Who we are:
We are Posture Alignment Specialists in The Egoscue Method™ of postural alignment therapy as taught at The Egoscue University™ in California.
What we do:
We work with people to realign their posture according to the Anatomical Blueprint™ design of the body.
What postural alignment therapy is:
It is a highly successful therapy that has helped thousands of chronic pain sufferers to be permanently set free from their chronic pain. It is non-invasive, and deals with the root cause of pain. This particular revolutionary method of stopping chronic pain was developed in the mid 1970's by anatomical physiologist and best selling author Pete Egoscue.
What postural alignment therapy is not:
We are not MDs, chiropractors, massage therapists or osteopaths. We do not use drugs, surgery, orthotics or manipulation. No special equipment is necessary to do the exercises, nor do you need the assistance of another person.
Who we work with:
We work with persons suffering from chronic pain to achieve a life pain free. We also work with non-pain clients who want their bodies to function at their optimal level of physical abilities, reduce their risk of injury, and who want to avoid the physical limitations that are typically attributed to 'getting older'. Our other main group of clients are professional and recreational athletes who want to achieve peak performance and avoid sports injuries. Click on our self-assessment tab at the top of this page to find out how you can assess your own posture and determine if your body is out of alignment.
What the basic philosophy behind postural alignment therapy is:
Postural alignment therapy is based on the very simple premise that the human body works as a unit. With our motion-deprived lifestyles today, most of us are not moving our bodies as they were designed to be used. Over time, muscles that are not being used become dormant and no longer function according to their design. In order to keep the body functioning, other muscles are forced to try and compensate for this unbalanced state. Some muscles will become tight, exerting more force on a joint than they should. This imbalance of the muscles, causing stress on the joints, results in joints being pulled out of proper alignment.Because all the joints in the body are connected, one joint out of alignment has an effect on the other joints in the body. If this continues, over time, joints start to “wear and tear” abnormally, wearing down cartilage, causing pain and other symptoms. Most pain in the body has a root cause of postural misalignment.
Why postural alignment therapy works;
Postural alignment therapy goes after the root of the problem. It determines when and where misalignment is present. It treats the entire body as one unit, addressing all pain and other symptoms at the same time. Muscles are responsible for pulling joints out of proper alignment, and using postural alignment therapy, the correct muscles are reawakened to pull the correct joints into their correct position. With the muscles brought back to their original length and tension, and the joints in alignment,pain goes away. Postural alignment therapy is simple and logical. It may sound too good to be true, but it works! Click on the "My Story" page at the top to see exactly how I've been helped by the Egoscue Method™.
How postural alignment therapy operates:
After a postural assessment, a "menu" of gentle exercises and passive stretches is carefully selected and tailored for each individual's needs. Clients then practice their exercises daily at home. New "menus" of exercises are given according to the postural changes that take place.
What sort of health issues postural alignment therapy addresses:
Postural alignment therapy has been successfully used to treat musculoskeletal and chronic pain in all areas of the body. These include and are not limited to:
While posture alignment therapy focuses on the skeletal and muscular systems of the body, these are not the only body systems affected by misalignment. Other body systems are compromised when the musculoskeletal systems are not working at their optimal level; the respiratory system is affected by rounded shoulders; the drainage of the sinuses in the head are impeded by a head that is out of alignment; the digestive system is compromised by excessive curvature of the spine. Besides the musculoskeletal system, getting the body back into alignment frequently has significant effects on other systems in the body. Additionally, getting out of pain has a profound impact on the mental well-being of individuals and their families, particularly for those suffering from chronic pain.
Sample Exercises:
You may be wondering what sort of exercises are involved in postural alignment therapy. For the most part they are easy to do and are gentle exercises and passive stretches that are held for a period of time ranging from 1-10 minutes. A few exercises are longer. As they are done each day, you will be truly amazed at how quickly your body responds to them and how noticeable the changes are. Even within the first session with the Postural Alignment Specialist there are observable changes in posture: hips level out; feet move towards their proper alignment; heads move back towards the vertical line that they are supposed to be in. That is not to say that the body is going to stay in this new position permanently from then on. It takes time for the correct muscles to build up their strength and for tight muscles to relax, but the daily discipline of the exercises will pay off over time and the joints will stay where they were designed to be.The motivation and reward will be a decrease in pain and the enjoyment of life pain free. A body in alignment is able to do things that it may not have done for many years. Much that is attributed to 'getting older' is, in fact, from misalignment.
