May is "Posture Awareness Month" at Pain Free Posture MN.
Good posture is intrinsically linked to good health.
In celebration of Posture Awareness Month, Pain Free Posture MN is offering 50% off of the cost of an on line posture alignment therapy menu!
From now until the end of May you can get a new Posture Alignment corrective exercise menu (customized for your unique needs) generated and sent to you on line for $45.00/menu
Attaining and maintaing Good Posture is now recognized as an important factor in aging well and living a pain free, active lifestyle.
Poor posture has been linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain, joint degeneration, loss of motor function and other serious health problems.
- chronic back and joint pain
- spinal and pelvic disruptions
- headaches, migraines and TMJ
- joint disruption and degeneration
- muscle tension, spasm, tenderness or stiffness
- fibromaylgia
Numerous research studies confirm what your mom and we Posture Aligment Specialists (Egoscue University Certified) know to be true: good posture translates into good health and a pain free life and living!
BUT - There's more to good posture than simply standing straight.
Posture is about how your body balances and functions based on the alignment of your four major load joints. If we are imbalanced at any of those four key areas, our body begins to compensate to keep us from falling, stay erect and doing life.
We are creatures of habit. When we have an injury, our body will move differently to avoid pain. Over time, the body will adapt. Our body will create new habits. The brain adapts and adopts new muscles and joint positions even in the absence of continued pain. We believe we are standing straight because our brain is being told by our senses that we are balanced, even though the mirror shows we are not.
We all know good posture can improve back health and decrease back pain, but did you know that good posture can make you look thinner, taller, healther and more attractive? People with good posture carry themselves in a more natural and confident looking manner. That's a confidence booster!
In addition, a regular posture alignment corrective exercise practice can also help:
- Regain lost height. As we age, we can lose up to 3 inches of our height. This is exacerbated with poor posture. A postural therapy program can help you restore your lost height.
- Preventing fatigue. When you have good posture, you use your muscles more efficiently. Less energy is expended trying to keep the body balanced.
- Reduce muscular strain and joint pain
- Reduce wear on the load joint ligaments and tendons acting on the joints, pelvis and alignment of the spine
- Reduce the occurance of inflammation, fibromyalgia symptoms, arthritis, circulation disruption and digestive problems due to an imbalanced posture
Through postural health education, increaseing your awareness of the benefits of good posture and actively engaging in a corrective exercise program, you can feel better and avoid serious pain and posture related problems as you age.
Make a commitment to your health, and get yourself a new postural therapy menu. You can improve your posture on your own in the comfort of your own home!
If you have never been in to Pain Free Posture MN and feel that you need one-on-one coaching, help learning the exercises and a deeper experience, you can also request an in studio appointment.
Don’t delay: This offer ends May 31st, 2012 at 11:59pm CST.
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
May is Posture Awareness Month! Here at Pain Free Posture MN we know that good posture is the foundational key to living a pain free life and living!
There are many research studies that confirm the fact that people with better posture are healthier and actually live longer. Poor posture is a major cause of back and neck pain for all ages, and even contributes to breathing, digestive, and cardiopulmonary problems.
In addition, your posture is a reflection of how the world sees you. Let's face it. The way you carry yourself day in and out speaks to others indirectly. How many times have you caught yourself judging a person based on his/her posture?
We might not like to admit it, but good posture exudes confidence, happiness, and a commanding presence. Correcting, improving and strengthening your posture is an intelligent exercise habit to make you look and feel better, avoid injury, and exercise effectively to stay active and pain-free.
The first step towards improving and restoring your posture is to find out where you are to begin with.
You might have never thought about your posture until today, so it's best to get a base line assessment. I always say, "you don't know what you don't know", so go get your camera! There's a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.
It's posture photo time!
Take 4 Posture Photos:
- Ask a friend/family member to help you out and take four pictures of your current posture: one facing forward, one facing the back, and one from the right and left side.
- Stand against a neutral background that has little distractions (a blank wall with neutral paint)
- If possible, use a tripod for your camera so that you are taking a level photo. Be sure to include the whole body from the feet up.
- Be sure to wear a minimal amount of clothing. Bra top and shorts for ladies, bare chest and shorts for men. No socks please!
- Stand a few inches from a wall.
- The best gift you can give yourself when assessing your current posture is to stand the way you normally do. No "posing" or trying to correct your posture to begin with. You want to take an authentic snapshot of where you are so you can evaluate where you've been!
