Postural Restoration is a unique approach to rehabilitation that addresses the underlying biomechanics of human movement and respiration. It identifies faulty breathing and movement patterns that contribute to a patient’s pain and dysfunction and corrects these issues with both manual and non-manual (exercise) techniques.
The hallmark of any Postural Restoration intervention is the emphasis it places on respiration. Consider the primary importance of breathing in our lives. Each of us takes about 22,000 breaths per day, and many of us don’t realize that we may be breathing incorrectly. We may take very shallow breaths, for example, because we rely on the wrong muscles for respiration when we should rely on our diaphragm. Over time, the effects of improper breathing can be devastating to our health. From a biomechanical point of view, shallow breathing will often result in limited movement of our spine and poor expansion of our ribcage. Limited spinal mobility leads to movement restrictions in other parts of the body like the hips, shoulders, or even the jaw. Then we try to compensate for these restrictions by adopting inefficient movement patterns—either consciously or unconsciously—that eventually lead to pain or dysfunction. Improper breathing can be at the root of such issues as back pain, shoulder pain, headaches, chronic fatigue, pelvic dysfunction, or even serious medical conditions like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Postural Restoration recognizes the vital role of the diaphragm in breathing and movement, and each manual and non-manual technique in Postural Restoration incorporates an important breathing component into the activity.
Finally, Postural Restoration is a holistic approach to rehabilitation that assesses how all parts of the body work together. It may reveal that the function of your left hamstring muscle, for example, has a very strong influence on how well you move your right shoulder. It may consider, for example, the role your footwear or even your dental occlusion (your “bite”) plays in your condition. As a result, your therapist may work with other health care practitioners such as a podiatrist or dentist as part of your treatment plan.
Postural Restoration can be an effective intervention for anyone suffering from pain or dysfunction or even for the elite athlete trying to improve his/her performance. For more information visit www.posturalrestoration.com.