others

a.  Loving relationships
b.  Kindness
c.  Social intelligence / emotional intelligence

4)      Justice – civic strengths that underlie healthy community life

a.  Teamwork
b.  Fairness
c.  Leadership

5)      Temperance – strengths that protect against excess

a.  Forgiveness
b.  Humility
c.  Prudence
d.  Self regulation

6)      Transcendence – Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning

a.  Appreciation of beauty and excellence
b.  Gratitude
c.  Hope
d.  Humor
e.  Spirituality

Happy people feel happy because they do meaningful stuff!!

This blog only contains highlights of a small segment of the continuing education course The Habits of Healthy People. I will include more in a future blog.

Best in health,

Ivan

 

By PSI Physical Therapy

What is pelvic floor health?

What is pelvic floor health? What connection does the pelvic floor have with your core muscles? What can physical therapy and the Total Control® program do to help you? What can you do to help yourself? More than a “Kegel class”, the Total Control® program is built around the Pelvic Pyramid, a concept developed by Canadian physiotherapist Diane Lee, which includes the transversus abdominus, the multifidii & the pelvic floor muscles.

Some symptoms of a weak pelvic floor include; Leaking small amounts of urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing or running, Backache, and reduced sensation in the vagina. Pregnancy, childbirth, obesity and the straining of chronic constipation can weaken the pelvic floor and cause urinary incontinence. Dr. Ivan Huergo and Anna Albrecht recently discussed the Total Control® program . This medically-based fitness and educational program has been shown in research to boost sex, flatten tummies, improve bladder control. Total Control® can change your life!

Total Control is a flagship program of the Women’s Health Foundation, based in Chicago, that develops programs that help women “out of the water closet and into the gym” if they were experiencing bladder control symptoms. WHF is committed to sponsor research around Total Control®, to put on programs centered in pelvic health and fitness and to bring Total Control® to women everywhere. The Total Control® Program pilot was run at a YMCA in Denver with great success. In over the 100 women studied,over 70% of women improved their quality of life and over 30% had a complete reduction of stress urinary incontinence.

Why is Pelvic floor health important? By improving and maintaining your Pelvic floor health you give yourself the best opportunity to diminish the risk of overuse injuries and repetitive strains. Pelvic health is the absence of dysfunction in the organs that it houses. The total control program breaks down the mystery surrounding the pelvic floor musculature, according to Anna Albrecht.

Bladder Control is no accident. Is this for you? An estimated 1 in 4 adults with bladder control problem seeks help with this issue only after deciding that it will not go away on its own. Women suffering from urinary incontinence are more at risk for multiple setbacks; falls while running to the bathroom, for urinary tract infections and associated complications. The Total Control® Program includes a series of exercises design to strengthen the 3 supporting muscles of the Pelvis taught throughout the US and Canada in hospitals gyms and physical therapy offices. For more information you can visit www.totalcontrolprogram.com.

It is important to understand what type of urinary incontinence you may have so that you can develop and plan to help you manage.

By PSI Physical Therapy

Dial Down to Power Up with Tai Chi

According to the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi there now is a link between Eastern Medicine and Western Medicine that bridges the Eastern wisdom of Tai Chi with the scientific insights of the Western biomedical model.

Their text illustrates how tai chi can:

• Improve your balance
• Ease your aches and pains
• Strengthen your heart
• Deepen & enrich your breathing
• Sharpen your mind

Deepen and Enrich your breathing

The landmark Framingham Heart study followed 5,209 men and women for more than 20 years. At the beginning of the study, all participants underwent pulmonary testing which evaluated a key index of healthy breathing is called “Forced Vital Capacity” (FVC). FVC is simply the amount of air you can forcibly exhale from your lungs after taking the deepest breath possible. The study found FVC to be a very strong predictor of cardiovascular related death and disease.

Another study at the University of Buffalo followed 1,195 men & women for 29 years . In their study, they found a strong relationship between lung function and mortality rate using a measure called FEV1 – a measure of the maximal amount of air you can forcefully exhale in one second. The study found that lung function was a significant predictor of all-cause mortality, not just heart disease.

In summary, long before you become diagnosed with a serious illness, the health of your breath may predict your life span

Just as with other bodily functions, the efficiency of breathing and lung function declines with age. For example, shortly after we reach the age of 20 years, our FVC decrease 200 – 250cc every decade. You have all heard of the fight or flight response, In my last show, take back your back, I go through a neuroscience educational session describing it. Just by listening to this segment, it can decrease your low back pain. You may want to consider listening to it if you haven’t already.