- Print it out and take a look. The ask yourself:
- Is one shoulder higher than the other?
- Is the hip higher on one side over than the other?
- What direction are the knees and feet pointing (straight ahead, in, out or some combination)?
- Are the shoulders and head rounded forward (side view)?
- Are the hips rolling forward or back?
- Make a note of what imbalances you see. Each of these imbalances are are deviations from the what we Posture Alignment Specialists refer to as "blue-print design"
- You may not be in pain now, but if not addressed, these poor postural positions leave us prone to injury, joint dysfunctions and imbalanced muscle groups that cause pain and mobility problems.
Ideally, our bodies should adhere to "blue-print" design or Good Posture.
From the front view, the two halves of your body should be the same (symmetrical). This means your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles are all equal to one another and the same distance from the body.
Poor Posture from the front view will show the two halves of your body to be different at all the major load joints (asymmetrical). The photo may show that your head or torso is off to one side, or one hand is lower than the other.
The same holds true from the side view. Good Posture in a side view will show a straight line that dissects the the fold connecting the ear, shoulder, hip, and ankle. The spine will show normal curves.
Poor Posture from the side view might show all sorts of deviations such as the head being significantly forward of the plumb line, rounded shoulders, excessive tilt of the pelvis, and imbalances from the ankle to knee.
Being aware of your posture and creating a positive change through the use of posture photos is a fundamental component of success with Posture Alignment Therapy. Along with a posture and gait analysis and the proper application of a corrective exercise menu, restoring good posture is key to achieving and maintaining a pain free life and living.
Talk to us today to schedule your own posture assessment and corrective exercise menu. We have in-studio and an on-line option available!
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
The following article written by Pete Egoscue first appeared in The New York Times Sports Pages Back Talk section on December 11th, 1994.
The athletes names are dated, but the information remains as powerful and timeless as ever.
I hope you take Pete's words to heart, and give us a call if you would like to experience the pain reliving, posture restoring and athletic performance enhancing benefits of posture alignment therapy for yourself!
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The Body's Notion for Motion is Missing a Proper Method
by Pete Egoscue
Today’s professional athletes are stronger, faster, more agile and skilled than previous generations.
Right?
Wrong.
The men and women who run, jump, throw, tackle, dunk, skate, swing a racquet, hit golf balls and in general play games for a living have better hand-eye coordination than before – much better – and better stamina and cardiovascular profiles because of long hours of training.
But in my mind, they are accidents waiting to happen.
For example, when Pete Sampras tried to defend his United States Open tennis title last August, he was suffering from posterior tibial tendinitis. In other words, his left ankle was stiff and sore. By the fourth round, he was out of condition and was upset by Jaime Yzaga.
Most fans probably chalked up his loss to a case of bad luck or a result of playing too much tennis. But to me, Sampras was feeling the symptoms of physical dysfunctions that had been accumulating for years despite his enormous success on the court.
As an anatomical functionalist – a therapeutic practitioner who concentrates on musculoskeletal function – I’ve noticed that Sampras has structural problems with his body that are causing his frequent injuries.
The next time he plays, check out his feet. They splay to the right and left; he walks like a duck.
This condition has its origin in the hips. When Sampras strokes the ball, he has to transfer his weight from right hip to lift hip, right foot to left foot. When the feet are splayed, as his are, that transfer is disrupted. For on thing, the arches of the feet are not able to participate in the transfer since the energy is moving obliquely across the bone structure rather than from heel to toe.
Whenever, he swings the racquet, Sampras must compensate, and the human body is tremendously ingenious this way: the knees, the hips, the lower back, the elbow and the rotator cuff get involved with a function they were not designed to perform. In Sampras’ case, his knees are under tremendous lateral pressure and he is rolling onto the edges of his feet to make the transfer. This past summer, the tendons in his heel were saying, “Stop doing that, right now!”
What happened to Sampras happens to millions of other Americans. Bodies – male and female, young and old — are saying through pain, the only language they speak, “Stop moving that way, right now!”
I see hundreds of casualties from what is called "compensatory motion" every week. Thirty-five million Americans suffer from some sort of back or joint pain, and the United States Labor Department's Occupational Health and Safety Administration estimates that upward of 100 million people have varying degrees of repetitive stress injury.
