POSTURAL PERFORMANCE

Postural Performance refers to the dynamic between posture and the musculoskeletal function expressed in flexibility and strength.  The model for ideal posture is well documented and can be reduced to symmetrical balance.  For example, when viewing the body from the front, the standing posture should be straight from top to bottom, with a mirror image from one side of the body to the other.  (Diagram Standing).  Eyes, ears, shoulders, hips, and feet are even and balanced, with no tilt or rotation evident.  A side view reveals a flowing double S-curve in the spine, allowing the ear to be in line with the shoulder, hip, and heel.  (Show side diagram).

Ideal posture is rarely seen, because traumas including automobile collisions, sports and work related injuries, and falls can imbalance the spinal column or extremities, causing less than ideal positioning.  Imbalance always carries functional consequences, expressed in stiffness, restricted ranges of motion, rigidity, and muscle spasms and weakness.

I have had the opportunity to treat professional athletes, including football and tennis players, Olympic athletes, runners, and members of the U.S. Karate team.  Obviously with competitive athletes, anything that legally enhances their performance is in demand, and a combination of chiropractic treatment to restore postural balance and certain traction and massage therapies to enhance muscle function is a proven approach to gaining strength and flexibility rapidly.  I’ve found this out personally after a chiropractor treated me for the problems that the fall I had caused.  I noticed not only the back pain decrease, but I gained flexibility in my spine and side splits increased exponentially.  I was amazed.  Within several months I was close to a full side split, and the only difference had been the chiropractic adjustments, which obviously corrected old imbalances that I probably received playing football and hockey in high school.

Posture is more than simply standing in a forced “correct” manner.  It involves allowing the spine, pelvis, and extremities (shoulders, hips, etc.) to properly interrelate so the body can move more fluidly with muscles and ligaments working together instead of against each other.  In short, it is the key to musculoskeletal health.