The following 3 exercises are just a sample of the exercises that we use at the clinic. We have a base of many hundreds of exercises that we select from when we tailor a 'menu' of exercises for each client. Each 'menu' is specific for the postural misalignment that we see on each individual client. Having said that, there are many exercises that are beneficial for almost anyone as many of us share similar postural imbalances in our bodies.
Before you do these exercises, take a moment to tune in to your body. In a standing position, close your eyes and think about how your weight is distributed on your feet. Does it feel more on one foot than the other? Is the weight more in the heels or balls of the feet? Is it the same on both feet, or different? Does the weight seem to be more on the outside edge of the foot, or the inside edge? And again, are both feet the same, or different? You may even want to write down what you notice at this point as you will do this again once you have completed the exercises. Also, assess your pain level on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being unbearable.
As you do the exercises, it is important to pay close attention to how you are aligning your body. The key to these exercises being effective is not how much effort you exert or your strength, but how correctly you are aligning yourself. Many of the exercises require you to stand or sit or lie with your feet and knees hip width apart. This refers to the hip joints, not the outside edge of your body. There needs to be a gap of about 4-5 inches between your knees and between your feet. On the standing exercises the outside edges of the feet need to be lined up straight ahead. The mid-line of the foot is actually between the second and third toes. This position may make you feel pigeon-toed at first; this is correct alignment for the feet and it may take a little while to get used to it. As you do the exercises, concentrate on relaxing your abdominal muscles. They will tend to want to tighten up to help you and need to be reminded to relax so that other 'dormant' muscles can be wakened up to do the job that they were designed to do. Finally, and also of great importance, focus on taking slow and steady deep breaths. You should see your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe.
After you do the following 3 exercises take a few moments to tune in again to how you feel. Do the same checks that you did before the exercises. Notice what has changed. Remember, however, that while you should feel a difference from just these 3 simple exercises, they alone will not fix your posture issues for the long term. To reach the goal of being pain free, you will need to do a full program of exercises consistently over a period of time. At "A Life Pain Free" we are here to assist you in achieving that goal.
We are Posture Alignment Specialists in The Egoscue Method™ of postural alignment therapy as taught at The Egoscue University™ in California.
What we do:
We work with people to realign their posture according to the Anatomical Blueprint™ design of the body.
What postural alignment therapy is:
It is a highly successful therapy that has helped thousands of chronic pain sufferers to be permanently set free from their chronic pain. It is non-invasive, and deals with the root cause of pain. This particular revolutionary method of stopping chronic pain was developed in the mid 1970's by anatomical physiologist and best selling author Pete Egoscue.
What postural alignment therapy is not:
We are not MDs, chiropractors, massage therapists or osteopaths. We do not use drugs, surgery, orthotics or manipulation. No special equipment is necessary to do the exercises, nor do you need the assistance of another person.
Who we work with:
We work with persons suffering from chronic pain to achieve a life pain free. We also work with non-pain clients who want their bodies to function at their optimal level of physical abilities, reduce their risk of injury, and who want to avoid the physical limitations that are typically attributed to 'getting older'. Our other main group of clients are professional and recreational athletes who want to achieve peak performance and avoid sports injuries. Click on our self-assessment tab at the top of this page to find out how you can assess your own posture and determine if your body is out of alignment.
What the basic philosophy behind postural alignment therapy is:
Postural alignment therapy is based on the very simple premise that the human body works as a unit. With our motion-deprived lifestyles today, most of us are not moving our bodies as they were designed to be used. Over time, muscles that are not being used become dormant and no longer function according to their design. In order to keep the body functioning, other muscles are forced to try and compensate for this unbalanced state. Some muscles will become tight, exerting more force on a joint than they should. This imbalance of the muscles, causing stress on the joints, results in joints being pulled out of proper alignment.Because all the joints in the body are connected, one joint out of alignment has an effect on the other joints in the body. If this continues, over time, joints start to “wear and tear” abnormally, wearing down cartilage, causing pain and other symptoms. Most pain in the body has a root cause of postural misalignment.
Why postural alignment therapy works;
Postural alignment therapy goes after the root of the problem. It determines when and where misalignment is present. It treats the entire body as one unit, addressing all pain and other symptoms at the same time. Muscles are responsible for pulling joints out of proper alignment, and using postural alignment therapy, the correct muscles are reawakened to pull the correct joints into their correct position. With the muscles brought back to their original length and tension, and the joints in alignment,pain goes away. Postural alignment therapy is simple and logical. It may sound too good to be true, but it works! Click on the "My Story" page at the top to see exactly how I've been helped by the Egoscue Method™.