More than two decades ago, I made an observation that is now the cornerstone of what I call the Egoscue Method: the human body - bones, muscles, every system and subsystem - is designed to maintain itself through motion.
The body is designed on the basis of parallel vertical and horizontal lines forming 90-degree angles. The verticals run down the right and left sides of the body through the shoulders, hips, knees, ankles and feet. The horizontals go right to left through the pairs of shoulder, hip knee and ankle joints. It's a grid. When the 90-degree angles are violated, the structural integrity of the body is compromised.
Modern living does not provide enough motion and - most important - enough of the proper motion to keep the body fully fit, totally functional and pain free. The body is so efficient that when a muscle is not being used, it is literally shut down, put on hold.
All of us have experienced this. Catch a cold or get busy at work, lay off the exercise routine for a couple of days, and what happens? It's tough to get started again. We're stiff and easily winded.
On a much larger scale, muscles that were designed for vital function like walking, bending over at the waist, twisting to the right or left and lifting heavy objects have shut down from disuse. Even so, we still have to move around and that's where compensatory motion sets in. Without these major muscle groups, other muscles that weren't designed for the function are called into action. They're not up to the job over the long haul.
The result is pain or diminished physical capacity and performance. It may take years of compensatory motion to arrive at the final destination - our bodies are tough - but breakdown is inevitable.
Remember it's not just motion, its proper motion. I've worked with talented offensive and defensive football linemen who were unable to transfer their weight when the ball was snapped without first bobbing upward at the knee and shifting their feet. Wham! That nanosecond left them vulnerable to being taken out.
Despite all the hours of practice and weight training, high school and college ball and endless drills, these athletes are still products of their own culture, and that means they've been running a motion deficit since infancy. The great thieves of bodily function are cars, desks and television sets. Technology is robbing us of a precious legacy. We are losing our life-support system.
In many respects, quarterback Joe Montana, now suffering form a foot injury, is like Sampras. The femur, the large bone of the thigh, is internally rotated, his feet are externally rotated and his hips are tilted forward. He has lost the curvature of his spine, and his shoulders are rounded forward, which has also pulled the head forward.
All of these conditions have nothing to do with football and every thing to do with proper motion. Montana has been playing with a dysfunctional body since the day he first put on shoulder pads. It has been getting worse by the day.
Everyone knows Montana doesn't throw deep anymore. It's not that he's 38 years old. His body will not allow him to transfer his weight into the throwing motion. Montana compensates by throwing with his arm and not with his entire body.
Joe is like us. His posture is identical to that of millions of other Americans, from cab drivers to schoolteachers. Look in a full-length mirror: Is one shoulder higher than the other is? How about the hips? Are they dead level? Do the knees and feet point straight ahead? Stand sideways. Are the shoulders and head rounded forward? Are the hips rolling forward or back?
Our body grids are a mess and we rationalize it as old age, family traits or just the way things are. But we've become a sedentary society. It is easier not to move. There's no penalty for remaining relatively stationary in one place hour after hour. In fact there are handsome rewards in terms of money and prestige. Sadly, when we decide to finally "get in shape," we end up further stressing out the muscles involved in compensatory motion and continuing to bypass those that need to be re-engaged.
What we need to do is give our major muscle groups a wake-up call. What we need to recognize is that the body isn't fragile. It isn't broken. But without enough motion - proper motion - we are all slowly dying in place.
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
If you are a fan of Posture Alignment Therapy, The Egoscue Method or Pete Egoscue, then you well know how important the Supine Groin Progressive Stretch is in maintaining a pain free life and living.
At Egoscue University, we like to call this corrective exercise The Silver Bullet!
It's been my personal experience that doing the Supine Groin Progressive Stretch works best when done in The Tower.
The Tower was designed to truly help you maximize and achieve the best results from this powerful pain relieving, and posture correcting exercise.
Watch this video to learn why your Certified Posture Alignment Specialist has given you this e-cise along with is a detailed explanation of the benefits and how to use the Multi-position Tower.
Hopefully this video has been a new insight for you in helping you come to a deeper understanding of how The Power of the Tower can help you eliminate your chronic low back and other related pain.
If you'd like more information, want to schedule your own Postural Therapy appointment, or have questions, please reach out! That's what we're here for!
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
May 5th 2012 marks Pilates Day®.
Pilates Day® is a registered trademark of the Pilates Method Alliance, and was created as a way to raise the profile of the Pilates method.
