How to Solve Posture Problems

Female Speaker: I am sitting here with Doctor Paul Poirier. Hi! How are you? Paul C. Poirier: Good, thank you. Female Speaker: Now, I want to know what is your goal as a Chiropractor and how does that come into play with the CBP technique? Paul C. Poirier: Well, CBP stands for Chiropractic Biophysics and it's the most recognized technique that's come about in the last 20 years. There is maybe 50, give or take, techniques that are out there. The most common one used by most chiropractors is called Diversified. It's been around for probably 60 years and it's good, and it does things and I still apply parts of it, but its purpose is different than what our purpose is. Our purpose is not really to -- I want to put it to get rid of the pain for patient. I think if a patient like a crooked car, walking in, coming into my office, then my job is to straighten the frame, because it got wrapped around the post. And if the wheel is rubbing against the wheel well, that's a symptom. So I can rub grease along the wheel well and temporarily make it maybe rub better, and rub less. But it's not going to solve the problem, or it will actually straighten the frame, there is no more pressure on the wheel well, so that the actual turning of the wheel will be improved permanently. So my job is to really correct peoples' posture. Most chiropractors are more based on the old method of, you've got pain? Okay, I am going to give you an adjustment and tune you out of your pain. And then you might say to me, when do I come back doc? And I could say, well, come back when it hurts again. Well that's fine, but if your posture was such at a straight neck, I didn't fix your neck in two visits, you might be out of pain after two visits, but the problem is still -- the lingering symptom is maybe gone, but the problem itself has not been solved. So what we do is we position you in a position opposite of whatever your problem is. If your head has gone forward, then I basically put you in the opposite like this for so many minutes first time that you come in. So that over time, your position then might be backed it like being like this, instead of being like that. Female Speaker: Is the traction what makes patients feel better for the long-term not just in terms of getting rid of pain, but actually fixing their problem physically? Paul C. Poirier: No. The traction has nothing to do with making them feel better usually, but the adjustment, which is what we do on the other side of the office is what actually relives the symptoms, makes them feel better. But, if they want to go beyond pain relief and fix their posture, this is the section of the office that we do that in. Female Speaker: Is it necessary that the adjustment process is done prior to the traction process? Paul C. Poirier: Yes it is. When you walk in and you haven't seen a chiropractor ever or even if you are coming in at once or twice a week or whatever the pace is, if I haven't seen you for 24-48 hours, your body somewhat stiff again. When I adjust you, I basically mobilized your joints, basically decompressed your joints. What we're going to do for now is just try to decompress your spine a little bit, because we know you have a little bit of pressure. Let's build up. Take in a nice deep breath for me, and let it out. Again, and let it out, excellent. Alright, you've lost a couple of pounds, and done it to 98. I will have you onto your right shoulder, take in a nice deep breath, and let it out, nice, and I will have you onto your opposite side, again a nice deep breath and let it out. Beautiful, okay. This is in order to reinduce normal curve because she has lost a significant amount of her curve. So what this does is it reinduces the normal curve. Right now, she is in the mirror image, in how she is normally. If a person is walking around like that, they won't get better on its own over years it will get worse, which causes you to get like this as you get older. What this does is it's actually making her head go like that for in her case five minutes with a five pound weight at this point towards getting the curve to go back. And then over time, she is going to be centered back to how she should be, and that's basically the goal of this particular one.