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Do you suffer from chronic pain? Do you feel stiff and fatigued and know you are not achieving what you are capable of? Perhaps you have seen a variety of health professionals - doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors or naturopaths - but have found that your complaint remains despite their help. All of these treatments may provide you with short term relief, but the body must be addressed as a whole if lasting results are to be obtained. When was the last time your doctor assessed your workplace, or your massage therapist assessed your movement patterns? Many specialist practitioners are excellent in the skills of their field, but neglect to treat the body as a whole.
In recent times the medical profession has become extremely specialised, leading to a drift in information sharing. In a successful business, one person must coordinate a team of specialists for optimal results. They give direction to the company by harnessing the power of its individuals, knowing that the cumulative whole of their employees’ knowledge is greater than the sum of it’s individual parts. This business strategy can be effectively applied to a human beings most important asset: the body.
Many health professionals overlook the daily impacts of bad posture and an inactive lifestyle in their search for a cure. With many of today’s chronic pain syndromes, posture is overlooked. Posture is a vital component of health and fitness as it is the foundation on which our movement is based. Be it while playing golf, gardening or at your office desk, posture is critical to your performance and well-being.
Good posture decreases strain in muscles and energy expenditure, improves joint function and allows for pain-free movement, giving you the physical appearance of being confident, powerful and decisive. Poor posture leads to movements that injures the body, increasing tension in the musculoskeletal system, draining your body of energy and causing you to project through your posture the image of a person who lacks confidence, is indecisive and is easily pushed around.
The human body is highly adaptive and will alter itself to suit the environment you live in. As your body recognises its environment, some muscles shorten and tighten, others lengthen and become weak. It is these alterations that almost invariably lead to stiffness and pain, be it in the soles of your feet, your knees, hips, back, shoulders or neck. A classic example of this is a person who spends long hours in front of a computer. Often this type of work will lead to a forward head posture, rounded shoulders and an increase in the spinal curve of the upper back. This posture promotes neck and shoulder pain, tension headaches and reduced concentration due to restricted blood flow through the tense muscles. What all this results in, on top of the pain, is a decrease in performance and work quality output.
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