What Is Posture Alignment Therapy And How Does It Work?

 

In my last blog post, I shared my story with you, and how I got started using Posture Alignment Therapy to help others get out of pain and improve athletic performance. Now, I want to answer the questions: What the heck is Posture Alignment Therapy, and exactly how does it work?

Posture Alignment Therapy is a holistic exercise technique that uses gravity and a person’s own body weight to improve alignment and balance, naturally eliminating the underlying causes of pain and physical limitation. It is not chiropractic, massage, yoga, pilates, or physical therapy.

The technique is based in the basic principal that the human body is comprised of 8 major load-bearing joints: shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. These joints function best when horizontally and vertically aligned as shown in the image of Function Freddie below:

When these joints are out of alignment, the body is susceptible to joint wear and tear, pain and injury:

The human body was designed to stand on 2 feet, and to be in motion, constantly, in order to survive. The combination of gravity and movement are not only necessary to maintain the body’s skeletal alignment, but also critical for survival…that is prior to modern conveniences and technology.

Today we no longer need to move in order to survive. In order to make a living these days, most of us click a mouse, stand stationary in one place, or perform the same repetitive movement patterns over and over. The problem is simple, we do not move nearly enough to remain pain free and functional.

The solution is also simple: Move More!  Participating in sports and organized physical activities are a great way to supplement movement into your day to day routine.  Posture Alignment Therapy comes into play when pain gets in the way, or when someone wants to prevent future injuries. The program involves a customized sequence of simple, low demand daily stretches and exercises called a ‘menu’ that are designed to restore function and balance. The menu does not focus on the symptom or the site of pain, rather, it addresses the underlying alignment issues that are causing the problem.

People that embrace the fact that they simply do not move enough, and perform their menu daily with periodic visits with their therapist (in this case me) to fine tune their menu are the ones that have the most success. A well constructed menu, when done daily, will empower the client to keep themselves healthy and pain free without having to rely on “after the fact” treatment of pain and injuries.

Now, let’s get down to business and talk about how this technique can actually boost your performance in sports. I’ll use my client Trish Davis, as an example. Before beginning Posture Alignment Therapy, Trish had chronic back pain that hindered her training for close to 3 years. Her max front squat weight was 165lb, and she was not able to progress past that weight due to back pain. Trish’s before photos below show that her hips and spine were out of alignment. If you look even closer, you may see that her shoulders, knees and ankles were also misaligned.

After 1 month of doing a customized daily menu that addressed the overall alignment of her shoulders,hips, knees and ankles, Trish’s alignment greatly improved, as show by the after photos below. Today her max front squat weight is up 25lb to 190lb, and she is pain free during weighted squatting movements!

Thank you for reading, your questions and comments are welcomed.  Please email me at maryann@realigntherapy.com.

~Maryann