Can yellow pages correct your posture?
Most parents encourage their children to ‘sit straight’ and consistently work on their posture. Later, as we grow older, we hear the same mantra from doctors and physios who keep claiming that posture is important for our general well-being.
Posture may be defined by the way you position your body or arrange your limbs. So stand up straight, put your shoulders back, and lift that chin. In reality, posture is a visible and physical representation of the state of our nervous system. A subconscious response to the world we live in and life in general.
Most of us tend to pick up bad posture habits in the course of our lifetime, and these can be very difficult to break. At our practice we have therefore adopted an unusual approach to assist our bodies adopt, or adjust, to a correct posture.
Many of our patients find it rather amusing when we cut out a segment of an old phone book and ask them to stuff this wedge into one of their shoes. It may seem like a pretty unusual approach and may even cause some to question the science.
Do Yellow Pages wedges help correct posture? NO, they help stimulate your nervous system, balance or proprioception to change the tension in various postural slings of muscle and fascia. This in turn results in a change and improvement in your posture.
We know that our biomechanics cause injuries, but what moulds or determines our biomechanics?
Our biomechanics are a physical record, a visual reminder of every experience we have had. A direct reminder of the different stresses our body and nervous system has been exposed to throughout our lives. Our central nervous system is surrounded by dural membranes. It is these membranes (and fascia) that tighten up to protect the central nervous system whenever it perceives a threat, a danger or a “stress”. These “stresses” may be structural or biomechanical, biochemical or nutritional, psychological or emotional and are represented by the Triad of health.
Our nervous system’s response is to protect first our brainstem, it keeps us breathing! Then our brain, it keeps us functioning and then our spinal cord which keeps us moving. So no matter on what level the “stress” is, the response is always the same. This is why we use the Yellow Pages to help cure the cause, not the complaint!
Your health is important, so treat any injury, ailment or condition with utmost care. If symptoms persist or you experience an increase in pain and discomfort, please contact your physiotherapist immediately. If you are not sure how this all applies to you or where to turn for assistance, please make contact with us and we will gladly offer you some additional guidance.