At a minimum, aim to perform a quick posture check at the initial and final visits with each patient. Additionally, a postural photogrammetric assessment each quarter allows you to track progress over time. There are several key reasons this practice is worth the small time investment:

• Gain insight into underlying muscle imbalances, restrictions, and weaknesses impacting posture
• Educate patients on postural habits that may be contributing to their health complaints
• Monitor improvements or declines in posture over the course of care
• Demonstrate tangible changes that motivate patients to continue treatment
• Identify needs for corrective exercises or additional therapies
• Quantify progress and outcomes to showcase the value you provide

Posture assessments can be done using an inexpensive tool like a wall-mounted posture grid. Have patients stand in front of the grid in their natural posture, then capture photos from the front, side, and back. Look for symmetry, alignment, and weight distribution issues. Compare photos over time to illustrate progress.

Be sure to explain the purpose of posture checks to patients. Show them the photos and point out areas in need of improvement. Provide positive feedback on progress made between visits. Patients appreciate visual evidence and your expert guidance.

Incorporating more holistic posture assessments takes little time but offers immense rewards. Not only will you gather valuable clinical information, you’ll also demonstrate expanded value to patients and empower them in their health journey. With simple consistency, it’s a best practice that breeds results and referrals.

Resources:

• Posture assessment using grids are an easy addition to any practice. Capture standing posture using any digital camera or mobile device (phone, tablet, ipad).
• Wall mount, as well as door mount and free-standing posture charts are available from BodyZone and PostureZone. These companies work with doctors, therapists, trainers and hospitals worldwide providing posture related supplies.

Enhancing Knowledge and Skills in Posture Assessment and Correction

Providing posture rehab education for chiropractic assistants has numerous benefits. First and foremost, it can enhance their knowledge and skills in posture assessment and correction. This, in turn, can lead to more positive and knowledgeable interactions with patients, which can improve patient engagement and satisfaction. Chiropractic assistants who have a strong understanding of posture rehab techniques can also assist or lead posture correction, injury rehabilitation, and balance improvement sessions, helping patients achieve optimal outcomes.

Increasing Practice Revenue through Additional Service Offerings

Another advantage of providing posture rehab education is that it can increase practice revenue through additional service offerings. By offering posture rehab education and related services, chiropractors can provide a more comprehensive approach to wellness, which can attract new patients and retain existing ones. This can be especially beneficial for chiropractic practices that are looking to expand their service offerings and grow their patient base.

Increasing Practice Revenue through Additional Service Offerings

There are different approaches to providing posture rehab education for chiropractic assistants. One-on-one sessions can be a great way to provide personalized instruction and guidance, while group classes can be more cost-effective and efficient for practices. Community outreach can also be a valuable way to educate patients and raise awareness about the benefits of posture rehab.

Collaborating with Trained Staff to Differentiate from Competitors

Incorporating posture rehab education into chiropractic practices can also build a natural bridge between the chiropractic services and therapies and the services provided by other trained staff in the practice. For example, trained staff such as trainers, physical therapists, or massage therapists can work collaboratively with chiropractors and assistants to provide a more holistic approach to patient care. This can help practices provide a more comprehensive range of services and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Providing posture rehab education for chiropractic assistants is a smart investment for any chiropractic practice. It can enhance their knowledge and skills, improve patient engagement and satisfaction, increase practice revenue, and provide a more comprehensive approach to wellness. With the right approach and training, chiropractic assistants can play an integral role in helping patients achieve optimal outcomes and improve their overall well-being.

Posture and chiropractic are closely related because posture can have a significant impact on spinal health and overall well-being. In chiropractic, the focus is on the proper alignment and function of the spine, and posture is an important aspect of this. Poor posture can cause misalignments and imbalances in the spine, leading to pain, discomfort, and other health problems.

Chiropractors often assess their patients’ posture as part of their initial examination and may use posture-correction techniques, such as adjustments and posture exercises, to help improve spinal alignment and relieve symptoms. By improving posture, chiropractors aim to enhance the function of the bodies’ overall biomechanics and nervous system, reduce pain and discomfort, and improve health and well-being.

