i have only been using it for a little over a week and am super
surprised at how much it really stretches you. I hunch over so there is
a spot in my back that is sore so I know it's working! Hoping to see
results by my wedding!
Verified Buyer
Prior to integrating Posture Blocks into my massage practice I have been
using them myself.
While I have always been conscious of my posture I have noticed that
using the Posture Blocks has shifted my default stance back a few
degrees. It takes longer for tension and fatigue to impact my
posture. I have also contracted a couple low grade head colds which
normally come hand in hand with a stiff neck and headache. While
using Posture Block
s I had no stiffness through the shoulders and none of the usual
headaches. I'm convinced!
Posture Blocks Video
Posture Blocks is the #1 Choice
for Text Neck Correction
"Tech Neck" Affects over 8
Million Kids in the U.S.
STOP and Reverse "Tech Neck",
and other posture deviations
with Posture Blocks
Study after study is validating what health
care practitioners have been seeing for the past decade or more: Children at a
younger and younger age are seeking relief from adult-type pain and discomfort
caused by excessive use of technology. And a recent study shows that permanent
damage may be caused and continue into adulthood. What's the answer?
Gravity Works Against You All Day Long.
Now, Make It Work For You!
Introducing
Posture
Blocks™
Gravity Assisted Traction Device
for The Home (Patent Pending)
posture Blocks can actually reduce your Posture Number
Gravity never sleeps. This relentless force pulls our bodies
downward 24 hours a day. These forces are minimized when the posture is neutral,
as seen in the picture at the far left. But as a person's posture worsens, the
gravitational forces put additional stress and tension on muscles, joints,
tendons and ligaments.
Certain muscles will shorten and become weak, and others will
get longer and become weak. A vicious cycle of tension, pain and weakness
continues until you do something about it. That something is Posture Blocks.
If you or your patients fit into any of the following categories then
Posture Blocks is a must!
If you fit into any of the following categories, then you may need a
Posture Blocks Posture Cushion:
Poor posture;
Forward head posture;
Overdeveloped and tight chest muscles;
Overstretched, tight and weak back muscles;
Light to moderate rounded back;
Back and neck pain sufferers;
Pain in shoulders;
At risk osteoporosis patients;
TMJ Sufferers; and
Computer users
First, understand that Posture Blocks is NOT a pillow. It's a
series of foam blocks of varying size, shape and density. It is so unique it has
been granted a Patent Pending status You have not seen anything like Posture
Blocks because there has never been
anything like Posture Blocks.
The Posture Blocks cushion positions your
upper body in such a way as to allow gravitational forces to stretch
anterior body tissues while placing the posterior tissues in a shortened
position. Posture Blocks is designed to bring your head and shoulders into a
healthy, normal postural position, while encouraging a normal cervical curve. As
the body assumes a more natural posture position, aches and pains lessen.
(shown without custom fitted cover)
1. Dense foam base provides a solid platform
2. Adjustable headrests control the distance
of posterior glide
3. The neck support promotes a natural curve
and provides a gentle traction on the neck.
4. Adjustable thoracic piece provides more or
less resistance in that region
5. The center wedge supports the spinal region and gently extends the upper
back
to open the thoracic cavity and stretch chest muscles
6. Lumbar roll also doubles for youth cervical
roll
The space between parts 3 and 5 allows
external shoulder joint rotation
When used just 15 minutes a day, you will begin to notice the change in just
a few days!
"In 2005 I redesigned the first
therapeutic cushion for correction of Forward Head Posture, the Posture Pal®.
Posture Blocks blows that concept away. Period. When used in conjunction with the
exercises in the Better Posture in Just 20 Minutes DVD, your patient has a
powerful one-two punch to knockout poor posture." Dr. Joseph Ventura,
posture expert and author of the Posture Pro computerized posture analysis
system.
Advantages of Posture Blocks over other Posture Devices:
Exercise balls:
Posture Blocks is smaller and more convenient
Posture Blocks won't roll away, make noise or break things
Posture Blocks doesn't take special exercises to be used
Posture Blocks can be used by everyone
Posture Blocks is safer and won't roll out from under you
Posture Harness, Straps and Braces:
Posture Blocks is more comfortable
Posture Blocks is not worn under clothes
Posture Blocks does not cause rashes
Posture Blocks is used in the privacy of your own home
Posture Blocks does not have to be worn for HOURS!
Posture Blocks works faster
Posture Blocks is easier to use
Posture Blocks gently stretches the chest
Posture Blocks doesn't force the shoulders back
Posture Blocks relaxes the back muscles
Posture Blocks retrains the body position naturally
Cervical and Lumbar Cushions:
Posture Blocks is a multitasking cushion
Posture Blocks was designed to improve posture
Posture Blocks works on MORE than just the cervical or lumbar area
Posture Blocks helps realign posture
Posture Blocks works on the entire upper body
Posture Blocks helps to alleviate what causes the lower back pain
In as little as 20 minutes you can see dramatic changes in
posture.
Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society: "Older men and women with hyperkyphotic posture have higher
mortality rates."1
SPINE: "All measures of health status
showed significantly poorer scores as C7 plumb line deviation increased."2
Department of Neurosurgery, Medical
College of Wisconsin " ... abnormal spinal curvatures enhance the likelihood
of whiplash injury and may have long-term clinical and biomechanical
implications."3
When your mother told you to stand up straight, she
probably didn't know that poor posture affected over 100 joints, dozens of
muscles, diminished lung and cardio capacity, accelerated DJD, reduced
physical performance, lowered and shortened the quality of life. A greater
problem is that many health care professionals don't understand or
appreciate the relationship between posture and health and performance.
Even those professionals that deal with orthopedic
problems on a daily basis can overlook the affect of poor posture on their
patients with knee pain, aching backs and tension headaches, and other
conditions that seemingly aren't related to posture.
The
Physiology
From SAUNDERS MANUAL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
PRACTICE:
"Poor posture" is a faulty relationship of the
various parts of the body which produces increased strain on the supporting
structures and in which there is less efficient balance of the body over its
base of support. When resting posture is not "normal", more energy is needed
to perform or control movements; e.g., forward head posture puts increased
stress on the cervicothoracic spine and requires more work from the erector
spinae muscles to maintain an erect posture.
Normal, neutral posture has been well established in the literature as
illustrated in figure 1.
AP View
Head Level
Hips Level
Shoulders and Clavicles Level
Knees Level
Ankles Level
Lateral View
A plumb line should pass through:
Center of Ear
Center of Shoulder
Center of Hip
And Fall Just in Front of the Ankle
Those doctors that do put a focus on a patient's
posture have noticed an increasing trend toward patients, especially in
young patients, presenting with a type of poor posture called Forward Head
Posture (FHP). Various causes have been suggested which include overloaded
backpacks, extended playing of portable video games, poor workplace
ergonomics, sedentary lifestyle (couch potato).
Forward Head
Posture (FHP)
Using the simplest definition, FHP is described as
carrying the head forward of the center of the shoulder.. An example of FHP
is presented in figure 2.
Subject A reflects a normal, neutral lateral posture.
Subject B demonstrates the classic FHP profile,
with the red line representing the amount of forward head travel.
Long-term effects of FHP posture include
Rounding of the shoulders
Inward rotation of the arms
Compressed thoracic cavity
Likelihood on an increased lumbar lordosis
Loss of range of motion
Increased wear on the IVD, and other articular
components
Increased muscle tension in some areas causing
"short weakness"
Decreased muscle tension in some areas causing
"stretch weakness"
While there are sophisticated devices to determine
if a person has FHP, detecting this posture profile can be a simple as a
quick visual from the side to see if the ear is over the shoulder.
The Effects
of Forward Head Posture on Health
The head, about the shape and weight of a bowling
ball, is subject to the same Laws of Physics as other objects. As the head
moves outside its natural stable point, gravity takes hold and wants the
head to hit the floor. Think of a bowling ball with a cut-off broom handle
stuck in one hole. The ball will balance when the broom handle is upright,
but tilt the handle slightly forward and the bowling ball will fall to the
ground. Gravity never sleeps. This Law of Physics affects the body 24 hours
a day.
Rene Calliet, MD estimated that for each inch the
head is held forward of neutral, requires the exertion of 15 to 30 pounds of
extra muscle tension to hold the head erect, which means that much less
muscle strength is available to support outside loads. And, of course, this
extra muscular load is transmitted down the spine, increasing chronic
loading on the vertebrae as well as the intervertebral discs.
The "shoulders back and down" position of proper
posture is optimal for load bearing. With this position, when a weight is
held in the hands or supported by the shoulders, the shoulders will be
pulled downwards, but not forward. When a forward shrug occurs, it is much
less efficient. When fatigue resistance drops, the spine is more vulnerable
to injury.
The
illustration on the left shows how an erect, posture allows the head to rest
in a neutral position. But slouch forward and the entire spine has to work
to support the weight of the head.
EFFECTS
OF POOR POSTURE ON THE MUSCLES AND ON THE SPINE
Muscles habitually kept in a stretched position
beyond the physiologic resting position tend to weaken. This is known as stretch weakness.
Muscles habitually kept in a shortened position
tend to lose their elasticity. These muscles test strong in the shortened
position but become weak as they are lengthened. This is known as
tight weakness.
