If you were to tighten or loosen the spokes in a bicycle wheel, it would lose balance, riding the bike would require more energy, performance would decrease and your chance of injury would sky-rocket. It is precisely this way in which your musculoskeletal system works.
Posture does not just effect your physical well being, as is illustrated in the Triad of Health Model. Here, we have a physical, emotional and chemical body, each facet of which, impacts directly on the others. We all know the posture of a depressed person - slumped over, rounded shoulders, looking down, slow moving. This is a classic example of how the physical body can be effected by the emotional state, but did you know that while in this posture you also decrease your ability to breathe and digest?
Respiration and digestion directly effect your body’s ability to receive oxygen and nutrients and remove by-products of cellular activity. This effects your metabolism and ability to fuel yourself, thus the chemical body has been impacted also. A downward spiral then occurs in which each facet of your well-being impacts and compounds on the next, you will feel more tired, move more slowly, your posture will further deteriorate and work performance will decrease. This picture may not look bright but there is a breakthrough - Corrective Kinesiology.
Corrective Kinesiology is best described as Movement for Life. Kinesiology is the science of human movement and Corrective Kinesiologists use movement, corrective stretching and exercise to restore balance and power to the body and to reduce pain. A Corrective Kinesiologist aims to restore a client’s pain free and productive lifestyle by applying the principles of biomechanics and exercise physiology in developing a series of re-education movements, postural realignment, flexibility and strength. An holistic approach is employed and Corrective Kinesiologists often work in affiliation with specialised health professionals, referring out as and when is needed based on assessment results.
To improve the quality of your life - work, emotional, family, sporting or leisure - one person must oversee the treatment approach and all aspects of the body must be accounted for. Your posture, as it is the basis of all movement and health, must be addressed and corrected in all aspects, static, dynamic and in the workplace. Once these assessment results have been achieved a corrective and performance programme must be designed. It should contain stretches for the tight muscles and strengthening exercises for the weak, so that balance is restored to the body, as in truing a bicycle wheel. A successful programme results in improved posture, decreased pain and movement that is an aid to the body, rather than a hindrance. The spiral of the Health Triad is then sent upwards. As posture improves, the chemical and emotional states are positively influenced by the physical body, leaving you more energised and refreshed.
Brendan Foley
Back to Page 1...
|
|
