"The More Mechanically Distorted
A Person Is, The Less Energy Is Available Posture - Issues and Answers Posture: Is It Really That Important?
Posture is affected by and affects every aspect of our lives. An individual's state of nutrition, exercise, stress management, body fat control and mental development can all be associated with posture. Posture is one of the most overlooked keys to optimum health and performance. Good posture improves fitness, thinking ability, emotional state and general vitality. Why? Posture is affected by the position and function of the spinal column. This also affects the function of the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Your posture, therefore, is a window to the spine and the spine is a window to the nervous system. "Posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from
breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood
pressure, pulse and lung capacity are among the functions most easily
influenced by posture."
"To Live a long, active, energetic life, few things matter more
than good posture" "Posture and normal physiology and function are interrelated. Abnormal
posture is evident in patients with chronic pain-related conditions including
backache, headache, and stress-related illnesses." At Dr. Carlson’s we have a different idea of health. In the evolving age of healthcare, we bring you unsurpassed care, scientifically proven for the long-term correction of injuries. Whether major traumas (like car accidents, falls, sports injuries, etc.) or minor traumas (like sitting all day, poor sleeping habits, ergonomics, etc.), your spine takes the majority of that abuse. With the understanding that the spine is the anatomical protection for your nervous system, it makes sense that alterations to your posture can influence that system, particularly the spinal cord and brainstem. At Dr Carlson’s office, we aim to restructure your spine back to a natural, healthy configuration. Healthy posture means a healthy nervous system, and from there the possibilities for good health are endless. We are excited to bring the most advanced techniques and latest research to the valley. Our goal is to revolutionize healthcare as we know today by providing unmatched service combined with the most advanced scientific techniques known for treating the human frame. Your Posture
How does a balanced, aligned spine spell relief?
The side view of the spine illustrates four normal curves. If this compensation does not take place, the center of gravity would
shift in the direction of the
Structural Rehabilitation of the Spine and Posture: Rationale for Treatment
Beyond the Resolution of Symptoms OBJECTIVE: To provide a rationale for active chiropractic rehabilitative treatment that extends beyond the single goal of resolution of symptomatic complaints. DATA COLLECTION: A manual search of available reference texts and a search of MEDLINE were collected with an emphasis on tissue healing sequelae and the role of mechanical loading on this process. RESULTS: The reviewed material indicates that all tissue growth and repair is influenced by mechanical loading and body posture and is positively affected by body postures that normalize/minimize adverse mechanical stresses and strains. Altered alignment of the human frame may lead to poor healing of the body tissues and eventual pathological architectural changes may occur in muscle, ligament, bone and central nervous system. Minimization of altered postural/structural loading of the human frame may take longer than resolution, or maximal reduction, of offensive symptoms. By itself, a patient's perception of pain is not a valid indicator of health. CONCLUSION: Because mechanical loading of the neuromusculoskeletal tissues
plays a vital role in influencing proper growth and repair, chiropractic
rehabilitative care should focus on the normalization/minimization of
aberrant stresses and strains acting on spinal tissues. Manipulation
alone cannot restore body postures or improve an altered sagittal spinal
curve. Therefore, postural chiropractic adjustments, active exercises
and stretches, resting spinal blocking procedures, extension traction
and ergonomic education are deemed necessary for maximal spinal rehabilitation.