5 reasons chiropractors should specialize in posture:

1. Interest in the subject: Many chiropractors have a particular interest in posture and how it relates to spinal health, pain, and overall well-being. Bringing your interests into practice infuses your work with a fresh perspective. This makes your practice more interesting for you and your patients.
2. Patient demand: There’s a high demand for posture-related services in the self-care community and specializing in posture can help the chiropractor meet this demand and attract new patients. These are people looking for the best outcomes and are willing to pay out-of-pocket to get them.
3. Improved patient outcomes: By focusing on posture, chiropractors can help their patients address postural issues that may be contributing to pain, discomfort, and other health problems. Posture is a concept that people understand. And communications and understanding are key to patient follow through.
4. Personal and professional growth: Specializing in posture allows chiropractors to deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area, leading to personal and professional growth. It feels good to be the go-to posture expert or specialist in the area. A phenomenal benefit of this work is that you’ll feel better too because you’ll likely change your own habits as you earn a posture certification.
5. Differentiation in the marketplace: By offering posture-related services, chiropractors can differentiate themselves from other chiropractors in the marketplace and attract patients who are seeking help with posture-related issues. Standing out in a sea of other practitioners isn’t easy. It’s important to stand-out for the right reasons. Gimmicks don’t work, but results do!

The Posture Practice 3E framework is a strategy for practitioners to blend a unique exercise experience with education using understandable bio-mechanic concepts to systematically empower patients.

The goal is shifting behaviors by intentionally building a virtuous cycle so that over the course of care we mindfully empower people to making positive choices for their unique physicality, clinical history, personal limitations, and environments.

Empowerment begins when a person discovers self-efficacy (the ability to help themselves). As we discussed in Part 1 of the 3E Strategy, this focuses attention on neglected links in the kinetic chain. In turn, the Must vs Try cueing of StrongPosture® exercise delivers incremental improvements in motion that people can’t deny.

Clear Expectations Inspire Action

In practice, the feeling of “I did it” is empowering!  Which is why using MUST vs TRY cueing is so important.  We want people to leave the practice with a win and feeling the edge of mastery. Even when pain relief is not yet complete, people remember the success of finding stronger balance with StrongPosture® Stork or improving core engagement with StrongPosture® Pelvic Tilt.

On the flipside, failing and hearing “Just do the best you can” is discouraging to the person in pain who may feel they’ll never get to a place a pain-free function again.

Strengthening bio-mechanic function to the degree that there’s a perceivable improvement is what chiropractors, therapists and other motion-based healers strive to deliver. Especially with today’s epidemic of distractions, messaging and short attention spans, healing is about mind as well as body.

Is it Magic or Biomechanic?

Unless you’ve delivered education that’s perceived to be relevant, and is completely understood by the patient, and as importantly… is acted upon you, will find that once the patient’s pain is gone, more often than not, so is the patient.

Telling the biomechanic story of someone’s body and unique issues along with delivering actionable rehab is what makes correcting subtle patterns of recruitment and stabilization relevant. It’s truly addressing mind and body. Linking feeling and understanding to create a narrative and build memories.

Understandable, relevant education that aligns with these progressive wins builds a cycle of action and attention.  By connecting cognitive and somatic we can empower people for self-efficacy and self-care, while also encouraging them to value our care and share a message of hope to others in pain.

Especially for those suffering with chronic pain, reviving forgotten movement patterns can reduce nociceptive mechanical stresses, and the spark of being in control builds hopeful excitement.

In other words, a Posture Practice is about crafting a journey to functionally strengthen posture for everyday life.

7SSP Subscribers Posture Practice TIP 1:

Rather than telling people what to do, offer engaging choices.

Introducing patients to 7 Steps to StrongPosture (7SSP):

• GIVE out the appropriate StrongPosture® exercise handout
• ASK if they’d like access to 7 Steps to StrongPosture® home care videos
• PROVIDE the flyer with the 7SSP access code
• SUGGEST they watch the Strengthen Balance with Stork video
• OFFER next steps to strengthening posture by progressing to Balance Awareness videos

7SSP Subscribers Posture Practice TIP 2:

Train your staff with 7 Steps to StrongPosture® – from basic BAM to building a StrongPosture® spiral. Delegating the “what to do” lets busy professionals focus on delivering high quality care. The 7SSP Pro training empowers everyone on the team to understand the why strengthening posture is the foundation of effective rehab. The best part of our patient rehab and staff training modules is we’ve done the work for you!