Part of the fight or flight response is to begin shallow breathing, this is a great short term solution—but an extremely poor long term solution. It is not efficient for day in day out cardiovascular function, then throw in today’s stressful society stemming from real or perceived threats like:

• Bombardment of stressful daily news
• Issues at work
• Issues at home
These types of Threats can cause a continual fight or flight response and lead to chronic shallow breathing .

In the Harvard Medical School guide to Tai Chi, the author Peter Wayne gives an imagery exercise to help focus on breath

• He suggest to his students to imagine breathing in air from nature with qualities that give a greater sense of balance
• That is, if his students are sleepy or cold—he will ask them to imagine a warm sunny day near an ocean–breathing in sunshine filled air
• If his students are stressed or overheated—he will ask them to imagine walking around a calm and steady lake –breathing in cool air

Better breathing through tai chi

Diaphragmatic breathing massages your internal organs and body tissues. Don’t you feel better after a good massage? Do you think you would feel better if someone gave you a 5 minute massage every hour? You could give yourself an internal massage with diaphragmatic breathing.

Diaphragmatic breathing is associated with internal pressure changes, causing internal organs to be gently moved and massaged. Tai chi breath also increases torso flexibility—most likely from a less flexed spine. Slow diaphragmatic breathing can also improve lung efficiency—allowing more oxygen into your system.

It’s time for a paradigm shift- You need to master diaphragmatic breathing — using tai chi or another method –in order to minimize your risk of developing or worsening a chronic illness

By PSI Physical Therapy, Work Injury , ,

Take Back Your Back: How to Treat Low Back Pain

For more than 80 percent of us, low back pain (LBP) will be a reality at some point in our life. For 15-20 percent of us, that pain escalates and becomes chronic low back pain. Patients who choose physical therapy as their first choice for treatment are realizing better results than those who turn to traditional western medicine which often includes pain medication, imaging tests and specialists visits. So why aren’t more people getting the message? It’s all about education.

Dr. Chad Garvey, DPT, OCS FAAOMPT, recently spoke with Dr. Ivan Huergo, DPT, MATcs, founder and owner of Physical Sciences Institute Physical Therapy (PSI) about ways in which people can treat low back pain using non-invasive techniques. Dr. Garvey is board certified in Orthopedics and completed a certification in manual physical therapy and currently directs an outpatient orthopedic clinic in Louisville, Kentucky.

According to Garvey, evidence supports the fact that when it comes to low back pain and intervention, patients first seek treatment from their physician. “You’re more likely to get imaging, medication and likely a referral to a specialist, like a spine or orthopedic specialist,” says Garvey. “In other words, a surgical specialist. Those referrals deny potential treatment such as physical therapy that can start providing relief immediately.”

Delaying manual physical therapy treatment for longer than four weeks can dramatically change the trajectory of the potential costs and disability associated with patients experiencing low back pain, Garvey adds.

Why is low back pain so important to treat? In addition to the 80 percent of Americans who experience it in their lifetime, low back pain is also the second leading cause of lost work time after the common cold and the third most common reason to undergo a surgical procedure. Americans spend nearly $50 billion each year on low back pain.

Huergo has begun incorporating neuroscience education into his physical therapy practice as research suggests that just by listening to a neuro educational session, a patient can decrease their low back pain. This doesn’t surprise Huergo who is encouraged by results of the non-invasive approach.

“Psychosocial issues have been shown to be a strong predictor of long-term disability and chronic pain,” says Huergo. Huergo asks two very simple questions when he meets with patients to better understand the status of their psychosocial status: How are things at home and how are things at work?

“The answers to those questions could be a yellow flag or considered an increased risk for psychosocial issues or increased risk for developing chronic pain,” he adds.

Using neuroscience education has been shown to decrease fear, change patient’s perception of pain by improving the patient’s attitude about pain.

“Some proposed explanations of this is that it re-conceptualizes their problem in such a way that it leads to increased confidence and activity levels,” Huergo notes.

The results can be immediate, so it is worth noting.

“After listening to one 1 hour educational session about pain and pain processing, neuroscience and psychosocial issues, the patient in this study improved her spinal movement and her perception of pain.”

There are several different approaches to treating low back pain and while pain medication and surgery are options, they aren’t the only options and, in fact, often not the best options. Incorporating physical therapy early on as part of a treatment method has shown to dramatically reduce low back pain.

Hear more from Drs. Garvey and Huergo about how physical therapy, including the use of neuroscience education, can help patients with low back pain find relief.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Huergo, click here or call (630) 850-7901. PSI  has offices in Westmont and Lincoln Park in Chicago with convenient hours.

