WHY USE SPINAL TOUCH?
It is a gentle remedial therapy, which focuses on posture.
Bad posture can trigger various complaints, the most common being back pain.
Alignment of the spine in relation to the force of gravity has an effect on our general wellbeing, as well as creating unnecessary muscular aches and pains.
Everyday life creates stresses, both physical and emotional. This can produce excess tension, which is transferred to muscle tissue.
If this condition is allowed to deteriorate the tension will throw the body out of normal balance, causing muscular aches and pains, which appear for no apparent reason, or so it would seem.
Spinal Touch can be used to correct this imbalance by gently guiding the spine to achieve proper alignment.
The treatment is so gentle, it has no contraindications, and even the very young, elderly and expectant mothers can be treated safely.
POSTURAL FACTORS
A particular action may result in injury to one person but not to another due to postural factors. Restriction or dysfunction in one area may cause specific tissues elsewhere to be overloaded and injured, as they have to work harder to compensate. For example, a restriction in the lower back can cause over-use in the upper back.
Posture is primarily determined by hereditary factors, such as bone structure, muscle type and even by habitual movement patterns.
During our formative years until our early 20s we develop incorrect habits. This is where Spinal Touch comes into its own.
HISTORY OF SPINAL TOUCH
Spinal Touch was developed in the 1920s by a Mechanical and Structural Engineer, Dr John Hurley. Being aware, through his profession, that all inanimate objects had a centre of gravity, the idea crossed his mind that the same principle of balance and stress control would apply to the human structure.
After training in chiropractic techniques he began to develop a technique, which eventually evolved into what is now known as Spinal Touch.
HOW SPINAL TOUCH WORKS
The human form is designed in such a way that it will maintain health and vitality in the environment of constant gravity. However, when the body is often placed in a state of strain, which causes loss of proper balance, the results are muscular imbalance and dysfunction.
The chemical changes that occur in normal muscle tissue produces waste products that are eventually broken down into carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide is transported by blood to the lungs where it is released and water is reused by the body.
If the body is unable to rest sufficiently to convert these acidic waste products into carbon dioxide and water, they then accumulate and are stored in muscle tissue. Excess accumulation of acid causes the muscle tissue to become dehydrated, leaving a crystalline residue.
The accumulation of these acidic substances causes muscles to lose their elasticity. If allowed to continue, these muscles become firm masses of contracted muscle tissue.
The application of Spinal Touch, although very light, causes the release of these acids, thus bringing health and flexibility back to these fatigued muscles. It works on the principle that a light stimulus will produce maximum results. The use of a plumb line is essential to ascertain any deviation from gravity, facilitating a precise and effective treatment plan producing relaxation and facilitating adjustment to correct alignment.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS WILL BE NEEDED?
Spinal Touch activates our body’s internal healing mechanisms, and consequently the number of treatments often depends on how chronic the condition has become.
Initially, a postural assessment is carried out using a plumb-line in order for the client to see for themselves how correctly they stand. This is generally followed by a Spinal Touch treatment. However, if the client only wishes to receive an assessment this can be arranged.
Initially three to four treatments are usually recommended for acute conditions to see improvement.
Subsequent follow-up treatments are usually recommended lengthening the time between visits according to progress. These are only recommendations, and it is ultimately up to each client to decide how they wish to proceed.
Studies suggest that smaller regular adjustments to posture enable the body to cope better with postural changes than deeper dramatic techniques.