*Do you need guidance improving patient experience with your rehab program?

• Are you hands-on, providing a boutique experience? DO THIS –> Join our network of CPEP Certified Posture Specialists.
• Too busy to teach? DO THIS –> Subscribe to 7 Steps to StrongPosture, plug-n-play rehab for busy practices This online video-based program will guide patients through their rehab, one step at a time.

Understanding the Surge in Healthcare Staffing

So, what’s driving this remarkable growth in healthcare staffing? Well, it boils down to a few key factors. The aging population is a significant one. As our society grows older, the demand for healthcare services naturally increases. More seniors mean more appointments, treatments, and care requirements.

That, in turn, ramps up the need for healthcare professionals across the board.

But it’s not just about the numbers. The complexity of healthcare needs is also escalating. Advanced treatments and technologies require specialized skills, further straining the already tight supply of qualified healthcare workers.

Tackling Staffing Challenges in Healthcare

That’s where the role of healthcare recruiting firms becomes crucial. As the demand for healthcare services balloons, so does the need for efficient and effective staffing solutions. Recruiting firms like Masc Medical are at the forefront of this challenge. They’re not just filling positions; they’re ensuring that the right talent is in the right place at the right time. That’s vital for maintaining the quality of care and the smooth operation of healthcare facilities.

The expertise of firms like Masc Medical becomes even more valuable when you consider the intricate landscape of healthcare employment. They navigate the complexities of certifications, specializations, and rapidly evolving job roles, connecting skilled professionals with healthcare facilities that desperately need them.

The Economic Ripple Effect

The impact of the booming healthcare staffing market goes beyond just filling job vacancies. It’s a significant economic driver. As the market expands, it creates a ripple effect across various sectors. From education and training institutions gearing up to meet the demand for healthcare professionals to technology companies developing solutions to streamline staffing processes, the growth in healthcare staffing has far-reaching implications.

Moreover, this growth signals a shift in how healthcare facilities approach staffing. There’s an increasing trend towards flexibility and adaptability. Temporary and contract roles are becoming more common, offering healthcare professionals and employers the flexibility to adapt to changing demands and personal circumstances.

Preparing for the Future

Looking ahead, the surge in the healthcare staffing market isn’t just a trend; it’s a glimpse into the future of healthcare. As we move towards 2030, it’s clear that staffing will remain a critical aspect of the healthcare industry. That means continuous innovation in how we recruit, train, and deploy healthcare professionals will be essential.

For healthcare providers, staying ahead in this dynamic market will require strategic partnerships with recruiting firms. These collaborations will be key to ensuring that staffing challenges don’t become roadblocks to delivering high-quality care.

For aspiring healthcare professionals, this growth presents immense opportunities. The demand for skilled workers across various specialties is set to soar, offering a wealth of career paths and professional development opportunities.

The projected growth of the US healthcare staffing market to $26.97 billion by 2030 is more than just a statistic. It’s a testament to the evolving needs of our society and the healthcare system’s response to these changes. It underscores the importance of effective staffing solutions and highlights the crucial role of firms like Masc Medical in shaping the future of healthcare.

As we navigate this transformation, one thing is clear: the healthcare sector is poised for significant changes, and with it, the way we approach healthcare employment and service delivery. Stay tuned to this space as we continue to explore the fascinating world of healthcare and the myriad ways it touches our lives.

Understanding the Jitters

First things first: realizing that those pre-op jitters are as normal as feeling nervous before a big exam is key. Our job doesn’t stop at just the physical prep for surgery; it’s also about being there, psychologically. Anxiety’s tricky; it can mess with sleep, eating habits, and just about everything in between.

And here’s the issue – this anxiety isn’t just tough on the patient. It can throw a spanner in the works of the body’s healing process, affecting everything from how quickly they recover to how they handle pain. Spotting and soothing these worries early on? That’s crucial.

