Pain Free Performance — Posture Alignment Therapy

Posture Alignment Therapists, Graduates of Egoscue University

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Misalignment leads to Neck & TMJ Pain

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Our head is the center and peak of our body. When the head and neck are out of alignment, the weight of our head increases the load on our neck by 10 pounds per every inch that our head is forward. As our culture continues to become tech focused, the root of neck pain and jaw pain are due to our misaligned necks and forward heads. 

 

Our neck is made up of the top part of our spine: the cervical spine. The cervical spine is a slightly concave curve that develops during the first three months of life as infants learn to lift and turn their head. The curve of our neck allows for enhanced mobility of our head. This is why we can turn our head to see something without rotating or turning our spine and shoulders. 

 

Throughout the past 20 years our culture’s behavior has changed. We no longer turn our head to look for cars behind us while driving because our rear cameras alert us when someone is there. Work days have shifted to being predominantly at the computer. The average time an adult spends on their phone is more than three hours per day. The decrease in movement of our neck and increased forward head has led to a loss of the concave cervical curve.  Without the cervical curve of our neck to support our head, our skeletal system shifts and leads to increased tension in the muscles that connect our neck to our shoulders and jaw misalignment.  

 

Within the past few years at our practice, we have seen this increase in clients presenting with neck pain and temporomandibular joints (TMJ) pain.  As the head becomes more flexed forward, the joints that connect our jaw to our head begin to shift in response to the misaligned spine of our neck. The misaligned jaw often is identified by “clicking” or pain from overuse of chewing/talking in a misaligned joint positioning. Often clients with forward head positioning and jaw misalignment present with headaches in conjugation to neck pain and TMJ pain. Forward head positioning leads to decreased blood flow to the brain from poor alignment. It might sound unusual that headaches and jaw pain are connected to your alignment, but as the head shifts forward the cervical spine becomes more flexed, decreasing blood flow to the brain, enhancing strain on the muscles around the neck, and often creating shifts within the jaw.

 

At our practice, we treat the misalignment of the head positioning that creates TMJ pain and neck pain by addressing the body as a unit. We focus to align the body vertically and reduce the flexion of the neck. One example of this would be aligning the body against a wall and placing a block between the knees with active pressure. This position allows the feedback of the wall against the head, shoulders, hips, and ankles. When holding this positioning daily, the muscles of the neck and shoulders begin to relax and have reduced tension and muscular compensation. Overtime, we are able to see a reduction in the flexed position of the head, correct curvature within the spine, and the jaw becomes more aligned.

 

Our goal during a postural alignment therapy evaluation is to identify what is driving the forward head position and jaw misalignment. Through a complete health assessment, functional testing, and gait analysis we can begin to understand the muscular imbalances in a client’s body. This will allow us to identify the muscles that need to be strengthened or released to bring the body into alignment. We do this through corrective exercises that will be done daily at home in the order to address the misaligned neck, forward shoulders, and jaw positioning. Once the body is aligned and the forward head position and shoulders are less rounded, the pain will subside and our clients are able to live a functional pain free life.

A Simple Trick to Test Your Alignment

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Many clients seek out our practice to reduce pain and regain their quality of life. 

Often, they are not aware that their body is out of alignment. 

When one aspect of the body is altered, it changes the function of the muscles and joints that surround that site. 

For most of us, our work week involves sitting at a desk in front of a computer. 

This position drives the shoulder forward, forcing the upper back to round, and bringing the head and neck into a flexed position.

In order to not develop chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain here is a simple trick to see if you body is aligned:

Stand vertically at the wall with the back of your head, shoulders, hips, and feet touching the wall.

In this position, is your head able to touch the wall? Or is there tension in your neck from bringing the head back?

For every inch forward that your head is from the wall, it increases the weight of your head on your neck by 10 lbs!

With the Egoscue method, we can reduce the forward head positioning and neck strain by getting to the root of the problem in the body.

How long does it take to create pain relief using posture alignment therapy?

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Most of the clients we see are in pain. These clients come to us for relief with their knee pain, back pain, hip pain, and shoulder pain. Oftentimes, our clients have been to chiropractors, physical therapists, doctors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists that have been unable to create a lasting change with their muscle and joint pain. This can be challenging for our clients because their journey for pain relief has already taken weeks and months before we meet our clients for the first time. 

