Posture Alignment And Movement Therapy FAQ
Posture Alignment and Movement Therapy FAQ
What is Posture Alignment and Movement Therapy?
Are you struggling with chronic pain, injuries, or limited mobility? Posture Alignment and Movement Therapy can offer a unique approach to healing by addressing posture and movement dysfunction.
This groundbreaking therapy approach offers non-medical, non-invasive solutions for chronic pain, injuries, movement limitations, and balance problems. Grounded in the science of biomechanics and neuromuscular functioning, this therapy addresses the root cause of these issues.
While helping provide noticeable short-term relief and improved movement comfort, it offers a comprehensive, drug-free, and surgery-free program for addressing the deeper causes of musculoskeletal pain and other problems.
Why is posture important?
Sedentary lifestyles, injuries, and other life events restrict or hinder our ability to move healthily and functionally, causing the body to develop musculoskeletal dysfunctions and compensations. We stand, sit, and move, creating undue stress and strain on the body. Over time, chronic tensions, pain, and injury develop due to the longer-term stresses these imbalances bring about.
Posture therapy progressively restores the body to its designed posture and movement patterns, addressing and alleviating these deeper causes of chronic pain so the natural healing process can assert itself to get you back to an active, more healthy and pain-free lifestyle.
How is postural approach different from physical therapy or other pain treatments?
Postural therapy focuses on identifying the root cause of your pain, not just masking the symptoms. We look at your entire body's alignment and movement patterns to see how they might contribute to your body aches and pains.
Here's how it differs from traditional pain treatments:
- Focus: Traditional approaches often target the area of pain directly. Postural therapy takes a broader view, looking at how imbalances and misalignments throughout the body might be causing the pain.
- Assessment: Postural therapy doesn't stop at the injured area. We go beyond that, evaluating your entire body's posture, movement patterns, and even potential past injuries that could influence your pain. This thorough assessment is a vital part of our approach.
- Treatment: Traditional treatments might use various tools to address the affected area. Postural therapy incorporates similar elements but emphasizes correcting underlying postural imbalances to prevent future pain and promote long-term well-being. Postural therapy can also work alongside other treatments you might be receiving.
What kind of pain may be alleviated?
Many people come to us with various pain issues, even those with existing diagnoses from X-rays, MRIs, etc. We believe that postural imbalances can contribute to pain, and our therapeutic exercises may help alleviate discomfort.
Postural therapy may be helpful for:
- Hip, neck, and shoulder pain
- Bursitis
- Arthritis pain relief
- Back pain
- Vertigo
- Headaches
- Nerve pain
- Joint pain
We work alongside medical professionals. While your doctor addresses medical conditions, we can focus on the root causes of pain often attributed to old injuries, "normal" aging, or other factors. Results may vary.
Do I have to be in pain to benefit from this Program?
No, you do not have to be in pain to benefit from Posture Alignment Therapy. Our therapy is designed to improve overall function and movement in the body and can provide various benefits, even for people not currently experiencing pain. These benefits may include:
- Improved athletic and artistic performance
- Increased day-to-day comfort and ease
- Improved overall balance and flexibility
- Increased strength and metabolic activity
- Reduced stress levels
- Increased energy levels
- More youthful posture
- Increased self-confidence
How does Posture Alignment Therapy work?
Posture Alignment Therapy is a gentle, noninvasive therapy that uses a series of exercises and re-patterning movement practices to return musculoskeletal balance and symmetry to the body. Muscles move bones, so if your body has lost its designed posture, muscles have moved your bones into dysfunctional alignment and movement habits.
- Pain and other bodily symptoms are the body's way of alerting you that your body isn't aligned correctly and, therefore, isn't moving as well as it may.
- Through our postural approach to sequencing and instructing the exercises and movements, your muscles and movement patterns are re-educated and reminded how they need to function to maintain proper alignment and healthier and more optimal movement.
- When the body moves optimally, movement is more comfortable and becomes a foundation for our overall health and well-being at any age.
How long will it take for me to see results and feel better?
Each individual's healing journey is unique, and personal factors influence the pace of progress. The encouraging news is that many clients start experiencing positive changes within a few weeks or months, particularly when they diligently adhere to the prescribed exercises and actively participate in their healing process.
These changes might include:
- Improved balance and posture
- Feeling more relaxed and "looser"
- Reduced pain
These initial signs of progress are promising, indicating that your body responds positively to the postural therapy. However, it's crucial to remember that addressing long-standing postural imbalances requires developing time and dedication as these benefits accrue.
Here's the exciting part! We'll track your improvements through various indicators as you progress through the program. These can include:
- Increased range of motion
- Improved flexibility
- Enhanced functiional balancem strength, and stability
- Reduced dependence on pain medication (if applicable)
- Reduced tension and mental stress
- Greater confidence in movement
These ongoing indicators will help you see and celebrate your progress, keeping you motivated as you work towards your goals.
See how postural therapy helped others! Read client testimonials here.
What is the Therapy process?
This client-centered program consists of:
**Individual posture and movement analysis: This may include photos and movement tests to help identify the posture and functional movement issues at the root of the presenting concerns.
