Why is GOOD Posture So Important?
October 24, 2011
For centuries healthcare providers have been trying to restore better posture to their patients in order to restore health. This is because postural alterations are known to be associated with a plethora of human afflictions from general pain syndromes (i.e. low back pain, neck pain, headaches, etc.) to problems with specific joints such as the hip and the knee to problems with respiratory function and thinking…and even morbidity. That is correct, better postured people live longer.
What is Normal Posture?
Just as there are normal values for heart rate, blood pressure, and an other physiological parameter, there is also a normal standing posture and spinal position. The normal posture is one that has the head, rib cage, pelvis and feet aligned and balanced upon the other, both from the front and side views. Your posture is the ‘Window into your Spine’ as it is inside of your posture and responsible for its alignment. The spine should be straight and vertical from the front. From the side the spine should have normal alternating curves to allow for normal pain-free, maximal range of motion and movement.
Normal / Ideal Posture
From the front the posture is symmetric and the spine is straight. From the side view, the head, rib cage, pelvis and feet are vertically balanced. The spine has essential curves in the side view.
The Problem
Why so many have given up on restoring posture is that until recently, nobody knew how to achieve it! This is why so few doctors and therapists assess and treat posture. Even the few who do ‘assess’ and attempt to ‘correct’ bad posture with various methods usually, ultimately fail. The reason for this is two-fold:
- Until recently a comprehensive posture evaluation has not existed. Only recently has CBP® (Clinical Biomechanics of Posture) developed the most comprehensive and thorough method to examine human posture.
- It was thought that muscles alone were responsible for maintaining and correcting posture. However, it has never been scientifically demonstrated that any form of exercise can significantly correct postural misplacements. CBP® researchers have discovered that the secret to correcting posture is in ‘creeping’ or stretching the ligaments of the spine that is not achieved by exercise or standard chiropractic adjusting.
What is Abnormal Posture?
There are many abnormal postures. There can be a shifting off of the midline or a turning around the midline. All these postures need to be ruled out for proper treatment. This is the most comprehensive postural assessment system ever created (As originated by Don Harrison, DC, PhD, MSE in the 1980s).
Do A Self-Test
To perform a simple self-test, stand in front of a full-length mirror. Close your eyes and nod your head backward and forward a couple of times and stop in your neutral or comfortable position. Open your eyes without moving any body part.
How Does CBP® Chiropractic Correct Posture?
Clinical Biomechanics of Posture technique uses a multi-modal approach that includes exercises, adjusting, and postural
traction. All of these are performed using the ‘Mirror Image’ concept. This simply means to reverse your specific bad postures. By reversing the bad posture we are able EAT your bad posture: Exercise the weakened and shortened muscles, Adjust the spine and posture, Traction or stretch the body back into normal alignment.
When considering treatment to correct bad posture, our chiropractic and physical therapy clinics in Bayonne
and Scotch Plains NJ offer Clinical Biomechanics of Posture technique. Our physicians come highly recommended by numerous physicians in Hudson and Union Counties. Feel free to contact us for a Free, In-Office Evaluation. If you are looking for faster
service, give us a call at one of our two New Jersey locations. For our Bayonne, NJ location, call 201-339-8889, and for our Scotch Plains, NJ location, call us at 908-490-1800. Just tell them that you read this article and you will receive our complimentary in-office evaluation (a $145 value).
*Picture and copy contained in this article are courtesy of CBP®. For more information visit idealspine.com.
Why Do My Hands Go Numb At Night?
October 17, 2011
Let me first start by saying numbness can be very annoying!
Years ago I injured my neck in a car accident. As a result of the accident I suffered a herniated disc to my cervical spine. It caused severe pain in my neck, down into my shoulder blade and down my arm. The pain was relentless but what really bothered me the most was that my left hand was constantly tingly and numb.
SPINAL DISC / NERVE INJURY
Commonly I get asked by my patients, “Doc, why do my hands go numb at night?” Well…a lot of times numbness can occur in the hand or hands as a result of an irritated nerve in the neck. Our brain transmits messages to our spinal cord via our spinal nerves. These nerves that exit tiny holes in our spinal column (made up of bones and discs) run to our extremities. So, an irritated nerve in the neck can cause the hand to go numb or tingly. This is treated almost every day in my office with
non-invasive painless procedures. Being I have personal experience with this I sort of have the blueprint to recovery of that annoying numbness.
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Another reason that someone’s hands can go numb is as a result of overuse. Someone who uses their hands frequently for their trade, hobby or sport can develop a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive stress/strain injury. Back to the anatomy lesson…those nerves that I described earlier that run from the neck into the arms branch into smaller nerves in the arm, wrist and hands. Particularly in the wrist there is a nerve that often gets irritated known as the median nerve. There is a very, very narrow tunnel in which the median nerve as well as tendons and blood vessels
will run through called the carpal tunnel. (this tunnel is referred to as “carpal” because the small bones in the wrist as called the carpal bones) Medical research has shown that cold laser and light therapy are non-invasive painless technologies can offer substantial relief from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Other conditions where a patient will complain of numbness is as a result of Type 2 Diabetes, Lymes Disease and Syphilis.
When considering treatment for burning pain and numbness, our chiropractic and physical therapy clinics in Bayonne and Scotch Plains NJ offer state-of-the art technologies to offer relief from numbness. Our physicians come highly recommended by numerous physicians in Hudson and Union Counties. Feel free to contact us for a Free, In-Office Evaluation. If you are looking for faster service, give us a call at one of our two New Jersey locations. For our Bayonne, NJ location, call 201-339-8889, and for our Scotch Plains, NJ location, call us at 908-490-1800. Just tell them that you read this article and you will receive our complimentary in-office evaluation (a $145 value).
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