 

In order to create lasting pain relief, as Postural Alignment Specialists that practice The Egoscue Method, we assess the muscular imbalances in their bodies. This begins through a complete health assessment and history to understand the patterns of movement (or lack of movement) that led to pain. We complete postural photos to see how their joint position aligns against a grid to understand how their joints are loading. This can reveal if an elevated shoulder and hip are leading to the back pain or if a forward head position is causing the shoulder pain. Finally, we complete a series of functional testing and gait analysis to determine what muscles are active or inactive that are resulting in muscular compensation and pain. 

 

When our clients leave their first postural alignment session, they can expect to feel a change in their body. This often results in a decrease in pain. If a client’s body has compensated for years, they might notice feeling “lighter” or “straighter” after doing their Egoscue therapy exercises. This is a sign that their body is becoming more functional and balanced. 

 

The work towards alignment and health takes time and effort. Our muscle memory begins to take effect in 90 days and is often the time our clients begin to notice less pain due to their enhanced alignment. Change is not always linear and might result in peaks and valleys. We encourage clients to remain focused on what is changing. Our cells and tissues are constantly adapting and we will continue to adapt new exercises and stimuli to create a change in the muscle structure. One of the great benefits of our bodies is that they are dynamic and constantly in motion. This is why the method works! Now, let’s get moving!

A look into Knee Pain

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As postural alignment specialists and graduates of Egoscue University, our focus is on the position of the client’s load bearing joints. Our shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles bear the weight of our body when standing and moving upright. When we look at our client’s joint position, many of our client’s are surprised by their knee position. 

The load bearing joints of the shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should align.

Try this:
Stand in front of the mirror
Look at the middle of your thigh bone that is named the femur. Then look at the middle of your knee cap.
Draw an imaginary line from the center of the thigh bone to the middle of the knee cap.
Does the knee turn to the outside of the body or does the knee roll toward the middle of the body?

If the center of your thigh and center of your knee cap are not in line, the rest of your load bearing joints are picking up the work for the uneven load. This uneven load leads to knee pain, arthritis in the knee joint, bursitis, and torn ligaments!

When knees turn out or roll toward the middle of the body, there is significant wear and tear on the knee joint. Imagine going up and down the stairs with the knee cap pointing outward. The friction and demand on the uneven knee joint will lead to knee pain. Over time to avoid the knee pain we begin to sell our house to live on one level or we take the escalator to avoid the movement that leads to pain. This avoidance of triggers will decrease the feeling of the knee pain, but does not address the cause of the knee pain.

Oftentimes the exercise we do to be healthy and support our heart, aggravates our knees and we begin to wonder why. If your knees turn outwards and you cycle or run for 30 minutes, that is 30 minutes that your knee joint is impacted and inflamed. Frequent wear and tear from a misaligned knee exercising on the elliptical, bike, or treadmill will lead to arthritis of the knee and the need for a knee replacement. The exercise is not the enemy, but the position of the knee cap in relation to the thigh bone and pelvis. 

How do we avoid knee replacements, ligament tears, and arthritis? We must consider the muscles that support the thigh bone (femur) and knee cap (patella). Through a postural alignment assessment, we will identify what is off in your body and which muscles need to be activated to bring your body into alignment. By correcting and supporting the position of the lower legs, you will continue to be able to tackle stairs and maintain your heart healthy cardio!

A Peek inside Postural Alignment Therapy Evaluation

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When clients are new to postural alignment therapy, they become awakened to a new awareness of viewing the body. What do we mean by this?

When someone is in chronic or acute pain, the pain becomes their focus. Pain requires individuals to use great effort in order to function throughout their day. Their attention is centered on how to avoid pain. Our bodies are skilled at compensating. To reduce overall pain, our bodies will change the way in which we move as a form of survival.  

So as Egoscue therapists where do we start?

First: We place the focus on the joint position. We identify the joint position though palpating or touching the joints. But what does the joint position tell us? 

When we look at the body, we are looking for what is different from the natural skeletal position. 

        Do the shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles align? 

        Is a shoulder elevated? 

        Or, do the knees and feet turn out instead of being straight. 

If any of these joints are off, the body is unable to work as a unit and pain results from misalignment. 

Second: We assess the way the body is loading. 