Chiropractic studies that demonstrate structural improvements are sorely
lacking and needed. The use of passive treatment modalities as the sole
means of chiropractic intervention for the management of patients suffering
with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction no longer has a place in modern
chiropractic practice after the acute phase of healing has passed. Research & Findings Braaf MM, Rosner S. Trauma of the cervical spine as a cause of chronic
headache. J Trauma 1975; 15: 441-6. Vernon H, Steiman I, Hagino C. Cervicogenic Dysfunction in Muscle Contraction
Headache and Migraine: a Descriptive Study. J Manipulative Physiol Ther
1992; 15: 418-29. Nagasawa A, Sakakibara T,Takahashi A. Roentgenographic Findings of the
Cervical Spine in Tension-type Headache. Headache 1993; 33: 90-5. 55:
943-8. We’re a health conscious society today and good posture is a part of it. Good posture means your spinal bones are properly aligned and your joints, muscles and ligaments can work as nature intended. Good Posture helps contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system. Without good posture your overall health can be compromised. The long-term effects of poor posture can affect bodily systems such as digestion, elimination and breathing as well as muscles and ligaments. A person who has poor posture may often be tired or unable to work efficiently or move properly. One of the more common postural distortions seen in doctor’s offices these days is Forward Head Posture or FHP. In my office it is frequently a contributing factor of neck pain and stiffness patients seek relief for. In the past few decades, with the proliferation of computer workstations in most businesses, FHP is becoming a common modern day affliction. Since we live in a forward facing world, the repetitive use of computers, TV, video games, trauma and even backpacks have forced the body to adapt to a forward head posture. Think of your head as a bowling ball that weighs between 12-15 pounds. Ideally your head should be positioned directly over your cervical (neck) spine and shoulders. If your head is even 1 inch forward to this normal position the weight of your head effectively doubles the load your neck has to support. If you keep your head in this position for long periods, pain syndromes will eventually occur and can cause the above-mentioned symptoms, as well as upper back muscle spasms. Because the neck and shoulders have to carry this weight all day spinal tissues are subject to significant loading for sustained periods of time. The spinal tissues can over time deform and undergo remodeling changes that could become permanent. When this happens it takes much more time to correct. Postural distortions are very subtle at first and become progressively worse over time if steps are not taken to change the course of FHP. Forward head posture has been shown to flatten the normal neck curve, resulting in disc compression, damage and early degenerative changes or arthritis. This abnormal position is often linked to tension headaches that start at the back of the head and sweep over the top and front of the head. FHP can also cause tension in the TMJ (temperomandibular joint) or jaw joint leading to pain, headaches and bite problems. Some evidence exists that postural positions can affect the nerve tissue by altering blood flow to the spinal chord. People with uncorrected FHP can potentially suffer chronic or unpleasant conditions, such as pinched nerves and blood vessels as seen in thoracic outlet syndrome. FHP is fairly easy to detect. Patients are usually asked to look up at the ceiling, down at the floor, and then straight ahead. I then find the center of the shoulder and draw an imaginary line up. It should pass right through the middle of the ear where the hole is. If you were to continue this imaginary line down through the rest of your body the line should fall through the middle of your hips, through the middle of the knee and ankle. In my office determining FHP is fairly straightforward. If I suspect a postural component to a patients complaint the first step is a thorough consultation and spinal examination, along with x-rays (if needed) to identify all factors that may contribute to Forward Head Posture. Once identified, Chiropractic adjustments and exercise/postural recommendations can be made. Most Chiropractors will point out poor ergonomics and situations that pre-dispose an individual to FHP, and give practical solutions. Monitoring good posture should be a lifetime commitment. With a little effort and awareness, you can be assured a future doing things you love to do, rather than suffering from the damage and degeneration that FHP and poor posture can bring.
To change the ligament structure takes time and consistency. An applied force over time The problem that has been described is secondary to the neurological
problems caused by spinal subluxation. The secondary problem is the
connective soft tissue that holds vertebrae to vertebrae surrounding
the inner spinal cord, and allows spinal units to function in harmony
with other spinal units. Normal muscle action is also dependent on
harmony within spinal units. This connective soft tissue that we
are speaking of us called the epi pia collagen network of the ligaments
and discs in the spine. The University of Michigan conducted whiplash-type
experiments utilizing primates and found that the vertebrae of the
cervical and lumbar spine compression fractured before the ligaments
tore. When the spine is subluxated, the protein fibers creep longer and allow a greater range of motion on the traction side of the subluxation complex; whereas the shorter protein fibers offer more resistance to motion on the opposite side, or compression side of the subluxation. These fibers creep either longer or shorter, as the case may be, to stabilize and to accommodate the new position of the subluxated vertebra and the entire spine. Once the protein fibers have set up in their new subluxated position, the shortened fibers on the acute, compressed side of the subluxated spine presents a mechanical advantage that is many times greater than when they were at their normal length. This subluxation produces a mechanical advantage (lever arm) so great that the vertebra is relatively immovable to the adjustive forces on the acute side. Normal motion is also impeded and adjustive forces on the previously mentioned subluxation will not produce motion on the compressive side of the subluxation. This immovability on the compression side produces a fulcrum-type effect, which then transfers the adjustive force into the opposite long protein fiber side. Therefore, greater forces and greater mobility than expected is usually produced on the side of the longer protein fibers, as these fibers have lost a proportional amount of their normal mechanical advantage in their new subluxated position. Therefore, movement of the vertebrae under any adjustive force may not be in the direction that the clinician anticipated, even if a specific line of drive was used. Aberrant vertebral movement may give temporary relief. However when the patient is again erect and under axial compression forces of gravity, the unequal, unrehabilitated ligaments and discs are unequally loaded and therefore, produce unequal forces that begin to return the spine to its subluxated state. The patient will again be in need of an adjustment.
