How Posture Affects the Pelvis | Postural Alignment Healing Plan Results

Posture Specialist Sarton Physical Therapy - Egoscue Method

Here at Sarton Physical Therapy, we feel strongly about the need for a multi-modal approach to healing.

There is no formulated, one-size-fits-all healing plan that applies to all individuals.

We build your treatment plan from scratch, using our Healing Heart as a guide. Our multi-disciplinarian team allows for true integration of the following treatments under one roof. Today, we are going to take a closer look at a life changed by a customized healing plan—one which specifically incorporated postural alignment therapy with Certified Posture Specialist Zeena Dhalla.

Before Postural Alignment Therapy

Ryan has been treated for the last few years at Sarton Physical Therapy for pelvic pain from Pudendal Neuralgia. Upon meeting him, my analysis of how his posture was contributing to his pain was easy to assess. Ryan had a very noticeable case of “sway back” posture, which meant that his pelvis was “swaying” forward of his ankles and shoulders.

From the side, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and ears should ideally be in a straight line. In Ryan’s case, his hips were quite forward of this line and causing a ripple effect through the rest of his body, including an excessive rounding of his upper back.

In addition to the postural deviations surrounding the hips, swayback also indicates weakness in the muscles supporting this hip musculature (such as the hip flexors, glutes, and adductors). This hip weakness can contribute to his pelvic floor musculature having to “take over” for the rest of the hips, causing excess pelvic floor tightness and dysfunction.

The challenging part about treating Ryan’s case is that we have to be very careful—when attempting to move the hips back—that we don’t flare the pelvic pain with the incorrect exercises. Traditional strengthening modalities such as gluteal contractions or hip flexor muscle activation exercises, would not work for him, and instead would cause more pain the day after our session.

We also stayed away from significant amounts of upper body strengthening work for Ryan. Some corrective exercises specialists would go straight for addressing the upper back, but we decided that addressing the hip position was most important. Why? Because, until the hip position was resolved, the upper back would be fighting a losing battle to the swayback position.

During Postural Alignment Therapy

The wonderful thing about Ryan is that he persisted in his training and was wonderfully consistent. He communicated with me after his sessions (via text) and we met weekly for the first 2 months of his treatment. We analyzed each week which exercises were working, and which ones were challenging his body more than his pelvic floor could tolerate. The weekly pictures I took painted a picture of the gradual changes happening each week.

Posture Specialist Sarton Physical Therapy - Egoscue Method - Patient Testimonial

The breakthrough moment for our training together is when we began use of the Egoscue Tower. The tower is an amazing tool for resetting the position of the psoas muscle (the primary hip flexor). While lying with one leg in the tower and his upper body face up on the floor, it allowed his upper body to relax into a new position and the psoas muscle to relax into a better position to support his spine. The tower takes commitment! Ryan spent over 20 minutes in this position each day. When his pictures came back looking better each session, it kept him motivated.

After Postural Alignment Therapy: The Results

In our most recent session together, Ryan was able to clearly identify the difference between his hip muscles and pelvic floor muscles (something that was difficult before). He also suddenly got up off the floor with ease and swiftness. It caught me by surprise he moved so quickly! His wife has noticed an improvement in his posture as well as the definition in his glutes and hamstrings. He is now also able to engage his scapula and squeeze his shoulder blades together! Ryan is not entirely pain free—yet. We will have some work to do, but together with his commitment and perseverance, I have no doubt we will get there.

If you are interested in pelvic floor physical therapy, and potentially incorporating postural alignment services as part of your personalized healing plan, please contact us to set up your first appointment.

In Ryan’s Own Words:

“My challenges were (and still are to a much lesser degree) both standing and sitting comfortably for very long, which does not leave you a lot of options. In many ways, when I first came to Zeena it was hard to know where to begin as I had a high degree of overall physical discomfort. Zeena began very systematically, and helped me devise a growing plan to address all my discomforts, and ways to strengthen areas, all the while improving my posture. Zeena started by having me do very simple exercises to ensure I was able to see improvement, which boosted my confidence and allowed me to progress to more challenging exercises. Zeena’s program was different from others in that she offers incredible support between visits. She often would text a follow up which I found motivational and the Egoscue program that she uses allows me to visually see how to do the stretches, and reinforces what the goals are. Also, by taking photos at each visit and tracking my posture, I saw and believed there was improvement, even on days I didn’t necessarily feel there was. Zeena is also teaching me to know my body and communicate better when a particular exercise is too challenging or working well, so we can adjust as needed. Because I have other health challenges, sometimes I am still working on being able to do more physical activity- I still can’t do as much as I would like, but with that said, Zeena’s program has strengthened my body and has given me more flexibility to where I am able to take longer walks, and more frequently. I also now participate in a water aerobics class in a more consistent basis, which is in itself helping me to improve. I still have a lot of work to do, but would encourage others with a similar diagnosis to know if you trust your PT and put in the work, you will see improvement. ”

— Ryan, Pudendal Neuralgia + Postural Alignment Patient

We want to encourage you to get evaluated by one of our outstanding physical therapists, and regain control of your life. Pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, back pain, tailbone pain—you name it—these conditions do not have to control your life. There is hope. Call us today to book an appointment for 1 of our 3 Southern California locations, or inquire about a virtual, online treatment session.

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