        We do this by having the client do a body analysis. The client closes their eyes and connects to the weight of their body. Oftentimes, clients are heavier on one foot and their 

weight distribution can be uneven in both feet. This allows us to know that their body’s are misaligned and that natural compensation patterns are occurring for the client to move. As therapists we

use this assessment to understand the way the client’s joints load the weight bear of their body. This information helps us establish a baseline of their imbalances. 

Third: Gait analysis

All joints and muscles have a function or movement that they perform. When a person is misaligned and their joints are different than the natural skeletal position, their body will compensate for

this misalignment. We, as therapists, look at the way a client walks and moves. We are looking for what part of the body is not working and what parts of the body are compensating for the work

of the inactive part of the body.  Compensation can be new or have developed over years.

Often times in gait or walking we notice:

       No arm swing or more arm swing on one side

       Rotation and twisting in the upper body

       Elevation of a hip

       Knees and feet being turned outward or inward

       Uneven heel strike and decreased movement in the feet

Any compensation pattern will lead to inflammation, arthritis, pain, and decreased quality of life. 

So what do we do with this information!?!

 

Our goal is to pull the body into alignment. We correct the muscle imbalances and improve the way the body moves. Without proper alignment and motion you will set your body up for pain. Correct the alignment and live pain free.

Virtual Posture Therapy Sessions

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Facetime and skype appointmentsWhat is Virtual Therapy?

Virtual Therapy is a postorual therapy session conducted via Skype, FaceTime or Zoom at your convenience by a therapist certified by Egoscue University. It can be done anywhere as long as you have a phone, tablet, or computer!  Many clients see us for their sessions via virtual therapy when they are traveling, living abroad, or reside in a different state.  Even for clients in town, if the weather is bad or you would rather connect in the comfort of your home or office, virtual therapy is a great alternative to keep you out of pain.  Egoscue techniques work best with consistency to provide new stimulus for our ever-changing bodies. Virtual Therapy allows you to be consistent and feel your best, no matter where you are.  Give us a call if you have any questions or would like to schedule a Virtual Therapy appointment.

Painful Hip Flexors

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It’s not uncommon for us to hear our clients mention waking up with tight, sore hip flexors. Hip tightness can occur for many reasons. Excessive sitting can cause the muscles to relax and deactivate becoming progressively weaker and shorter, creating pain.

Poor posture habits can create a structural imbalance which will cause an uneven pulling of muscles.  No matter the reason, tightness in the hip flexors will lead to decreased movement in the hip and change the way we walk, stand and sit. Our pelvic position will be out of line because the hip flexors are pulling the pelvis forward. This changes the load of our body and creates instability in our gait. Over time, the uneven load and misalignment leads to inflammation, arthritis and other degenerative changes causing pain.  What to do?

At Pain Free we will evaluate you individually to see what is going on with your body that’s creating the issue.  Part of the prescribed plan will retrain those hip flexors to let go, get back to their intended length and tension to eventually re-establish the entire body’s alignment restoring proper gait.  All of that equals being pain free!

Try this and see if you are able to notice a release:

Stand with your back against the wall. When your hips are touching the wall, your thighs and kneecaps will begin to release. If your thighs want to engage, stay in this position for 2-5 minutes until your thighs release and the backs of your legs begin to work.

Moving into the New Year!

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A new year brings opportunity for new beginnings. Many of us look at January as a start date for change and for removing bad habits from our lives. What if we viewed this new decade as an opportunity to add something positive to our lives? This could be adding an Egoscue e-cise menu to your life to correct your joint position or choosing to do your Egoscue more regularly. When we add positive health choices to our life, even once a week, our body and our health change immensely.

In our culture, going to the gym the first month of the new year is a tradition for many. Many of us believe “moving more” is “exercising more”. This year, we’d like to encourage you change the way you think about movement. Moving more could be taking breaks every twenty minutes from sitting or standing at work. Take a walk around the office or out to the mailbox.  Moving more could be sitting on the floor to watch tv at night instead of collapsing into our couch or comfy chair. The more resistant surface of the floor encourages increased blood flow – seems crazy, but this is sooo good for your body! And, it’s so simple.

When we move in any which way, our bones our nourished and joints have enhanced flexibility. If your goal is to be pain free or enhance your health this new year, consider adding more movement to your life outside of the gym. Be creative. There are no rules to how you have to move just move as often as possible!