Self Test - Is it My Posture
How do I know
if my pain is a symptom of a larger Postural Dysfunction?
There are some other less “Overt”
symptoms of dysfunction besides pain, which can easily be spotted
with the help of a friend or a mirror.
- Start by looking at your feet. Do they turn out?
Does one foot turn out more than the other?
- Go up to your hips. Look at your waistband. Does it look like one hip
is higher?
- How about your shoulders?...Is one shoulder higher than the other? If
not, does one shoulder (or hand) appear closer to the mirror?
- Now stand on one leg. Is it easier to stand on the right or left leg?
If you said yes to any of these questions then you are showing the symptoms of a joint or set of joints
that are not functioning the way they are designed. Your body compensates for
this lack of function by transferring the workload to other parts of the body not designed to do the job. Over time this transfer of work to other structures leads to pre-mature wear and tear, and eventually pain.
There are two quick tests to find out
if your Posture has something to do with your Pain:
- First, Stand up and rate your Pain on a scale of 1-10
Next, pigeon toe your feet with your toes touching and tighten your thighs.
Does that change your Pain?
- Stand normally and interlace your hands behind your head. Pull your elbows
back as far as you can. Does
your Pain increase or decrease?
-Both these positions work
to change your posture -
One from the bottom up, and
the other from the top down.
If either position changed your
pain then it tells you your posture has something to do with your pain.
Therefore, by putting your body
back in the correct position, and by restoring normal joint function, you can and will impact, if not get rid of, your pain.
*Regardless of
your Condition,
If you put your
body back in correct alignment,
then your body
will have a chance to naturally heal itself!
Self Test is a courtesy of
the Egoscue Method® in San Diego,Ca
