Los Altos, CA
I got asked a few great questions recently that I wanted to share with you. The first question was “What is a Holistic Physical Therapist?” followed by “How do you use Gyrotonic in your Physical Therapy practice?”
I define Holistic Physical Therapist as a practitioner who works on the whole body, not just the area of pain. For example, many of my clients come in for low back pain, but I am able to find issues in their upper back and shoulders on many occasions. This upper body issue can play a huge role in the lower back pain and should be addressed to allow the client to have the best chance of a full recovery.
Think about your friend that works at a computer all day, their head and shoulders are forward and slouched. This causes the spine to lean forward, putting more pressure on the lower back and causing the hip flexors to get even tighter. So if we do not address the upper back and shoulder blade positioning, then they will have a hard time sitting at the computer in a posture that will allow back pain relief. One of my teachers says “find the pain, search elsewhere for the cause.”
Gyrotonic has been around since the 70’s, but has been slow to gain popularity. It is often described as a 3 dimensional, spiraling cousin to Pilates, which is typically described as linear. I use Pilates and Gyrotonic both for my PT clients, but I find that the sitting work with the handles and to open the chest are by far the best options for postural improvement in the common office worker, or anyone with poor posture! Look around, thats most people!
Would you like to learn more about how Gyrotonic and Pilates can be used in Physical Therapy or Fitness?
Would you like to tell me about your bad posture?
Are you having trouble sitting at the computer or in the bleachers to watch your kids?
Are your work outs causing back pain?
If you answered yes to any of these, then:
Give us a call at (650) 947-8500.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Gladfelter, MPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Women's Health Physical Therapy Specialist at PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness
Kim Gladfelter is a physical therapist, Pilates instructor, educator, author, and co-founder of PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness. She is known as a keen, well-rounded expert of healing through movement and women’s health specialist in the Silicon Valley area.
Kim has helped men and women of all ages to stay active and feel their best. She also writes about managing pain in her health columns, blogs and the local Los Altos Town Crier newspaper as well as reaches out to the local community, support groups, schools, libraries, and sports centers to advise and educate on body awareness and therapeutic exercise.