A normal neck contour decreases
mechanical wear and tear The reversed neck contour
speeds up wear and tear causing
premature Osteoarthritis For instance,
let's say you are driving and hit a pot hole in the road. We will assume
that the front end of your car was
knocked out of alignment. If you stopped your car, got out and looked at
the tires, do you think signs of wear and tear would already be visible?
Probably
not. What if you kept driving the car for another 10,000 miles without getting
the problem checked out. First, you probably noticed some subtle changes
in the car's steering. Maybe it pulled to
The diagram up and to the right demonstrates the biomechanics of how
the head weight is balanced
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"The more mechanically distorted a person is, the less energy available
for healing metabolism and thought"
Rationale for Treatment
The
illustration to the right demonstrates a side and back
Correction
of an abnormal spinal mechanics takes time and consistency. When
your teeth are crooked the Orthodontist puts braces on to correct
the structure. Think about how much more important the structure
of your spine is for the function of your overall health. We focus
on correcting the problem through Chiropractic, traction and exercise.
The x-ray directly to the right demonstrates what would be
considered a normal or near normal cervical lordosis(curve). The
X-ray is of a 73 year old man. This x-ray demonstrates the benefits
of a "healthy neck curve." There is not any evidence of degeneration.
It is very common at this age to see disc degeneration (narrowed 
This
x-ray demonstrates not only a reversed neck curve, but also substantial
degeneration. Notice the disc spaces between the vertebras
at the lower area of the neck are much thinner than the ones above.
Additionally, a number of bone spurs are present at the same levels
where disc thinning is occurring. This is a classic presentation of
Osteoarthritis on x-ray. Most people would think that this is an elderly
patient because of the advanced degeneration. Interestingly, this
patient is only 55 years old in contrast to the x-rays of the 73 year old
patient above. This is proof positive that chronically distorted (Reversed
contour
misalignments and postures in the spine dramatically accelerate with degeneration)
degenerative arthitis. Could this process have been prevented or
delayed with chiropractic correction? Very possibly and very likely it
could have. The intervention should have started years earlier
before degeneration was present. The problem with something like this is that
many times patients aren't
experiencing any symptoms to speak of until a lot of the damage is done. Minor
to no symptoms may
be present in the initial stages of degenerative wear and tear. Let's use an
analogy to clarify how degeneration
happens. The wear and tear that takes place on an automobile is a good comparison. 
The best way to get a feel for how a decreased spinal
curve mechanically affects the muscle tension and wear-and-
tear of your spine is to do what we call the bowling ball test.
It may sound funny, but will really open your eyes to how
much potential mechanical stress your spine experiences.
Take a 10 to 12 pound bowling ball and hold it in one hand,
palm up like you are getting ready to bowl. Now, curl the ball
up close to your body and hold it in that position for 15 to
20 seconds. Keeping your upper arm stationary start extending
your elbow until your forearm is 90 degrees from your arm, or
your forearm is pointing straight in front of you. Now try to (Neck muscles
should balance
hold the ball in this position for 15 to 20 seconds. the head weight,
not support it.)