” Postural control dysfunctions should be considered in the management of chronic low back pain. Mok, Hodges, et al “
New Study suggests strengthening posture to manage chronic low back pain
I smiled in agreement and validation on reading the final line in the above conclusion of Mok and Hodges new study in the journal Gait Posture. The study carefully compared people with and without low back pain, and matched them by age and gender, found that “the fine tuning of the control of postural equilibrium is compromised in people with LBP (low back pain)”.
“Fine tuning” is the key word. The challenge in posture assessment, as well as in retraining and strengthening posture is that the effects are subtle. On assessment, measurement variables can make it difficult to see subtle improvement over time, requiring careful and consistent protocol (eg fixed camera posture picture with a grid) to see changes. Posture retraining requires similar attention to fine detail. People with poor posture also move adaptively, and a consistent focused protocol is required to create awareness of their motion assymetries.
The StrongPosture® protocols from the Posture Practice seminars and my book Stand Taller~Live Longer-An Anti-Aging Strategy evolved to address this need, and we are in the process of working with academic friends to design a study to demonstrate that trained conscious motion does indeed strengthen posture- perceptually to the individual from a subjective pain and objective functional perspective, as well as visually on a picture.
Dr. Steven Weiniger
