Every chiropractor looks at posture. Why? Posture from the moment we can stand upright is important. The Father of Chiropractic D.D. Palmer, realized that postural analysis was important because there was a direct connection between “structure” and “function” in the human body. Dr. Palmer studied the effects of “subluxation” or “dis-function” of structure, and how when the body was not “aligned” properly how that affected the human body and function.
Do your own postural analysis by thinking about your own posture. If you have had knee surgery or if you have had hip surgery, or have ever had a broken arm, what occurs to the human body, when ONE side is effected? Do you have one degenerative knee? What sort of stress does this put on the other knee, your posture, you ability to function normally?
Asymmetry is not something that helps with posture nor normal function of the joints in the body. IF a bad knee is not addressed and the patient develops a gait alteration, this will effect the hip, the lower back and eventually the trunk and the spine. The body is one kinetic chain. We are the sum of our parts. With regards to posture it is important to have symmetry. Your grand-mother and mother were right when they told you to stand up straight, pull your shoulders back, “don’t slump”.
Slumping can become chronic and for kids it can become permanent. Standing upright, alleviates stress to the joints along your spine called vertebrae. Keeping your spine aligned and having a chiropractor help your child establish good posture is important.
The “plumb” line is drawn along the side of a person’s body. If you stand side-ways a “plumb” line should pass from the middle of your ear, through the middle of your shoulder, through the middle of your waist line, through the middle of your knee and through your ankle. This line, will determine whether or not a patient has an anterior flexed posture or a posterior flexed posture. Such words as “sway” back or “kyphosis” can be determined by posture analysis and by X-ray as well.
As we age, our posture changes, gravitational stress and physical stress throughout our lives, does decrease our upright position. Fighting against these forces and maintaining good posture is important. Chiropractic adjustments, certainly can help maintain our focus on good posture.
Yes- your children should maintain good posture. A postural screen use to be performed by a School Nurse years ago, during every athletic season. The purpose of this screen was for scoliosis, which is a lateral bend of the spine, which can be detected by Postural Screens by a chiropractor. If detected early, chiropractic care for scoliosis can be instrumental in helpful in treating this condition. Certainly, chiropractic can easily alleviate the pain associated with scoliosis, but more importantly the chiorpractor can instruct young patients in excericse and prevention and sound posture, in order to fight the unknown or idiopathic causes of scoliosis.
Maintain your posture, and even if you are a healthy person, consider chiropractic for maintaining good, sound, flexibilty and joint function along your spine. Chiropractic is a safe, non-invasive, non-medicating form of care for children suffering from scoloisis, back pain, neck pain and/or poor posture.
To have Nelson and Nelson perform a professional postural analysis contact us today.