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The Posture Studio |
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of San Francisco |
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“Function Freddy” images courtesy of the Egoscue® Method |
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Shoulders may be slightly wider than hip distance apart but are parallel to the hip, knee and ankle joints. |
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All right (90 degree) angles at all eight major load joints: ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders (horizontal, vertical and front-to-back). |
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Balanced weight and function from left to right. The force of gravity runs through the center of the body. |
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Over time, an individual can deviate from this position for several reasons (including past trauma, or sitting at a computer all day) and the result is muscular imbalance, loss of strength and flexibility, compensation, and finally pain. When people seek out treatment for chronic aches and pain, they often look at the immediate “source” of their pain: the knee, the back, or whatever is hurting. The rest of the body is often ignored in such symptom based treatment. In many cases, the pain you are currently experiencing is the result of a series of small events that, when looked at as a whole, leads to the underlying reason you are experiencing symptoms. Muscle imbalance and movement issues are often the root cause of chronic pain. Even very small structural changes, if they occur over time, alter your muscles and joints ability to perform properly. This is because no muscle works alone; each is connected to another part of the body. We will explore how your daily movement patterns—how you sit or get out of a chair, walk, carry your bag or baby, bend, put your shoes on— and how those patterns can contribute to or shed light on how your body got into its current position and condition. You may realize that you have changed how you move or avoid certain activity all together in order to avoid experiencing pain or discomfort. At each appointment you will receive a menu of exercises designed to address your specific posture. Each time you do your exercises, you should see and feel a difference in how your body moves and your pain levels. Over time, the exercises work to restore function, range of motion and allow your body to heal naturally by removing the underlying reason for pain or discomfort. You will be able to track progress based on decreasing pain levels, increased function/ease of movement and improved posture. As your kinesthetic sense develops, you will be able to identify when your body is in and out of balance more easily. You will understand the goal of your exercises, the connection to your position, and have the tools at hand to restore balance and alignment on your own. The goal is not to reach a perfectly balanced position forever, but to understand that our bodies are dynamic and respond to stimulus. By building awareness of the connection between activities, pain, range of motion and position, you can restore alignment more rapidly and maintain it more consistently over time on your own. This work is not a quick fix. It is a highly rewarding and incredibly effective process. Regardless of your age or your athletic background, you can and should expect to live an active life. You can realign yourself. Let me show you how. |
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How it works |
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Image courtesy of the Egoscue® Method |
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From a side view, the body is stacked like a column, with the ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle are aligned with each other. Load bearing should be equal from front-to-back and side-to-side. When the load joints are aligned, the spine is will naturally be in a gentle “S” curve. |
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Image courtesy of the Egoscue® Method |
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My work is a collaboration with each and every client. I bring expertise in the scientific principles of anatomy, biomechanics, and human physiology. You are the expert of your own body. Together, we work to help you understand the relationship between your position and condition, enhance your felt sense, and correct the cumulative stress on your body. Posture therapy does not treat symptoms, but focuses instead on the underlying cause of your aches, pain or limited range of motion. The goal of the therapy is to return the body to its original blueprint—the standing normal anatomical position. In this position, the eight major load joints (shoulders, hips, knees and ankles) are directly aligned: |
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The Posture Studio of SF, 3150 18th Street, Suite 465, Mailbox 311 San Francisco, CA 94110 415.202.3229 Krista@ThePostureStudio.com |
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Image courtesy of the Egoscue® Method |