Low back pain affects two-thirds of the population at some point in a person’s life. It is a primary cause of missed work and is the leading cause of disability on a global scale. The low back is an integral part of the foundation of the body. This region is made up of the low back or lumbar spine and the pelvis. The core muscles are in this area and are made up of four muscles: the diaphragm at the top, the pelvic floor at the bottom, the transverse abdominis in the front and the multifidus in the back. Most people do not realize that the core reflects this many muscles and how it needs to work well with the skeletal bones in order for the entire postural chain to be working at its best.

The Impact of Poor Posture

Posture has a major impact in health and wellness. Poor posture can contribute to issues with the cardiac system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the metabolic system, the psychological system and the musculoskeletal system. It affects everything! Our posture starts from the core and making sure the low back and pelvis are in the correct position is crucial for the entire kinetic chain. Many conditions can be caused by poor posture being a major contributing factor.

Holistic Physical Therapy for Poor Posture

Dr. Karena Wu and her Team at ActiveCare Physical Therapy work holistically using digital feedback and a copyrighted methodology developed by Dr. Wu to demonstrate to the client their posture in space. The FIT3D body scanner is a useful tool to show patients how they look and where they hold their weight. New clients can take advantage of this body scan even if they are not in physical therapy and patients can get regular scans to demonstrate change.

Dr. Wu’s copyrighted methodology in holistic physical therapy has the therapists ‘walking their way to the injured segment’. That means starting distant to the  injury, assessing and treating parts of the kinetic chain and making their way to the injury. The reason for this is that the change in the injury or condition can be faster and have a longer carryover between treatment sessions. We emphasize the core or foundation of the body. The patients are made aware of the other areas of their bodies that might be impacting their symptoms. Dr. Wu trains her team of physical therapists to use this approach to bring about the best results for their patients.

Following is an article written by Dr. Wu for Physiotimes India. As an international healthcare expert, Dr. Wu discusses poor posture globally and offers tips and tricks to help maintain your best upright posture. Please enjoy the article and feel free to share it with anyone you think needs to improve their posture in our modern, sedentary and oftentimes seated world.

The Perils of Poor Posture by Karena Wu

We hope you enjoy this story!
Best,
Karena