What is it? Clinical Biomechanics of Posture (CBP) is a cutting edge technique for restoring the configuration of the spine to as near normal as possible. In fact, it is currently the single most researched Chiropractic technique in the Index Medicus. Many techniques talk about posture, however few really do anything substantial to correct it.

You may be asking yourself “Why is my posture spinal configuration so important?” Let’s look at it this way: In engineering there is a saying that form follows function. In other words everything functions according to how it is configured. For example, on a microscopic scale, how our atoms are arranged decides what types of cells are created. How those cells are arranged determines what type of tissues is created and so on and so forth until we have what we call a human being. A much simpler example is the wheels on your car. If they are properly aligned they can last a pretty long time. What happens if they are not properly aligned? Of course, we will have excessive wear and tear, as well as other more serious problems. Our were designed the same way. There is an ideal alignment that is necessary for not only the spine to function properly, but the muscles, discs, ligaments and even the nervous system to function properly. For a more in depth look at what specifically happens to these tissues see “Caution! Nerdy stuff to follow!” below. How do we restore the proper alignment to the spine? While more detail is contained under the Services portion of this site, here is a brief description. Dr. Hinck uses the EAT format. This is an acronym for Exercises, Adjustments, and Traction. In each of these components the spine is placed in the mirror image (or opposite) of its improper posture in order to help restore the spine to normal. When it comes to the health of your spine and nervous system you should never forget to EAT!

Caution! Nerdy stuff to follow!

Lets take a closer look at the effects on each of the above mentioned tissues that we mentioned. Having improper posture goes far beyond just looking awkward. In fact according to the January 1994 issue of the American Journal of Pain Management “Posture and normal physiology and function are interrelated. Abnormal posture is evident in patients with chronic pain-related conditions including backache, headache, and stress-related illnesses.” It goes on to state “posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture.” AJPM 1994; 4:36-39

Okay, now for the tissues themselves. First let’s look at the most obvious and the one that everyone sees on their x-rays. What happens to the bone? It is a well-known fact that bone remodels according to the stresses placed upon it. This is called Wolff’s Law. The spine has an ideal alignment. It was actually designed to have two-thirds of the pressure on the rear portion of the vertebrae (back bones) called the pedicles. If everything is normally aligned the body can breakdown and replace the bone in a normal fashion. However, if the spine is not aligned properly, for example a forward head posture with a decrease or reversal of the curve of the neck, the spine must remodel and adapt to this new configuration. The result will be a decrease in the density of bone to the rear of the vertebrae, and increased bony deposits toward the front. This shows up as irregular bone growth with lipping and spurring. This is a visual form of arthritis. You can also have a decrease in the actual height of the vertebra called a compression fracture. This leads me to the next tissue of interest, the disc. The disc is the spongy tissue between the vertebrae. Like the bone, the disc was designed to absorb forces while in optimal alignment, most of the time. It is no coincidence that we tend to see a high percentage of disc ruptures and decreased disc height at the levels of greatest change to the alignment of the spine. The disc just was not designed to take the abuse of being in altered alignment the majority of the time and thus becomes structurally weakened.

The next tissue that I would like to discuss is the ligaments. The ligaments, when put under tension (stretch) or compression exhibit a property called creep. When left in an elongated or compressed position for a long period of time they will adapt to this new position, and when the stress is released will have a new length. For example, when someone sits at the computer for long periods of time with the head protruded forward the ligaments on the back elongate, becoming weaker, and those on the front shorten making it difficult for the head to return to its proper alignment. This information becomes very important when we discuss the importance of traction. The last tissue that we will discuss is the muscles. When speaking of muscles we must understand the term “length-tension relationship.” The muscles have optimal lengths where they are the strongest. If they are too short or too long they lose the ability to exert optimal force. In other words, the forward head not only makes the muscles on the back of the neck work harder, they are weakened and thus expend far too much energy just to hold the head up. Is it any wonder that office workers, by the end of the day, are rubbing their necks as if they had given them a horrendous workout? Another term for this predicament is “structural inefficiency.” Please refer to the section titled Services to see how we correct these problems.