**A plan is developed based on the analysis and goals: This includes a specific prescription of systematic sequences of exercises and re-patterning movements to do at home based on your goals and the time you can commit. We provide instructions and recordings of these exercises for you to do at home.
**Enhanced work: This includes more specialized Somatic-based neuro-muscular re-patterning movement sequences and additional strengthening and balance movement protocols as indicated to accelerate and enhance the therapy process.
**Instructions on performing the exercises include take-home instructions and recordings to support you as you practice the program independently.
**Follow-up re-assessments and program adjustments that deepen the benefits and maximize progress.
How often do I have to do the exercises?
We ask that you do your exercises, which we call your "menu," daily. Some clients may need to do their menu more than once per day. The therapy program is designed to systematically and methodically chip away at your dysfunctions and compensations. We have to remember that healthy change is a process that takes time. That said, by doing your menu daily, you give your body the positive stimuli it needs to restore proper alignment and eliminate pain!
Do I have to do all the movements and exercises in my routine?
For maximum benefits, you must do your full protocol at least once daily in the given order. One exercise sets up the next, so sequencing is important. If a movement causes pain or discomfort, leave it out and let us know. Do not persist through pain or other symtoms. We can always adjsut or amend the regimen to address any concerns.
You can do any exercises that you feel benefit your body at other times as a support throughout the day.
Is it normal to feel sore after doing my menu?
Some soreness may occur with the changes that come with the therapy process, and this can be a good thing as it can signal muscles' awakening and the beginning of functional functioning. In this case, it should diminish the more times you do your menu as your muscles adapt and adjust to the new work. Of course, some soreness is different from pain. If you are experiencing new or worsening pain or other symptoms, let us know so we can make any necessary adjustments.
Does insurance cover Posture Alignment and Movement Therapy?
Posture Therapy is a non-medical therapy that is not directly covered by insurance. We do not file anything directly with your insurance provider. Still, we will offer supporting statements/explanations of your therapy to help with any reimbursement for which you may be eligible. Many of our clientele have been able to use their health savings account or flexible spending accounts to pay for the therapy. Discuss this with your accountant to help you determine if that is possible for you.
What will I be required to do in this therapy?
Posture Alignment Therapy is an investment in terms of both time and finances. Your therapy menu will take 20 minutes to an hour and a half to complete. Twenty minutes to forty-five minutes are the most common time frames. Although most clients don’t need more than 30-45 minutes, those who do are in so much pain they will do their sequence daily, regardless of how long it takes. The exercises and movements are generally not physically demanding, as traditional workouts and protocols are determined based on your abilities. You are in control of your time commitment and should make the time commitment you wish to make to your therapist during the sessions.
How much does it cost?
Because needs, capabilities, and therapy goals vary, we offer different therapy packages and experiences: You can work face-to-face with a therapist in person or via Skype/FaceTime/Zoom video options. We can work together to determine which option suits you best and get an idea of how many visits you may need. Group classes in our healing modalities can be another support and adjunct to individual sessions to improve your success.
Can I still see my chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, or other health practitioner while doing this therapy program?
Many healing modalities can work synergistically with posture alignment and movement therapy. The therapy program is designed to bring your health back into your hands and back to your hands over time so that you aren’t dependent on another person or machine to achieve your optimal state of health. To do this effectively, adjusting and integrating different disciplines and other activities may need to be addressed for optimal benefits. Figuring out how to incorporate this work with other activities is especially true at the beginning of therapy and if activities contribute to your symptoms at any time.
Our goal is to add insights and practices that empower and educate you on what you must do to fix yourself and support all you do to sustain your active lifestyle.
How is Posture Alignment and Movement therapy different than Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, or Pilates?
Though my background is as a Yoga instructor and therapist with challenging pain and movement concerns, I have come to understand that often, a different, more targeted approach is needed to help restore better movement comfort and health. Our approach addresses the deeper muscle imbalances in chronic pain and movement challenges that have taken root over time. Therapeutic interventions consist of a specifically tailored set of exercises and moment sequences designed to eliminate these primary movement patterns and postural dysfunctions that are causing your pain.
In group classes, everyone generally does the same exercises, poses, or moves in ways often less directed toward individual needs. Ours is a progressively client-centered process where therapist and client work together to develop exercise and movement protocols, building on what your body can do functionally at each session.
Do I need to purchase expensive equipment?
While specialized equipment is available to help perform some of the exercises, most of our exercises can be performed with items you have lying around your house. We can offer links to the more specialized props if you wish and as needed.
How do I find out more?
I invite you to explore this functionally based posture therapy and corrective movement re-patterning work. Our 'How Posture and Movement Therapy Works' page explains how this can help you get back the life you love.
For an overview of a growing body of research showing how Yoga Therapy and its related disciplines can help a variety of concerns, go to our Benefits page.
You can also click here for a PDF of my brochure with more information about me and the program.
For more information on this posture and movement therapy or to set upa free consultation, please contact me here or at (203)488-1700.
***The information on this website is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. Results may vary. We strive for accuracy but are not liable for any damages. External links do not constitute endorsement. You are responsible for your use of the information. Read our disclaimer for more information..