In honor of Joseph Hubertus Pilates, founder and creator of what we today know as around the world simply as Pilates, our sister studio Pilates Integration Mind. Body. Spirit. would like to express gratitude to the man who was so visionary in the mind/body field.
Joseph Pilates was truly a pioneer in the mind/body world, to whom millions of people have experienced the many wonderful benefits of this art form. I am just one who has been touched and changed profoundly by his work.
Last year, on Saturday May 7th, 2011 hundreds of Pilates professionals, and thousand of students and enthusiasts world-wide came together to practice pilates and continue to foster awareness of this great method of fitness through events organized by The Pilates Method Alliance.
Lolita San Miguel is recognized around the world in the Pilates community as a First-generation Pilates teacher. She is one of only a handful of practitioners to receive an official teaching certificate from Joseph Pilates himself.
In 2009, Lolita San Miguel discovered that Joseph Pilates was virtually unknown in his hometown and she made it her mission to establish a memorial in his honor. This May, after two years of persistence and hard work from local community members, a memorial dedicated to Joseph Pilates will mark his birthplace, Monchengladbach, Germany. Mayor Norbert Bude gave final approval for the placement of a memorial plaque on the site where Pilates' former home and birthplace stood.
The Plaque will honor Joseph Pilates, the genius who has revolutionized and influenced the entire world through his Pilates Method of Body Conditioning.
"Through these two years," Lolita said, "I have had the steadfast support and encouragement of my disciples and many others, among them the Pilates Method Alliance, Body Control U.K. and Balanced Body. It has not been an easy journey, especially for a person who does not speak German, but I learned long ago from Joseph Pilates that everything worthwhile doing requires patience, perseverance and persistence to accomplish. I want to give special thanks to my German disciple Claudia Holtsmann, who has helped me so much with the bureaucracy in Monchengladbach, making countless trips to their government offices and to Renata Sabongui, who has contributed enormously both of her time and money to this project. Without the help of these two people, my dream could not have become a reality."
On May 7th, 2011 Lolita San Miguel saw her dream to completion.
I'm sure the emotions are overwhelming, and I would like to thank San Miguel for her efforts. To read more about this long journey you can read more at Lolita San Miguel's website.
To all of you who practice the wonderful method of Pilates, carry-on the good work. And to those who now are more curious than ever and would like to give it a try, please give me a call.
"[A] body freed from nervous tension and over-fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind that is always fully capable of successfully meeting all of the complex problems of modern living."
~ Joseph H. Pilates, A Return to Life
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
May is National Posture Awareness Month. As part of our month long celebration, I thought you'd all enjoy the following animation short circa 1947.
Clipped from the film "Modern Guide to Health", this short film was produced by the British Government was created to advise the public on a range of health topics, one of which included the benefits of good posture.
Interestingly in 1947, the Posture Committee of the American Academy of Orthapaedic Surgeons stated the following about Posture:
"Posture is defined as the relative arrangement of the parts of the body.
Good posture is that state of muscular and skeletal balance which protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity irrespective of the attitude (erect, lying, squatting, stooping) in which these structures are working or resting. Under such conditions the muscles will function most efficiently and the optimum positions are afforded for the thoracic and abdominal organs.
Poor posture is a faulty relationship of the various parts of the body, which produces increased strain on the supporting structures and in which there is less efficient balance of the body over its base of support. Postural faults can give rise to discomfort, pain or disability. The range of effect from discomfort to incapacitating disability is related to the severity and persistence of the faults."
Highlights from the Modern Guide to Health film clip:
- Bad posture can make you ill
- Slumping over can cause headache, backache and fatigue
- Good posture practices like sitting up and standing straight and tall makes one feel better
- The skeleteon is a framwork of bones that protects the vital organs of the body. It is strong, gives support and is jointed to allow for movement.
- Bad posture puts strain on bone and muscle, and constricts breathing and digestion
- Good posture gives the body a chance to do it's normal function without strain, allows the lungs to take in the maximum amount of air, and the digestive organs to do their work properly
Sure sounds like the 8 Laws of Physical Health that we Posture Alignment Specialists (Egoscue University Certified) teach and implement back into our client's lives to relieve pain, improve posture and enhance athletic performance.
It's now 65 years after that film was first produced. It's interesting to see that somehow we've not learned this vital lesson. The first rule of health is Good Posture!
How's your posture?
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this film clip, and any questions/concerns your might have about the benefits of Posture Alignment Therapy.
