Pain Relief Through Posture Alignment

In case you missed my article in the Los Alamos Daily Post it is reprinted below.

Do you have joint or muscle pain? It may be your posture. According to the Egoscue Method® of posture alignment the “design posture” of the human body is to have the load-bearing joints of the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles at 90-degree angles to each other from the front and side views. Stand up and take a look – are your shoulders level, hips square and feet pointed straight ahead?

Deviation from this “design posture” can lead to pain as a result of musculoskeletal dysfunctions and compensations. Dysfunctions are when the body's musculoskeletal system loses the ability to perform everyday movements for which it is created. This can lead to compensations, where the muscles begin engaging in actions and movements for which they are not intended. Since the muscles move the bones, the result of these dysfunctions and compensations can be seen in postural imbalances.

The goals of posture alignment therapy are:

• Rediscover the body's design

• Restore function

• Return to health

The Egoscue Method® is based on the concept that the body develops and is maintained through motion and responds to stimulus. Postural deviations that cause pain are typically the result of not enough motion and muscle atrophy, or too much of the same, repetitive movements and muscle over development and imbalances. To return the body to postural balance the Egoscue Method® uses a personalized program of stretching and strengthening exercises called Egoscue-cises (E-cises) that remind the body of proper posture and retrain muscle mechanics. The results are pain reduction or elimination, return to an active lifestyle, looking and feeling younger, increased strength and balance, greater energy and more enjoyment in daily activities.