Ergonomic Assessment

We live in a world where appearance counts. A person who stands erect with their head over the shoulders and the back straight, gets the benefit of the doubt. Often positive attributes like importance, elegance and refinement are instinctively assigned to this person. The opposite is true of the slouch who stands with a swayed low back, rounded shoulders and head jutting forward.

The importance of posture goes far beyond making good first impressions. Humans stand erect and that makes our posture critical to our health and well being. Poor posture magnifies the effect of gravity—overstressing muscles, joints and nerves. It is a condition that transcends age, sex, and socioeconomic boundaries. And while it is one of the underlying causes of chronic pain, there is good news. With time and determination, posture can be improved.

Poor posture is caused by weak intrinsic spinal muscles, which are not under voluntary control. Strengthening these muscles is the key to improving spinal biomechanics. To do this, exercises need to be specific—based upon the patient's deviation from normal posture. Standard exercise routines such as running and abdominal crunches are not effective. In fact, many times, they make things worse. Since improving posture is the key for long term pain relief, it is vital that patients have an exercise program tailored to their specific needs.

As part of the initial evaluation, Dr. Hopson utilizes a nine point method for determining postural deviation from normal. Ergonomic stress, recreational activities and sleep positioning are also reviewed by the doctor. This is the first step in creating a program that will reverse the underlying cause of the patient's pain and poor health.