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
As a Posture Alignment Specialist one of the main functions of my job is helping people overcome chronic musculoskeletal pain, improve their posture and enhance their athletic performance.
When it comes to pain, I truly believe that our words and thoughts directly impact our ability to heal and be well.
I read a great article posted on WebMD called, Words Really Do Hurt.
The article discusses recent research which supports the theory that words alone may activate a pain response in the brain.
The Power of the Spoken Word is not to be taken lightly. Researchers found that people with chronic pain disorders who tend to speak a lot about their painful experiences with their health care providers may intensify the activity of the pain matrix in the brain and intensify the pain experience.
Don't I know it!
As a practicing Christian this is a fundamental belief I believe (Out of the heart the mouth speaks - Luke 6:45) but the power of the spoken word on our behavior also transcends psychology (looking glass self) and sociology (self-fulfilling prophecy) as well.
Long story short, words really do hurt! (photo source Ability Magazine)
For years, I have worked with clients to help them identify the power of words, and how their thoughts and words affect their pain and ability to heal.
The body is a store house for our words, memories and emotions. My job as a Posture Alignment Specialist is to:
- Listen to you the client without judgment or placing a word value on your ability to heal and get well. You know more about what's going on than any health expert in any field. I'm here to LISTEN!
- Identify the root cause of your pain (your position (posture) vs. your condition)
- Address the compensations and dysfunctions at the major load joints
- Design a corrective exercise program and develop smart goals
- Teach the client how to re-align and restore their body back towards its blue-print design.
GREAT! But....
If the client continues on with negative or destructive thought patterns like:
- "I can't do that it will hurt"
- "My body doesn't tolerate bending, lifting, squatting, running...... because it hurts my knees, my back, my shoulders......"
- "I was just born this way"....
- "I have my mother's (insert body part/pain)"
- "I will just have to learn to live with pain, it's the card I've been dealt"...
Hmm.., I wonder why we still hurt and can't really ever get better.
When we constantly meditate and speak on our perceived abilities, and what our support structure (family, friends and loved ones) also speak over us, how are you supposed to overcome your pain problem?
One of the first things I have to address with clients (besides bringing balance to the body) is the power of words, and what the client and his/her support community speaks out loud.
We are more than our bodies. We are mind and spirit, and what we think, believe, meditate upon, and speak over ourselves have a direct impact on our health!
Pete Egoscue (founder of the Egoscue Method) states "Pain is not a disease, not an injury, not even an effect of aging. Pain is a [treatable] symptom".
As we work to restore the body, we also work to restore the mind and the spirit!
In addition to the five steps listed above, postural therapy is highly successful because we help our clients change their
- Thoughts
- Actions
- Habits
So we start by restoring the body, and bringing balance to one area, which when combined with an active effort of changing our thoughts on healing can affect the other two. Ultimately however, it comes down to the individual CHOOSING to think clean, think health, think restoration and then put it into practice.
A fantastic resource I recommend is Dr. Caroline Leaf's book called "Who Switched off my Brain"?
Dr. Leaf discuss how 87% to 95% of the illness that people deal with today are a direct result of thought life. What we think about (dwell upon) affects us physically and emotionally. It's all connected.
The book not only discusses the why, but provides a tool kit for change, or better said "how to bring thoughts into captivity".
- Understand that thoughts are real and have an actual anatomy
- Increase conscious awareness of your thoughts and how you are feeling
- Doing something once you have analyzed the thought
- Building new memories over the old
It's a thrill for me to see that science is now validating what what I personally know to be true. Words are connected to the pain experience. I'd love to hear what you think, so post a comment or send me a direct message.
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
Yikes! I just have to share this with you all today. If you're not aware, there is a growing trend of selecting plastic surgery for fashion.
Back in December of 2010, I was in the midst of teaching an Egoscue University Posture Alignment Specialist Certification Seminar, and happened to sit down to watch the ABC program Nightline before heading off to bed.
Shocked and horrified, here was a case of "crazy town" mocking me in the face.
The newest trend in selective plastic surgery, had arrived. Cutting up your feet, and willingly taking multiple health, posture and pain related risks for shoe fashion. Yes, it's true, toe-shortening and fat pad injections are just two of the newest plastic surgery trends focused on getting feet to fit fashion. Not only is it damaging enough to force your foot into ill-fitting shoes, now women (and I'm sure men) are resorting to more extreme measures to ensure their feet are high-heel friendly.