How postural alignment therapy operates:
After a postural assessment, a "menu" of gentle exercises and passive stretches is carefully selected and tailored for each individual's needs. Clients then practice their exercises daily at home. New "menus" of exercises are given according to the postural changes that take place.
What sort of health issues postural alignment therapy addresses:
Postural alignment therapy has been successfully used to treat musculoskeletal and chronic pain in all areas of the body. These include and are not limited to:
- ankle and foot pain, including bunions, plantar fasciitis, arch problems
- knee pain
- hip and groin pain
- upper, mid and lower back pain
- scoliosis
- shoulder pain
- elbow pain, including tennis/golf elbow
- wrist and hand pain, including carpal tunnel syndrome
- neck pain
- jaw pain
- recurrent headaches/migraines
- arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis
While posture alignment therapy focuses on the skeletal and muscular systems of the body, these are not the only body systems affected by misalignment. Other body systems are compromised when the musculoskeletal systems are not working at their optimal level; the respiratory system is affected by rounded shoulders; the drainage of the sinuses in the head are impeded by a head that is out of alignment; the digestive system is compromised by excessive curvature of the spine. Besides the musculoskeletal system, getting the body back into alignment frequently has significant effects on other systems in the body. Additionally, getting out of pain has a profound impact on the mental well-being of individuals and their families, particularly for those suffering from chronic pain.
Sample Exercises:
You may be wondering what sort of exercises are involved in postural alignment therapy. For the most part they are easy to do and are gentle exercises and passive stretches that are held for a period of time ranging from 1-10 minutes. A few exercises are longer. As they are done each day, you will be truly amazed at how quickly your body responds to them and how noticeable the changes are. Even within the first session with the Postural Alignment Specialist there are observable changes in posture: hips level out; feet move towards their proper alignment; heads move back towards the vertical line that they are supposed to be in. That is not to say that the body is going to stay in this new position permanently from then on. It takes time for the correct muscles to build up their strength and for tight muscles to relax, but the daily discipline of the exercises will pay off over time and the joints will stay where they were designed to be.The motivation and reward will be a decrease in pain and the enjoyment of life pain free. A body in alignment is able to do things that it may not have done for many years. Much that is attributed to 'getting older' is, in fact, from misalignment.
The following 3 exercises are just a sample of the exercises that we use at the clinic. We have a base of many hundreds of exercises that we select from when we tailor a 'menu' of exercises for each client. Each 'menu' is specific for the postural misalignment that we see on each individual client. Having said that, there are many exercises that are beneficial for almost anyone as many of us share similar postural imbalances in our bodies.
Before you do these exercises, take a moment to tune in to your body. In a standing position, close your eyes and think about how your weight is distributed on your feet. Does it feel more on one foot than the other? Is the weight more in the heels or balls of the feet? Is it the same on both feet, or different? Does the weight seem to be more on the outside edge of the foot, or the inside edge? And again, are both feet the same, or different? You may even want to write down what you notice at this point as you will do this again once you have completed the exercises. Also, assess your pain level on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being unbearable.
As you do the exercises, it is important to pay close attention to how you are aligning your body. The key to these exercises being effective is not how much effort you exert or your strength, but how correctly you are aligning yourself. Many of the exercises require you to stand or sit or lie with your feet and knees hip width apart. This refers to the hip joints, not the outside edge of your body. There needs to be a gap of about 4-5 inches between your knees and between your feet. On the standing exercises the outside edges of the feet need to be lined up straight ahead. The mid-line of the foot is actually between the second and third toes. This position may make you feel pigeon-toed at first; this is correct alignment for the feet and it may take a little while to get used to it. As you do the exercises, concentrate on relaxing your abdominal muscles. They will tend to want to tighten up to help you and need to be reminded to relax so that other 'dormant' muscles can be wakened up to do the job that they were designed to do. Finally, and also of great importance, focus on taking slow and steady deep breaths. You should see your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe.
After you do the following 3 exercises take a few moments to tune in again to how you feel. Do the same checks that you did before the exercises. Notice what has changed. Remember, however, that while you should feel a difference from just these 3 simple exercises, they alone will not fix your posture issues for the long term. To reach the goal of being pain free, you will need to do a full program of exercises consistently over a period of time. At "A Life Pain Free" we are here to assist you in achieving that goal.