The Power of Knowledge

One big fear-buster is knowledge. Letting patients in on what will happen, especially the part about tools like the surgery retractor from June Medical or how the canning machine works can do wonders. Patients like to know exactly what’s going to happen to them when they’re on the table – without too much detail. It’s about peeling away the layers of the unknown. The more they know, the less there is to fear.

The Art of Conversation

Encouraging a bit of chit-chat about their worries is also a big help. We’re here to answer questions, clear doubts, and listen. That kind of open communication builds a bridge of trust that can make the whole surgery thing a bit less daunting.

A Spoonful of Mindfulness

You could try suggesting mindfulness and meditation – both are proven to be effective for relaxation and calming a panicked nervous system. It’s about anchoring patients in the now, not in the what-ifs of tomorrow. A few deep breaths can work wonders in calming a stormy mind.

Get Moving, Gently

When it’s medically OK, some gentle exercise can go a long way. It’s all about those endorphins and getting a good night’s sleep. Make sure you’re encouraging.

Picture This: Visualization

Guiding patients to picture everything going smoothly can be a real help. It’s about visualizing a positive outcome, from surgery to recovery. If they’re a younger patient, using play therapists to help children picture positivity is effective.

The Road to Recovery

Talking through what comes after the surgery – recovery, pain management, all that stuff – helps paint a full picture. It gives them something concrete to hold onto.

So, tackling pre-op nerves? It’s all about teamwork, education, and a healthy dose of emotional support. As healthcare pros, we’re here to look after the whole patient – body and mind. There will perhaps be an element of worry for every patient you come across. Finding ways to calm their nerves is going to improve the entire patient journey.

When I ask people about their posture, the most common response is “My posture sucks”. It’s not surprising, because between looking at our devices and sitting, most people today spend the majority of their time with their body folded, rarely opening up to lengthen things fully and stand their tallest.

Studies show sedentary, sitting habits take a significant toll on posture, back pain and health.(1) Diving deeper than “I know it when I see it”- What does “better posture” look like, and why? It’s not the idealized manikins you see, the ones with theoretic dots on the ear, shoulder, hip and ankle because our bodies are different. We’re each subtly unique, which is the problem with solutions to fix posture to be “correct“.

Your posture might not be good, but it’s probably balanced

Sitting or standing, walking or running, watching TV or checking Facebook – if you’re not falling down, your posture is balanced. We’re using muscles and leveraging joints to stay vertical. So the question becomes: What do we see when objectively looking at an individual with functionally stronger posture? Towards vertical is good, but perfectly straight may not be right for that body.

Patient Posture Perception

Which brings us to the more important question- what does it feel like to them? When you try to sit or stand with good posture, does that align with what someone else sees when looking at you? Researchers who objectively aligned people to “ideal” sitting posture found perception didn’t line up with reality. Statistically significant differences were shown between someone’s perception of good sitting posture, and when someone physically and objectively aligned them into “good posture”⁠. (2)

Also and not surprisingly, most people’s habitual sitting posture appears far worse than the posture they assumed for the moment they focused on “good” posture.

These are two elephants standing (or sitting, or walking around) in the room of posture: Awareness and uniqueness. Our internal body awareness, and the actual patterns in which we’re aligning of our body mass in space, are not the same. To function, our physical body must balance- otherwise we fall down.

Posture is Unique

Here’s the bottom line. Everyone’s posture is subtly unique because bodies are shaped differently, and so they balance subtly differently. Which is why improving posture begins with connecting the feeling of “better posture” with how things are truly aligned, the objective reality of things function, the physics of bio-mechanics.

The core of biomechanics is the core… the muscles connecting and controlling the top of our body that sees and manipulates our environment, with the pelvis and lower extremity that gets us around. The key to functionally stronger posture is connecting our body perception more accurately to reality, and engaging accurate core control.

And the best way to begin is by focusing on each body mass, each PostureZone®, and focusing your attention to something objective, something external to your body. Beginning with how your balance your body.

Controlling body balance towards vertical is the beginning of looking at posture because posture is less about how it looks, and more about how it feels and functions. Appearance is a measurement, but we need to look at how that connects to function and control

Which is why we begin the process of retraining posture patterns with StrongPosture® Stork.