Check it out for yourself:
Seriously? I was blown away! Well today, Stylist Magazine reports that the trend continues on. The article states:
This year's warning: heels are getting so high (and so prevalent) that more women than ever are resorting to cosmetic feet surgery to fit into them. Such procedures include getting fillers injected into the balls of your feet and even "toe jobs." To which we say: ouch.
Of course, women have been wearing high heels for centuries. But in recent years those spikey heels have gotten higher and higher (thanks, Christian Louboutin). In 2008 journalists noted that five-inch heels and towering platforms were becoming commonplace. So naturally in 2009, doctors went on record to declare heels a health hazard. The same happened in 2010, and again in 2011 and 2012. Turns out, no matter when you ask experts, they'll tell you that cramming your tootsies into vertiginous death traps is not a good idea.
But we really can't win, because modifying our feet to fit into said traps is dangerous, too. It was reported in 2009 that women were getting plastic surgery on their feet to strap on those sky-high shoes -- even though the risks of such plastic surgery "including infections, pain, scarring and nerve damage -- are much greater than the benefits," doctors say. The same was reported in 2010.
And despite the health warnings, we're are still at it. The Daily Mail noted yesterday that requests for filler injections into women's toe pads, balls of the feet and heels have jumped 21%, doubling last year's rates. It looks like cosmetic foot surgery isn't going anywhere.
With summer approaching and those gorgeous stilettos calling your name, would you go to the doctor's office for some high heel surgery?
As I've commented in the past, as long as we are sacrificing the body, I'll always be guaranteed work!
Our feet and ankles have a proper design and function. I'm not against gorgeous high heels, and when worn occassionally, the impact can be neutralizied with a comprehensive posture alignment therapy program. I have such a hard time wrapping my head around undergoing selective plastic surgery to purposely wear these things day in and out!
If left alone, and worse, altered by surgical manipulation, the ramifications on posture, pain and performance are potentially life changing for the worse! What's the good news in this story? Well, if you haven't undergone plastic surgery to change the shape of your feet or toes and are experiencing posture related pain, we can help! Posture alignment therapy is a natural and highly successful pain relief program designed to help you body return to it's proper blue-print design WITHOUT medication, manipulation or surgery.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Would you undergo selective surgery for fashion?
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
Did you know that May is National Posture Awareness Month?
Here at Pain Free Posture MN, we are planning to celebrate it in style!
Your posture is how the world sees you. The Cleavland Clinic defines posture as the position "in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down."
So based on that definition, your posture could be anywhere from good to bad, to just plain ugly!
Here at Pain Free Posture MN, we practice Posture Alignment Therapy. Postural therapy is a highly successful and non-invasive corrective exercise program that eliminates chronic pain naturally (without medication, manipulation or surgery), improves posture and enhances athletic performance by helping you take control and restore your body back toward our "blue-print" design.
Blue-print design by definition is good posture. A body that adheres closely to blue-print design is able to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities by functioning optimally at all the four major load joints.
We believe that correcting and strengthening your posture is an intelligent mind/body practice that:
- 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
- Enhances greater concentration and mental ability
- Promotes more respect-producing, confident, competent, vigorous, youthful appearance
- Leads to an active and pain-free life and living
So in preparation of Posture Awareness Month, we thought it would be fun to gather up your success stories of how Posture Alignment Therapy, or other forms of corrective exercise have improved your life.
If postural therapy has helped you improve your life, we'd love for you to share your story here.
Please write your comments in the form provided below.
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.
I'd like to welcome guest blogger and Health & Fitness Coach - Mari Anne Auwarter
Mari Anne brings a fresh view on how un-resolved stress affects our physical health. Instead of taking a "band-aid" approach to addressing stress, Mari Anne encourages us to engage in Body Talk! The best part? She discusses ways to identify the root-cause!
Here at Pain Free Posture MN these are topics we've blogged about and discussed in legth multiple times!
As a chronic pain relief, posture restoration and performance enhancement specialist, we truly believe that body does talk to us if are willing to take the time to stop and listen. Mari Anne provides tips and techniques to assist you in learning to LISTEN to your Body Talk. Enjoy!
Self-Care: Check Your Thoughts At The Door
by Mari Anne Auwarter | April 22nd, 2012 |
Self-care is such a generic, over-used term these days.
