Question: Who needs it?

Answer: Everybody

Question: Why?

Answer:

There are two types of posture. Static and dynamic.

Static: In the static, standing posture there are four curves in the spine when viewed from the side. The neck and lumbar curves are convex forward and the thoracic and sacral curves are convex backwards. These curves provide the spine with a degree of “springiness” that absorbs shock loading and distributes gravitational forces appropriately. In this side view a vertical line from the ear hole should pass through the middle of the shoulder, hip and ankle joints. Viewed from the front the spine should be straight.

Deviations from this ideal posture places abnormal loading on all the structures of the spine, most notably the intervertebral disks and facet joints. The resulting degeneration gives rise to numerous health and wellness problems discussed in more detail in the articles on this website titled posture, Intervertebral disk pathology and the causes of back pain.

Dynamic postures: These are posture that we adopt in our everyday life and includes standing, walking, sitting, reclining, bending, lifting, carrying etc. Few, if any, of us adopt correct dynamic postures (see article titled posture) and even when we do they still impose micro trauma to the structures of the spine resulting in gradual degeneration over time with similar results.

Static postures can and should be corrected and maintained continually to counteract and minimise the effects of the continual degeneration.

Dynamic postures are to a large extent governed by deviations in the static postures and vice versa. The first step in managing dynamic postures then is to ensure that the static posture is maintained. The next step requires discipline as it necessitates a conscious effort on our part to sit correctly, bend, lift, carry etc. correctly, and even then the degeneration will occur albeit at a slower rate.

This form of degeneration is best handled by directly influencing the disks and facet joints through a process called decompression traction described in the articles titled Intervertebral disk pathology and Decompression Traction Therapy (DTT).

EVEN PEOPLE WITH SUPPOSEDLY HEALTHY SPINES AND NO SPINE RELATED CONCERNS SHOULD MAINTAIN POSTURAL ALIGNMENT AS A MEANS OF GETTING AND STAYING WELL TO ENSURE A COMFORTABLE FUTURE.