Imbalances in the flexibility of hip, shoulder, and
neck musculature cause asymmetric forces on the spine (which decrease load
bearing capability and increase injury risk).
Kisner and Colby, in Therapeutic Exercise, 3rd
edition, state that this adaptive shortening of soft tissues and muscle
weakness, caused by prolonged poor postural habits is considered to be a postural dysfunction. Stress to the shortened structures causes
pain, and strength and flexibility imbalances may predispose the area to
injury or overuse syndromes that a normal musculoskeletal system could
sustain. Good postural habits are necessary to avoid postural dysfunctions.
Below is an overview of FHP effects.
Joints Affected
Short Muscles
Weak Muscles
Atlanto-occipital
Levator scapulae
Hyoid
Cervical spine
Sternocleidomastoid
Lower cervical and
Temporomandibular
Scalenes
Middle and low
trapezius
Scapulothoracic
Suboccipital
Rhomboids
Glenohumeral
Upper Trapezius
Pectoralis major
Pectoralis minor
Treatment Methods
While
the detection of FHP is easy, the correction of this posture deficiency is
not. Through the years various methods such as back braces, traction
devices, shoe inserts, therapeutic massage and exercise programs have been
tried, with various successes.
The question
to ask is this: If Gravity can cause FHP, can Gravity correct it?
Posture Blocks is not a pillow, but rather a cushion so unique the design
was granted a U.S. Patent Pending status.
The
various contours of the cushion were designed with sophisticated posture
analysis software to ensure predictable results.
Gravity Works Against You All Day Long.
Now, Make It Work For You!
Here's
How Posture Blocks Works
The Posture Blocks cushion is placed on the floor and the patient lies on
it in a supine position. The adjustable head piece allows the head to assume
a posterior glide position in relation to the shoulders. The contours of the
thoracic area push the thorax forward, stretching muscles in the front of
the chest and relaxing muscles in the mid and upper back. At the same time,
the shoulders are allowed to outward rotate.
Here Is What Posture Blocks
Accomplishes:
Stretches the front upper body tissues
Shortens the back tissues
Stimulates the spinal postural muscles
Increases circulation
Opens up the chest region, increasing respiratory functions
Alleviates upper AND lower back, shoulder and neck pain
Relieves muscle tension
Improves posture by aligning head, neck and upper body in correct
position
Reduces slouching, improving self confidence
Clinical Proof
EXAMPLE: 11 year old female presenting with a typical Forward Head Posture
deficiency. This is seen all too often in young children, especially those
that play a lot of hand held video games, or carry an overloaded backpack.
In this picture the child's
head at rest is 34 mm in front of the shoulder. Normal, neutral position is
0mm.
The next day child was next asked to lie on a Posture Blocks cushion
for only 20 minutes.
This specially designed
cushion has recesses and elevations in scientifically designed areas to help
reverse the effects of Poor Posture.
A posture exam* performed
immediately after using Posture Blocks showed the dramatic improvement in
the picture on the right. The 34mm of Forward Head Travel was reduced to 0.
This relieved over 18 kilograms of tension pull from the child's neck
muscles!
It also flattened her tummy as the pelvic tilt was reduced.
While the example show is of an 11 year old girl, Posture Blocks works
for young and old alike.
If you aren't happy with the way you look from the side, give Posture
Blocks just 20 minutes a day and it just might change your life!
Problems with Other Products
Pillows
The picture above is of a
popular pillow for the relief of neck pain. Notice how far forward the
shoulders the head is held. Using this pillow can be counter-productive in
attempts at correcting Forward Head Posture.
Traction Devices
The picture below is of a traction type product claiming to correct
Forward Head Posture.
Again the problem is that
the head is not held in a normal anatomical position.
We are also against
forcing a change in the cervical curve until the Stretch and Short weakness
of the cervical muscles is addressed.
Posture Blocks is unlike any
other device for the reduction of Forward Head Posture, relaxation of the
cervical muscles, reduction of neck pain and headaches, as well as mid-back,
shoulder and chest pain.
1 Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society
Volume 52 Issue 10 Page 1662 - October 2004
doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52458.x
2 The Impact of Positive Sagittal Balance in Adult Spinal
Deformity
Spine Volume 30(18), September 15, 2005 pp. 2024-2029
3 Effects of abnormal posture on capsular ligament elongations
in a computational model subjected to whiplash loading
Brian D. Stemper, Narayan Yoganandan, and Frank A. Pintar
Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 West
Wisconsin Avenue, VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
Accepted 19 June 2004. Available online 17 August 2004.
* all posture exams were performed using state of the art posture
analysis software from VenturaDesigns (www.posturepro.com).
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