More than Posture

"Structural balance" regarding your health is usually thought of simply as good or poor posture, but that's only part of the picture. Structural balance has a very great influence on your total health picture. You may experience joint pain, digestive disturbances, "nerve" problems, easily injured joints, and many other problems because of structural imbalance.

The body is held in place and moved by muscles. The only thing a muscle can do is move two attachment points closer together; consequently, for every muscle action there must be an opposing muscle pulling back. This can be illustrated simply by two muscles pulling equally on an upright post. When one muscle gets a nerve impulse telling it to contract, the other muscle must relax adequately to "play out" its length so that the post can move. Obviously, if something goes wrong in the nervous system that does not allow the second muscle to relax, the contracting muscle cannot pull the post over. This simple principle is present in a very complex manner as you walk and move about your daily activities.

Occasionally something happens in the nervous system that causes an inability to perform the muscular activity described. If a muscle is injured by contracting or stretching past its physiological ability to respond, it will stay in a contracted or relaxed state until something is done to return it to normal. Sometimes that "something" is nothing more than a good night's rest. If the muscular imbalance does not return to normal within a reasonable length of time, treatment will probably be needed.

Some aspects of the nervous system act in a fashion similar to the circuit breakers and fuses in your house. When an injury or activity overloads an organ or a muscle, there is a protective mechanism that deactivates the organ or muscle for its own protection. In other words, the "circuit breaker" will blow out, thus protecting the organ or muscle from the overload. Until the nerve center is reset, the muscle or organ will not work at its optimal level.

The system of applied kinesiology in chiropractic can locate muscles and nerves that are not functioning at their optimal levels and determine the location of the nerve"circuit breaker"; treatment is then used to restore normal function.

The body is held in balance by antagonist muscles pulling equally against each other. When they are not functioning equally, stress develops at the joint and it becomes susceptible to injury. Constant stress at a joint over a long period it may cause osteoarthritis (the "wear and tear" type of arthritis) to develop. If imbalance is present in a young child, the shape of the bones may be altered. This may cause a permanent knock-knee or bowleg condition from the abnormal bone and joint shape. An individual who constantly sprains an ankle is probably the victim of imbalanced muscles in the lower portion of the leg that hold the ankle in balance.

Many nagging low back pains are due to a postural balance shift caused by weakening of some muscles and contraction of others. Many so-called "clumsy" children are really victims of muscular imbalance, causing movement to be difficult and uncoordinated.

One of the most significant involvements from structural imbalance is a recurring vertebral or pelvic subluxation. If imbalance is a recurring vertebral or pelvic subluxation. If imbalance is present in one of the muscles holding a vertebra or the pelvis in position, the structure will return to an abnormal position - possibly within minutes - after an adjustment is made. Applied kinesiology examination helps locate these muscular imbalances for correction. The subluxation correction is then maintained.

The recurring vertebral subluxation is most significant because it may affect nerves disturbing control to tissue, organ, or structure supplied by the involved nerve, causing some form of health loss.

Your doctor, using applied kinesiology techniques, will test many different muscles to determine your body's structural balance. Muscles that appear weak will rapidly return to normal when the correct treatment is applied. Because some of the affected nerves have probably been involved for a long time, it may be necessary to correct the same area several times; however, if repeated correction is necessary, something is causing the continuing problem. Your doctor will search until he finds the exact cause and eliminates it, so that you may enjoy a happy, healthy life.