By PSI Physical Therapy

Facilitating your core muscles – through breath

Why is this important to you? Most Americans are dissatisfied with their current health care costs, and are apprehensive about their future expenses. By mastering efficient breathing you give yourself the best opportunity to diminish the risk of dysfunction of core musculature & pelvic floor dysfunction. Core dysfunction & pelvic floor dysfunction can present in many ways, including:

  • Low back instability
  • Alignment disorders
  • Walking abnormalities
  • Balance issues
  • Arm & leg muscular imbalances
  • Incontinence
  • Pain during sex
  • Woman’s health issues

Disorders of breathing and incontinence have a stronger association with back pain than obesity and physical activity. 

According to Julie Wiebe, MPT, Clinical observations linking urinary urgency and low back pain have been reported and two previous studies have suggested an association between incontinence and back pain. This study provides initial evidence for the association between back pain and disorders of incontinence and respiration.
Another issue to consider is the use of the acceptable or healthy weight range (BMI 20 to 25), rather than underweight (BMI < 20), as the reference category for analysis of obesity data. This is consistent with previous studies and accounts for the fact that being underweight has also been shown to be associated with back pain. This study has shown that women with disorders of continence and respiration have a significantly higher prevalence of back pain than women who do not have these disorders.

Anatomic connections of the diaphragm: influence of respiration on the body system.

The diaphragm muscle not only plays a role in respiration but also has many roles affecting the health of the body. It is important for posture, for proper organ function, and for the pelvis and floor of the mouth. It is important for the cervical spine and trigeminal system, as well as for the thoracic outlet. It is also of vital importance in the vascular and lymphatic systems.

How does the diaphragm stabilize your back?

Respiration plays a significant role in postural control, however, the postural demands of the activity performed can influence the function of the diaphragm. We believe, this may confirm that the diaphragm is critically involved in stabilizing the spine during postural activity. This is in agreement with previous report, in which was proven that the diaphragm and transversus abdominis (but not other abdominal muscles) continuously contribute to respiration and postural control. The combined tonic and phasic activity of the core muscles; diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverses abdominus, and multifidus represents important feedback for central nervous system. This system coordinates respiration and control of the spine during limb movements.
By PSI Physical Therapy , ,

What is good posture?

Good posture will do more to keep you looking youthful as the years go by than a face-lift or Botox. And the benefits of maintaining your bone health are much more than skin-deep. Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting joint, muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities.

Proper posture:

  • Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly.
  • Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.
  • Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together.
  • Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
  • Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
  • Prevents strain or overuse problems.
  • Prevents backache and muscular pain.
  • Contributes to a good appearance.

Why is good posture important?

When it comes to posture, your mother did know best. Her reminders to stand up straight and stop slouching were good advice.

Your spine is strong and stable when you maintain a healthy posture. But when you stoop or slouch, your muscles and ligaments struggle to keep you balanced — which can lead to back pain, headaches and other problems.

Top 5 reasons when to see a physical therapist to improve your posture?

  • If you complain of a constant burning or aching feeling in your upper trapezius muscles (muscles that connect your shoulder blades to your neck & head) that persist or worsen daily for greater than 3 weeks
  • If you sit at work for greater than 6 hours per day and complain of intermittent neck or back pain
  • If washing and dressing increases your low back pain and you find it necessary to change the way you do it
  • If you feel fatigued or tired daily around 3 – 5pm
  • If you have to work to maintain a good posture. Posture is something you should be able to reset and fall into, not rigidly hold.

Take the wall test

This test will asses if your low back is in neutral or not and provide feedback for you to correct it. To test your standing posture, take the wall test. Stand with your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching a wall, and have your heels about 2 to 4 inches (about 5 to 10 centimeters) away from the wall. Reach back and slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back, with your palm flat against the wall.

Ideally, you’ll feel about one hand’s thickness of space between your back and the wall. If there’s too much space, tighten your abdominal muscles to flatten the curve in your back. If there’s too little space, arch your back so that your hand fits comfortably behind you. Walk away from the wall while maintaining this posture. Keep it up throughout your daily activities.

Good sitting posture

When seated, keep these tips in mind:

  • Choose a chair that allows you to rest both feet flat on the floor while keeping your hips at the level of your knees or ideally higher than your knees.
  • Sit back in your chair. If the chair doesn’t support your lower back’s curve, place a rolled towel or small pillow behind your lower back.
  • Stretch the top of your head toward the ceiling, and tuck your chin in slightly.
  • Keep your upper back and neck comfortably straight.
  • Keep your shoulders relaxed — not elevated, rounded or pulled backward.
We talked with Dr. Kevin Dunn on Paradigm Shifts and Wellness and Sport on Posture not just being all about your chair and According to Dr. Dunn “The primary attribute of the body to maintain good posture is strength. Range of motion and strength go hand in hand. ” said Kevin Dunn, MPT, MATcs.