What exactly is Spinal Touch Therapy / Core Postural Alignment?
Core Postural Alignment is a philosophy and practice which seeks to help restore and maintain the Physiological Efficient Posture, in order to allow the body to express its maximum potential.

What do you mean by maximum potential?
Each individual human being has their own unique blend of potentials pre-programmed by genetic heritage long before birth. These include such factors as the capacity to see and hear, the capacity for eye to hand coordination, the capacity to think clearly, to remember, to reason, to organise thoughts, to solve problems, the capacity to resist disease and recover from injuries, the capacity for balanced emotional response, for humour, for love.

These are but a few examples of the many potentials and capacities inherent within the individual. While nobody can know the outer-most limits of these potentials, it is easy to see how failure to express them fully would make us less than we could be.

What has the Physiological Efficient Posture got to do with expressing potential?
Loss of the Physiological Efficient Posture may affect the position of the bones of the skull, spine and pelvis. These bones protect the central nervous system, which is the body's control pathway to organs, glands and other body parts. It has been shown that tiny misalignments of these bones, which we call derrangements, can interfere with normal nervous impulses to and from the brain, and thereby disrupt the harmonious interaction of body parts. Because some of the disturbed glands and organs manufacture body chemicals the totality of the biochemistry is thus disturbed. This disturbance in the balance of the body's chemistry affects every physical, mental and emotional aspect of life and interferes with the expression of full potential.

Are you saying that internal changes in body chemistry, caused by derrangements, can affect such mental factors as mood or memory or creative ability?
Of course. We have only to think of the physical, emotional and mental changes that can result from alcohol, drugs and medicines to realise how important body chemistry is to all functions. When body chemistry is disturbed either by adding chemicals from the outside, or by changing what the body manufactures from the inside, the result always affects every aspect of life.

How does Core Postural Alignment correct these derrangements?
To be absolutely accurate, we must point out that Core Postural Alignment does not really correct the derrangements. The body has its own spinal muscles to do that. Unfortunately, the spinal muscles are often too busy doing something else. It is this "something else" that Core Postural Alignment addresses, allowing the muscles to do the job they are supposed to do.

Is Spinal Touch Therapy / Core Postural Alignment a form of chiropractic or osteopathy?
Absolutely not! There are no bony manipulations involved at all. Core Postural Alignment solely uses a unique muscle relaxation technique to restore the Physiological Efficient Posture.

What clothing needs to be removed for a treatment?
Everyone keeps their underwear and/or shorts on. Women wear an open-back gown during STT/CPA treatments.

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Does it hurt?
No it is very gentle and relaxing. Often people fall asleep while it is being done.

Is Spinal Touch Therapy / Core Postural Alignment safe?
Yes. There are no contra-indications to receiving the treatment. There are, however, some times when caution is required. Practitioners are well trained to know when intervention from another health professional is required.

How do I know if I have lost the Physiological Efficient Posture?
Unfortunately, most of the time you don't. It is true that some derrangements may produce pain or muscle spasm, but most do not. The only way to be sure is to have an assessment by a trained and certified Core Postural Alignment practitioner.

How does a Core Postural Alignment practitioner know what to do?
They are trained in assessing you for postural distortion by standing you in front of a plumb line, and by other means. Even untrained people (a spouse or parent, for example) can often see the distortion when compared against a vertical and horizontal reference point. The exact form that this distortion takes determines how the alignment technique is applied.

What can Core Postural Alignment do for my posture?
Let's take a look at an example. In the following photographs the green lines are where the person should be, the pink lines denote where they actually are.

Before an alignment from the back.
We can see that this person is leaning over to one side and that her hips, shoulders and the back of her head are not level. Having horizontal shoulders and hips support the internal organs properly. Also there is a pronounced "winging" of the right shoulder blade.

We see that the ear and the centre of the hips are much further forward than they should be. This may affect the functioning of the diaphragm and can compromise her breathing. This has led to an increased curve in her lower back in an attempt to compensate. There is also too much curve in her neck, which compresses the base of her skull. This may lead to poor blood supply and drainage to and from her head.

* All women wear gowns with open backs during treatment

After the alignment from the back.
We can see that after the alignment this person is much more upright, side to side, and her hips, shoulders and the back of her head are much more level than before. This allows her to bear her weight on her feet in a much more balanced way.

We can see that the forward lean has reduced and the forward head carriage almost completely gone. This is important as for every inch of forward head carriage the neck muscles have to work 10 times harder. There is also less of a curve in her lower back making it more stable. Also the curve in her neck has improved.

* All women wear gowns with open backs during treatment

What particular physical, mental or emotion conditions respond to Core Postural Alignment?
None! Core Postural Alignment is not a treatment for any condition or an attempt to cure any disease.

It is true, of course, that one of the potentials which could be reduced by a derrangement is the body's potential for health.

What we can say is that Core Postural Alignment is particularly safe and gentle and has helped people with:
Ankylosing Spondylitis, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain, Balance Problems, Breathing Impairment, Depression, Digestive Problems, Fatigue, Foot Problems, Frozen Shoulders, Headaches, Insomnia, Jaw Problems, Joint Pain, Knee Problems, Kyphosis, Learning and Behavioural Difficulties, Lordosis, Low Energy, Menstrual Problems, Migraines, Multiple Sclerosis, Neck Pain, Pins and Needles, Poor Posture, Problems during and after Pregnancy, Recurrent Infections, Repetitive Strain Injuries, Scoliosis, Sciatica, Sinus Problems, Sports Injuries, Stress Management, Tension, Visual Disturbances, Wellness Care, Whiplash Injuries and more.

Core Postural Alignment does not treat or cure any disease or symptom. It is primarily concerned with creating a healthy, balanced state on all levels by helping people back towards homœostasis.

It therefore has the potential to help people with almost any condition.

In our view a body which has lost its Physiological Efficient Posture could never be as healthy as it could be under the same circumstances with a Physiological Efficient Posture. Whatever potential one has for resisting disease or recovering from disease or injury will obviously be better expressed without derrangements.

But it is important to realise that all people are better off with a Physiological Efficient Posture, under all circumstances, without regard to whether they are sick or well. If you want to know the best treatments for any disease ask your GP. If you want to maintain a Physiological Efficient Posture just because that's the best way to be all that you could be, have Core Postural Alignment regularly.

What causes the loss of the Physiological Efficient Posture?
Almost any fall or accident could cause the loss. So could poor postural habits, physical or emotional stress, malnutrition, dehydration, surgery, physical exertion, or any one of a dozen other things. In fact, almost everyone loses their Physiological Efficient Posture at some time or other, often in childhood. Unless it is restored we spend our entire life being less than we could be.

Click here to read The Plumbline - Issue 25 »