• Engage patients with posture rehab. 7 Steps to StrongPosture® is the online at-home program for patients that integrates education and exercise designed to blend easily into your workflow. Find out how you can offer the program to your patients and clients >>>
• Learn the complete rehab protocol and earn CE. Posture and Balance Assessment, Rehabilitation, and Motor Control Exercise >>>

1 Biswas et al (2015). Sedentary time and its association with risk for disease incidence, mortality, and hospitalization in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(2), 123-32. doi:10.7326/M14-1651
2 Korakakis et al (2014). Sitting bodily configuration: A study investigating the intra-tester reliability of positioning subjects into a predetermined sitting posture. Manual Therapy, 19(3), 197-202. doi:10.1016/j.math.2014.01.001

“How do I leverage the health fair I did at a top-tier corporation to a bigger relationship with the company…?”

The corporate employees were engaged with the posture analysis pictures she took, and now she wants to give the HR manager ammunition to talk to his boss. She also wanted to know…

“Is there a research documented connection between posture, health and productivity?”

Short answer for everyone: YES.

Long answer for you: Yes, but a lot more research needs to be done.

Here’s what the experts agree on so far:

An international group of experts created recommendations to guide employers on best sitting versus standing activity levels at work.  Published in the prestigious British Journal of Sports Medicine, “The sedentary office: an expert statement on the growing case for change towards better health and productivity” ranked the quality of current literature with the American College of Sports Medicine system of 4 behavioral groups.

They likened the 4 levels of activity to the gears of a car, “where R = “reverse”, 1 and 2 = light activities within daily living, 3 and 4 are moderate to vigorous activities either in daily life or as part of leisure-time pursuits, exercise and sport” (adapting a model connecting activity and heart disease from the British Heart Foundation^[1])

The flaw in many health promotion programs they identified was attempting to go from “R to 3rd gear, missing targeted interventions in 1st and 2nd gear and thus resulting in behavioural “stalling” (relapse), as would occur in a car if one attempted to go from Reverse into 3rd or 4th gear.”  Their consensus was to design work to avoid continuous sedentary behaviour, thereby “engaging people in activity at gears 1 and 2^[2]”.

For desk based workers, the recommendations are for progressive change in a direction, “towards accumulating 2 h/day of standing and light activity (light walking) during working hours, eventually progressing to a total accumulation of 4 h/day (prorated to part-time hours)”.  They concluded advising “seated-based work should be regularly broken up with standing-based work, the use of sit-stand desks, or the taking of short active standing breaks.”

Targeting progressive change in a direction with respect to sitting vs standing activity makes their recommendations for professionals who address posture in the workplace, because it opens the door to answering the question of “What are you doing when you aren’t sitting or standing”.

Micro-breaks make sense, but especially for employers focused on the bottom line and productivity, offering classes for structured exercise breaks (i.e. StrongPosture® breaks) is one opening to a greater relationship with local corporations.

An effective framework for professionals to address posture in the workplace is using the ACE model (see PostureMonth.org for more info on ACE framework):

1.      Build Awareness (take posture pictures)
2.      Train Control (teach StrongPosture® exercise)
3.      Design an intelligent posture Environment (optimize workstations)

For an intelligent posture environment, standing desks are great, but the core recommendations noted “prolonged static standing postures be avoided; movement does need to be checked and corrected on a regular basis especially in the presence of any musculoskeletal sensation”, and “seated-based work should be regularly broken up with standing-based work and vice versa, and thus, sit-stand adjustable desk stations are highly recommended”.

Also, when those not accustomed to standing may experience “musculoskeletal sensations and some fatigue as part of the positive adaptive process”, and if the pain persists after taking a break “then seeking appropriate medical advice is recommended”.

So consider desks that go up and down during the day, and working that into your classes.  Plant the seed to return next year for posture picture follow-up reports.

Planning a corporate health screening? We can help with portable grids, a corporate health lecture that’s ready for you to teach, and a posture screening book with forms to walk you through the process! Checkout this and more on PostureZone.com.

^[1] Townsend N, Bhatnagar P, Wickramasinghe K, et al. Physical activity statistics 2012. London: British Heart Foundation, 2012.

