The TrueBalance Difference
The unique power of the TrueBalance therapy comes from:
 The standardized view of correct posture
One of the most critical and powerful factors of the TrueBalance system is its standardized view of correct postural alignment. It is very challenging to create an effective protocol for healing unless you have an accurate model from which to discern where and by how much a person has deviated from the norm. Often there is great debate on what the correct model should look like. This is because most of the studies have been done on adults who already have many biomechanical and postural problems.
The TrueBalance system uses data collected from measuring children, the purest of our kind. Every child measured had a balanced and level pelvis, a straight spine and a beautiful side-view showing a perfect relationship to gravity. It also includes the information gathered by cutting-edge research from groups like Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation who have observed the posture of thousands of clients as they were brought through sessions using manual therapy techniques and muscular re-education to re-establish correct biomechanical function. Essentially it boils down to the principals of elementary physics. When you create a building, all structures should adhere to physical laws and proper relation to gravity. Ie. the walls would be 90 degrees to gravity with no twists or torques; the roof would sit atop the walls and evenly distribute its weight down through the structure. Otherwise, it would obviously be unsafe. For this reason, TrueBalance bases its evaluation process on nature's original blueprint for a safe and powerful body design.
The postural and movement assessment process
The comprehensive alignment and movement assessment done before each TrueBalance session is the foundation of the therapy. Using instruments to take actual readings of hip angles/elevations, shoulder positions, forward displacements of the load bearing joints and more, allows us to see exactly where and by how much your posture has deteriorated. This is crucial because it gives us the clues as to how we need to sequence the scientific postural exercises.
Next we check your gait patterns. When you walk, all of your postural misalignments step into action. Taking a visual inspection of the way you walk helps us to see where your body is failing to maintain its balance. Finally, we do a hands-on evaluation to locate muscle adhesions and scar tissue. This information is then used to augment the alignment assessment when we create the routines that will retrain your muscles to hold and move your bones according to their natural design.
Recovering the Kinetic Chain
The human kinetic chain is a system comprised of muscles, nerves, and bones directly responsible for the movement mechanics and coordinated activation of your body. If one component of the chain is not working properly it will directly affect the other components and therefore affect movement. This creates what is called a compensation pattern; the body compensates for the strength deficiency by recruiting other muscles to aide in the dysfunctional movement, thus dramatically increasing the risk of injury.
How your muscles hold your bones not only determines the magnitude of the forces that are carried up through your body but also where those forces will be absorbed. Postural misalignments will cause improper force distribution and lead to joint degradation and muscle strains.
The scientific sequencing of postural exercises
The TrueBalance assessment process allows us to determine the most effective exercise sequence that is necessary for your body. Any exercise program will have an effect on your posture. In some cases you may actually see a positive improvement. However the improvement is usually short lived or incomplete. Recovering posture is a neurophysiological process. This means we are reprogramming the brain. That is why exercise sequencing is so important. If you give to much stimulus to the brain at one time it will not be able to process the information in terms of correction. Any subsequent exercise given is basically being built upon a fog rather than a solid foundation. A misaligned body can have multiple areas and even layers of compensations that need to be addressed and they must be approached in the correct order to get lasting change. Imagine baking a cake and pouring the flour into the pan, putting the pan in the oven for 40 minutes, then pulling it out to add the eggs and water. Although it may have all the components of a cake, you are not going to win any prizes. The TrueBalance assessment shows us exactly where you need attention first. Correcting this area allows us to build each subsequent exercise of the routine from a solid foundation. A more in depth visual of this process can be seen in the strength development of a baby. Imagine how a baby starts on their back and then flips to their tummy, starts to crawl, and sequentially builds until it is standing correctly. The same holds true when we retrain your body to remember AND keep your natural, balanced state. Sequence is everything.
Optimal Performance Bodywork
The healing power of the body is truly amazing. When given the proper stimuli it has an innate intelligence to return to a state of balance and health. Unfortunately some postural misalignments are so ingrained and extensive that they have literally turned muscles into plastic. That is why TrueBalance utilizes Optimal Performance Bodywork. OPB was created by myself and Todd Durkin, one of the nation’s top personal trainers, and is the perfect compliment to the TrueBalance exercises. Hands on massage techniques coupled with guided movement patterns are used to regain some of the natural muscle elasticity and remove built up scar tissue. With the combined power of OPB and the personalized exercise routines, TrueBalance helps you to recover and maintain your natural balance, and eliminate the sources of your pain.
|
The standardized view of correct posture