Why do we have postural changes?

In order to understand this we need to look at the Hans Selye model of stress. When a person is subjected to a stressor the body goes into the alarm stage of the stress response, also known as the flight or fight reaction. The first thing that happens is that the sympathetic nervous system, located in the intermediolateral tract of the spinal chord, is initiated. The sympathetic nervous system directly affects visceral function via neuronal control of the organs. As a result all catabolic activities are increased (e.g. heart rate and blood pressure) and all anabolic activities are decreased (e.g. digestion, growth, cellular immunity, sex glands). The sympathetic nervous system sends a message directly to the adrenal glands; unusually it doesn't need to synapse at the sympathetic chain ganglia, which means that the response is speeded up. This is a good evolutionary response when we are in times of danger.

What are the common stressors that bring about a stress response?

They include:-

Traumas

Macro traumas, these are the classic injuries to soft tissue as a result of:
1. Birth trauma
2. Falls and accidents
3. Sports injuries

Micro traumas, these are the classic repetitive strain injuries as a result of:
1. Chronic bad posture
2. Chronic sedentary lifestyle
3. Overuse injuries

Traumas lead to tissue damage and result in scar tissue deposition in muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules and on bony surfaces. This leads to functional changes which result in decreased motion in the joints and surrounding tissue. Neurological changes also accompany these soft tissue injuries which often result in further decreases in motion.

Toxins

Toxins can be in the form of food additives, certain foods, environmental toxins, toxins in our personal care products.

Deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies, lack of water, poor air quality, lack of sun.

Emotional upset

Chronic emotional stressors, bereavement, divorce etc.

With the stress response, if the stressors are not present for too long, and there are not too many at any one time, the body recovers and returns to a state of homeostasis. We can say that the body is reacting within its elastic limits. However, when a stressor is prolonged, or a number of stressors are present at the same time, the body goes beyond being able to return to a homeostatic balance after the stressor is removed. It goes beyond its elastic limits and enters the adaptive stage of the stress response known as strain. In this stage of chronic strain the body does a wonderful job of adapting and adopts a new state of balance known as allostasis. What we are seeing in allostasis is chronic changes to the demands upon, and the subsequent function of, the cells. In other words the body sets a new homeostatic set point for these variables that matches the perceived environmental demand.

The physiological changes we see during allostasis include:-

• increased cortisol levels
• increased heart rate
• increased vasoconstriction
• increased blood pressure
• increased blood glucose levels
• increased blood lipid levels
• Increased blood cholesterol levels
• Increased feelings of anxiety, stress, fear and depression
• decreased cellular immunity
• decreased anabolic hormones like growth hormone and testosterone
• bone loss
• muscle fibre changes
  
  

The result of these chronic changes to our physiology leads to a decrease in the Ph of the body (acidosis) and an incomplete break down of the products of oxidation. The latter then become deposited in the body tissues, including the muscles. With the increased deposition of these toxins over time the muscle cells begin to change in texture and shape, which can lead to a distortion of the musculoskeletal structure and posture.
These changes may lead on to the well known diseases of the 20th and 21st centuries, the diseases of adaptation.

Involvement of the spine in the stress response.

As far as the health of the spine is concerned, and its involvement in the stress response, on top of what I have already mentioned we need to look in more depth at what happens when the spine is compromised, either due to poor posture, sitting, traumas or even the lack of certain nutrients.

Most of the research to support what I am about to say comes from neurophysiologists, and neuropsychologists. The latest research on the role of movement and proprioception in the homeostatic regulation of whole-body physiology via connections between mechanoreceptors, the cerebellum and the areas of the brain for the regulation of the organs, the stress response, cognition, emotion and movement, balance and coordination is amazing.

The global affects of changes to the centre of gravity, and therefore the whole of the spine, result in decreased movement around the spinal joints which in turn leads to increased nociceptive input, or negative body messages, and decreased proprioceptive input, or positive body messages. Most of these messages are subconscious or asymptomatic. The negative body messages stimulate the parts of the brain associated with the stress relay centre, the locus, and the stress and anxiety centre, the amygdala; and these in turn stimulate the adrenals. Decreased positive body messages lead to decreased stimulation of the body-mind's integration and homeostasis centre, the cerebellum; the learning centre, the hippocampus; the sensory centre of the organs, the solitary nerve; and the motor centre of the organs, the vagus nerve. The result of all of this is the improper homeostatic control of movement, balance, coordination, stress hormone levels, cognition and learning, emotions, organ function, and the immune system. Finally on this point, more than 50% of all neurons for proprioception in the spinal cord charge the brain battery, therefore decreased proprioception leads to decreased energy for the brain. All this as a result of poor spinal health!

What do we do in Ishta Spinal Touch - Core Alignment?

Basically we measure the postural changes of the spine and the postural muscles using a posturometer or plumbline.

According to Drs. Hurley and Sanders, the founders of the forerunner to Spinal Touch, the body's centre of gravity (the L5/S1 junction) is the most accurate area of the body to assess for postural distortion.

In a body that is not distorted, and therefore in a physiological efficient posture, the centre of gravity is in the correct relationship to its counterweight, the third sacral segment.

With the centre of gravity and the counterweight in balance a person would appear upright when assessed at a plumbline which would bisect them in two equally left to right. They would be weight bearing evenly on both feet, their shoulders and hips would appear level and from the side they would have anatomically correct spinal curves.

Ideal posture

What we actually see at the plumbline can be a combination of: an anterior hip and the plumbline drifting to the right or to the left of the spine, uneven shoulders and hips with a scoliosis, and from the side the person can be leaning forward, have anterior head carriage, and the spinal curves are either accentuated or lost.

Degrees of postural distortion

The spinal health is struggling and the nociceptors around the spinal joints are giving off lots of negative body messages and stimulating the stress response. The degree of distortion is a physical indicator of the level of stress in the system and with time the posture becomes increasingly distorted with more and more negative body messages and less and less positive ones. This ultimately leads to pain, disease, exhaustion and death.

Once we have assessed the level of postural distortion we are able to determine what is required to improve the posture. This involves a series of very light and precise "rub-outs" over the postural muscles, whilst the centre of gravity is held in alignment with the counterweight. This results in the body beginning to realign itself and reduce the nociceptive stimulation and increase the proprioception. That is the body decreases the stress response and allows the tissues to dump some of the toxic waste stored in them. The mind-body begins to return towards homeostasis.

Obviously, homeostatic balance and postural correction will not occur overnight but over a course of treatment balance can be restored. The majority of changes to spinal health are symptom free and once the presenting symptoms have decreased there will still be a long way to go to return to a homeostatic balance and normal posture. Picture the presenting symptoms as being like the tip of an iceberg.

This normalisation of health also requires the correct nutrition and that the body be exercised to improve the range of movement of the joints of the spine and the rest of the body. We mustn't forget the affect that our thoughts also have on our health, including the health of the spine.

In summary

Through a thorough realignment of the centre of gravity with Ishta Spinal Touch - Core Alignment we can help the body reduce its scar tissue build up around the joints, improve the mobility of the body and its posture. We can also greatly help the body decrease the stress response and improve the positive body messages generated via the spine, which will lead to normalisation of the body and brain functions on all levels.

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