We are a manifestation of our compensations.
Our bodies are experts at adapting to our environment. They will even adapt to abnormalities within
its own system. Unfortunately this adaptive ability may result in disease,
injury, dysfunction and eventually disability.
Attempt the following
1.
Rotate your pelvis posteriorly (posterior pelvic
tilt) to flatten your back. Make sure
that you only move your pelvis.
2.
If you don’t move your thoracic spine or your
neck forward, you will feel like you
are leaning backwards as if caught in a strong wind.
Next:
1.
Keep your entire body stationary and bear 90
percent of your weight on your heels.
Again you will feel as if you are going to fall backwards and in order to maintain balance, you will need to compensate by moving; either your head, trunk or both forward.
Again you will feel as if you are going to fall backwards and in order to maintain balance, you will need to compensate by moving; either your head, trunk or both forward.
In these examples your center of gravity is being moved back and the body will feel off balance unless it compensates by moving the trunk, the head or both forward.
The result being a
forward head posture.
If the therapist treats the neck, shoulders or thoracic spine, there will be no carryover as the forward head posture is a compensation for their center of gravity being moved posteriorly.
The therapist must treat the underlying cause of the
problem, restoring center of gravity to it proper position in order to have success and carryover.
In the previous examples a therapist will need to treat:
- The Pelvis: to increase anterior rotation
- The ankle: Increasing dorsiflexion to increase weight bearing into the arch and toes.
Only then would it be appropriate to treat the neck, thoracic spine and or shoulders.