^[2] Buckley, J. P., Hedge, A., Yates, T., Copeland, R. J., Loosemore, M., Hamer, M., . . . Dunstan, D. W. (2015). The sedentary office: A growing case for change towards better health and productivity. Expert statement commissioned by public health england and the active working community interest company. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-09461

For more about StrongPosture® and to incorporate it in your practice get the Posture Rehab Exercise Program and take the latest training via online course or hands-on seminar.

People often ask me where StrongPosture® rehab and the PosturePractice model comes from.

Here’s the story.

The StrongPosture® protocols integrate precise postural exercise with bio-mechanic patient education. The system developed in early 2000 when I needed a way to integrate posture rehab and concepts in a busy clinic with multiple doctors and therapists.

Short-Duration Rehab Exercise

My vision was for patients to receive rehab individualized to their unique kinetic chain strengths and weakness, and consistently experience subtle strengthening and improvement from their “posture exercise professional”.  Plus, I wanted patients to receive consistent cueing during the short-duration exercise and clear communication of concepts, regardless if their session that day was from a chiropractor, massage therapist, trainer or an assistant.

In other words, after removing restrictions to motion (be it muscle, joint or neural patterning), I built a system to retrain that motion – towards symmetry, with control.  I also framed education to engage people with an understanding of how to move well, and why posture care is often a neglected factor in overall physical, mental and even social health, as well as performance. I wanted to tailor their posture retraining so each person experienced improvement in functional ability, regardless of who on our team taught them.

My work began with Vladimir Janda’s Czech School of Rehab, and concepts including kinetic chain and Crossed Syndromes. Additionally, back in the 1970’s when in college I studied yoga, and saw many parallels. So over many patients and trials of protocols, Janda’s work was blended with yoga concepts of mindfulness to more effectively communicate these ideas for each individual, which added the emphasis on precise control of breath, along with objectively accurate motion.

Mindful Somatic Training System

The vision developed into what I call a mindful somatic training system to empower patients to better care for their unique muscle imbalances. We trained people towards balance between overly strong muscles and previously neglected antagonists… and were blown away by how strongly they were invested with the results of our care.

Thus grew a web of interlinking and inter-dependent protocols combining attentional focus with tightly controlled and isolated motion, with often dramatic results for our patients. In addition (and to my surprise), their engagement with posture rehab and us as a group skyrocketed, as did staff morale and referrals.

Posture Principles

People were excited with their own accomplishments, and progressively learned to strengthen previously ignored weaknesses and asymmetric patterns of motion control. The excitement (and compliance) grew as we educated patients with the common-sense biomechanics concepts I developed – BAM (Balance, Alignment and Motion) and the 5 Posture Principles (aka the Principles of Posture).

Stand Taller Live Longer: An Anti-Aging Strategy is the book I published 10 years ago which encapsulated the basics of these ideas. Especially for people interested in learning more,  the book combined the StrongPosture® concepts and “bio-mechanics 101” posture principles with simple demos that really boosted patients ability to share our concepts with anyone else who should be concerned about postural health.  Which is everyone.

Subsequently, over the past decade interest in posture has mushroomed with aging Boomers slumping, Millennial’s bent over phones training “tech-neck”, and teen complaints of tech-related back and neck pain being reported at higher rates than ever before.  As research on the health impact of posture has multiplied, I’ve shared our work with thousands of health professionals, training many as CPEP®s (Certified Posture Exercise Professionals®) in the hands-on detail of functionally strengthening posture in a Posture Practice.

For 2019, we’ll continue the mission of training practitioners globally to help everyone stand taller to move, feel and be well.  If you missed the last one, register for our next free Posture Research webinar. If you’re already in the CPEP® network, it will be available on-demand in the new CPEP members area launching next month.

Steven Weiniger, DC
the Posture Expert | CPEP® Founder

Coming in Pt II:  The ACE Spiral of Awareness-Control-Environment: From PostureZone® App Referrals to Posture Care LifeHabits

For more about StrongPosture® and to incorporate it in your practice get the Posture Rehab Exercise Program and take the latest training via online course or hands-on seminar.