Posturology is a fast, painless way to make dramatic improvements in your posture and appearance. With Posturology you can also increase athletic performance and help permanently resolve many of the causes of back, neck, knee, and foot pain. And you can achieve it all without exercises, stretches, foam rollers, back supports, orthotics, or drugs.
Before discussing how Posturology works, let’s look at conventional ways of improving posture. One is a method developed by Dr. Vladimir Janda, a physiatrist and neurologist from Czechosolvakia. An excellent textbook that summaries Dr. Janda’s work is “Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance: The Janda Approach” by Phil Page, Clare C. Frank, and Robert Lardner (Human Kinetics, 2009).
The major different between Posturology and Janda’s approach is that rather than addressing strong and tight muscles, Posturology first considers the role of the nervous system in influencing posture. While a multidisciplinary approach that combines both Posturology and a corrective exercise may be the best approach for some conditions, often just a Posturology approach may be all that is necessary.
There are four main areas that Posturology addresses: The feet, the eyes, the teeth, and the skin. Let’s take a closer look at each of these areas.
A building needs a solid foundation to remain standing and strong. Likewise, the foundation of good posture is the feet. If the feet are not in alignment with the lower leg bones, this faulty alignment will travel up the body causing increase stress to the ankles, knees, back, and even the neck.
One of the reasons the feet do not function properly is that the shoes we wear desensitizes the nerves on the skin on the bottom of the feet.
These nerves provide information to the brain about the body’s orientation in space (which is one reason you can’t tell which was is up in an avalanche, as the feet are given no feedback). Orthotics do not address the neurological problems that are causing many structural issues with the feet. In contrast, a Posturologist will use special insoles that stimulate the nerves in the muscles of the feet to naturally reform the arch.
The eyes are the next area that a Posturologist will address in a postural assessment. As with the feet, the eyes provide the brain information about the body’s orientation in space (again, the example of the avalanche). One problem, for example, is convergence. If one eye moves inward before the other when an object is brought closer to it, this means the eyes are giving inaccurate information to the brain. Computer programmers will say, “garbage in, garbage out,” and if the brain is giving poor information from the eyes, the brain will shift the body away from optimal alignment. Eyes exercises may help convergence, and in some cases the Posturologist will need to refer out to an opthamologist.
The next area of concern is the teeth. Problems with the alignment of the teeth can affect posture. For example, an overbite can cause a forward head posture. These dental issues should be addressed by a holistic dentist.
The skin, which is the largest organ of the body and provides postural feedback to the brain, is the final area that is addressed by a Posturologist. Problems with the skin, such as scars, can influence posture, and there are treatments that can minimize the postural effects of scars.
Structure influences function, and Posturology is a method of addressing problems with the structures of the body that influence optimal posture. There are certainly many other methods available to correct posture, but none work as fast and effectively as Posturology. Whatever your postural issue, look to Posturology for the answer.
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