You’ll hear doctors and other professionals recommending that we take hot baths, get massages, get a manicure, and the list goes on & on. I’m suggesting something different.
Not that those things aren’t wonderful & without benefit, but are they getting to the root of what’s causing the stress in the first place?
Taking a hot bath without looking at the cause of your stress is simply a temporary Band-aid solution. Why not treat the cause of your stress rather than just treating the symptoms? Why mask the problem when you can prevent it from happening in the first place?
Be Present in Your Physical Body
Many of us are so busy in our minds that we’ve totally disconnected from our physical bodies. In fact, some of us are so disconnected that we’re not even always aware of some of most basic sensations like hunger, thirst, hot, cold & tired.
The stress created from our thinking manifests in our bodies. It ties our shoulders into knots, causes our stomachs to ache, negatively affects our digestion & sets us up for chronic illness.
Self-care means paying kind attention and noticing when your body is speaking to you. It will begin with just a whisper, but if you’re not listening the message will become louder and more clear until you have no choice but to listen.
Have a hard look at the things you “have to” do
We live in a very action-oriented society that values doing more than being. We make impossibly long to-do lists with very little thought and intention to how we actually want to move through our day.
When you look at your to-do list, ask yourself some important questions:
- How many of the things on my list are really, truly important for me to accomplish?
- What comes to mind when I think of a life well-lived?
- How many of the things on my list will make me feel happier and more fulfilled? It may feel satisfying to check things off our to-do lists, but the feeling is usually temporary – and at what cost?
- What two things do I really want to accomplish today? Overestimate how much time projects will take and you’ll be much more likely to actually accomplish those things. If you accomplish more, great, but the result will come without pressure and stress.
- What projects can I kick to the curb?
To-do lists can be helpful when breaking down big projects into manageable chunks and to help prioritize, but be careful because time management is tricky, and in my experience checking things from my to-do list never leads to feeling of peace or contentment. Focus only on what truly matters to you and what feels like quality in your day.
Our thinking causes our stress
One of the most common stress-inducing feelings that many of us experience on a regular basis is overwhelm. Start by paying attention to and identifying what thoughts are causing the feeling of overwhelm. Thoughts like: “I don’t have enough time.” and “How will I get this all done?” set you up for anxiety and panic. Immediately, your brain will begin to generate more and more thoughts that support your overwhelm.
What thought could you choose to think instead that would create a better feeling for you? Try on thoughts like, “I’ll accomplish exactly what I’m meant to today. The rest doesn’t matter.” Keep trying different thoughts until you find one that feels good to you. Sometimes it takes awhile, so just be patient until you find the right thought for you.
Find your own definition of self-care
There are many physiological benefits to taking hot baths and getting massages, so I really do encourage you to do them as often as possible. I’m only suggesting that along with doing those things it’s important to also understand the real source of your stress in the first place.
Self-care means something different to everyone. Here’s what it means to me:
- paying close enough attention so that you know when to give yourself a break.
- knowing when you’re taking yourself and your life too seriously.
- knowing you are worthy of your own love and attention. Thinking that you’re worthy of some down time is just as important as the action of taking down time.
- noticing and unplugging from negative thought patterns.
- choosing an attitude of compassion and kindness towards yourself. Always.
- accepting that you can’t control everybody and everything. Let stuff go and be responsible for yourself.
- creating gaps in your schedule on purpose.
- choosing only the most meaningful stuff for your life and stop being “busy”.
- guarding and protecting your leisure time.
- not letting the clock be a tyrant that rules your life.
- turning off your cell phone and returning voicemail when it’s convenient for you.
- learning to appreciate imperfection in yourself and others.
- giving yourself permission to take a nap when you’re tired (even though you have mountains of laundry to do.)
Go take a hot bath now… It will relax your muscles.
Mari Anne Auwarter is a
Health & Fitness Coach specializing in Weight Loss Coaching & helping others live a healthy & active lifestyle with less stress and more joy!
If you enjoyed this BLOG, please SHARE it with others!
At Pain Free Posture MN, we believe in living life to the fullest! Your life should be PAIN FREE - fun, full of energy, and uniquely about you.
If it doesn't feel that way for you, give me a call.
Posture Alignment Therapy can help you resolve your musculoskeletal pain naturally without medication, manipulation or surgery.
If you don't know what to do, don't worry. I can help you get going again. I promise. We're in this together, and I am here to help.