One of the foundations of chiropractic care is that structure and function are related. So how does that affect a person’s health? Next time your out in the mall take a few minutes to people watch the crowd and observe the different walking gaits that people exhibit. A high shoulder, unleveled pelvis or other abnormality in the posture can have an unsettling effect on the body. A person can become tired more easily and their joints will hurt as their spine can’t support the weight against gravity. Also if their spinal curves are too far from the norm it can add to the physiological stress the body is experiencing. It’s not just aches and pains a person should worry about. Conditions like scoliosis, an old injury to a weight-bearing joint or years of sitting in an uncomfortable chair can have an impact on the heart, digestion and other internal organs depending on which part of the spine is affected. This is particularly true in such cases as type-2 diabetes. While diet and lifestyle play an important role the condition can be compounded if there is excessive interference in the nervous system brought on by poor posture.
As a person ages often they lose body height and become shorter. What happens is that the discs between the backbones lose fluid and integrity and start to shrink. Some develop a forward head tilt, other have calcifications and arthritis which limits their mobility. People start to age artificially and while this is common it is not normal. Often poor posture occurs as a result of the person’s lifestyle or culture they were raised in. Try observing someone’s gait who was brought up in a third world culture sometime or observe the masses next time you travel overseas. People in poorer countries may be subject to other health problems but usually, they stand erect and walk with a fluidity of motion not seen with individuals from a western background.
As doctors, we need to know what we’re looking for and then know what to do to treat it. A proper chiropractic exam should consist of both a neuromuscular and neurological evaluation keeping the patient’s chief complaints in mind. At our clinic, we frequently customize the treatment plan to include stretching and yoga exercises to get a person back to where it needs to be. I’ve seen many low back patients pain go away by stretching the hamstring and psoas muscles. Patient education including proper gait training is also important to empower the person to take part in their care. Many times it’s a simple fix. It just requires a different doctor with a different set of eyes to spot the problem.
For a free chiropractic consultation with one of our doctors call us today at 585.586.7630 or complete our New Patient Survey to put yourself back on the road to health.