If you have a problem with your posture or balance, you’re probably aware that it can cause you tension which can lead to pain.

At Back-in-Action, we often find that the underlying cause of pain in many people are problem’s with the posture or balance. That’s where the holistic approach really comes in to help.

A chiropractic degree involves extensive training in anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, with particular emphasis on the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system. At the initial consultation, we take a full medical history, investigate lifestyle, posture etc, carry out a thorough examination including neurological assessment as appropriate and take x-rays when necessary. Once the diagnosis is made, a treatment plan is prepared. If your problems are severe or we are concerned you have signs of a medical issue we will recommend you seek medical investigations.

To get help, call Back-in-Action now for a, “chiropractic new patient appointment”.

What do we do to improve posture?

When we’re trying to help people improve their posture we often find their are multiple conflicting causes. It’s a bit like peeling away the layers of an onion or doing an archaelogical dig. We often start trying to help the areas of increased tension in the joints and muscles and see what happens. Correcting these problems sometimes improves the posture and sometimes makes it worse (if the joint and muscle tension was a compensation for another problem).

If there’s still a problem with the posture, we then look for either structural or functional causes to the problem.

Structural causes could include:

• Flat feet
• Anatomical short leg or pelvis
• Abnormal shaped vertebrae
• Shortening or instability in the ligaments
• Joint or muscle tension
• Tension in the internal organs
• Ergonomics
• Cranial (skull) alignment problems
• Jaw and Dental alignment problems

Functional problems could include:

• Increased brain activity one side affecting muscle tone
• Eye position or movement problem
• Balance system problem
• Poor co-ordination
• Imbalance in spinal cord and brainstem activity on one side
• Reflex related issues
• Breathing pattern problems
• Absorbtion and elimination problems
• Emotional issues
• Joint, muscle or ligament feedback problems

In order to try and help improve these areas we combine treatments, exercises and lifestyle advice including, nutrition, ergonomics and other recommendations.

What do we do to improve balance?

The three main areas that contribute to balance are feedback from the joints and muscles (particularly the neck), the spirit levels in the ears (vestibular system) and the eyes. Feedback from these areas combine in various areas including the brain stem, cerbellum and cortex of the brain.

Initially we need to find out where the main problem is. A chiropractor experienced in functional neurology (such as Louis Westerbeek at Back-in-Action), first does various tests of the nervous system to try and localise the underlying cause. Louis has attended post-graduate training seminars on helping the balance system.

To try and help improve the balance, we combine treatments, functional neurological exercises and lifestyle advice, possibly including arch supports, ergonomics and other recommendations.