The Pettibon System for Chiropractic Care

As used by some of the most innovative chiropractors, The Pettibon System is an effective posture and spine correction methodology that not only provides pain relief, but also works toward restoring the normal form and function of the spine. It is a comprehensively researched, practical alternative to physical therapy and chiropractic care. Furthermore, the Pettibon System even an alternative to medication, pain management and surgery.

The Pettibon System chiropractic principles are based on the belief that gravity plays a fundamental role in the development of abnormal spinal form. Human beings are supposed to hold their heads upright and nervous system makes sure that they do this even if it means that the lower spine has to be displaced to accomplish it.

The Pettibon Weighting System

By taking the Pettibon chiropractic principles, Pettibon System practitioners utilize them in order to realign this spine. This way the spine is able to function optimally to help hold the head upright. The patented Pettibon Weighting System is the most important part of the Pettibon System, which is applied during this alternative treatment.

During chiropractic treatment, patient have to wear specially designed head, hip and shoulder weights for up to twenty minutes every day, which ultimately corrects their spine. The spinal displacement that requires correction determines how many weights and where they have to be placed.

The centers of mass of the head, pelvis and thoracic cage are altered when the weights are worn. As a result, sensory inputs are sent by the righting reflexes to the nervous system to inform it that the spine needs to be corrected. Since the body needs to be balanced to the weights, the natural organizing energy of the nervous system causes some of the spinal muscles to contract and others to relax.

As a result, the posture and spine are corrected and repositioned, making them relative to gravity. In addition, the involved muscles are prompted to do isometric exercises because of the weights. This restores their balance, endurance, and strength. This practice, along with adjustments and other treatments provided by a professional chiropractor, can offer profound levels of improvement in mobility and overall functioning.

Why Isometric Exercises?

The musculoskeletal system’s muscle bundles consist of two kinds of muscle fibers. One is the phasic muscle fiber and the other is the postural muscle fiber. Both types of fibers are present in each muscle bundle but typically, a muscle group is dominated by only one of these two types of fibers. Postural muscles have mostly the postural muscle fibers. In the gym, when people do aerobic exercises and lift weights, it is the phasic fibers that are affected. At that time, nothing much happens to the postural muscles. So, posture is not improved even though phasic muscles are strengthened by the exercises.

When phasic muscles are injured and/or get fatigued, they collapse and go flaccid. However, postural muscles spasm when they are injured and/or get fatigued. Moreover, postural muscles never spasm evenly, they spasm either front-to-back or side-to-side. That is why the body’s appearance is distorted by poor posture because the spine shifts from its normal position. In isometric exercises, pulling or pushing is involved against a force that moves extremely slowly or remains stationary. As a result, postural muscle spasms are eliminated, and their balance, endure and strength are corrected and rehabilitated.

Why The Pettibon System For Chiropractic Care?

For over 30 years, the Pettibon System has proven to be helpful in the improvement of the health of patients. It focuses on muscular development, nutrition, and postural and spinal correction. The Pettibon System involves the active participation of patients in their own care, both at the clinic and at home. Currently there are very limited chiropractic practices that offer the complete Pettibon System by certified chiropractors in Berkeley, CA and other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit PettibonSystem.com where you get all in the information you need about this advanced form of chiropractic care.

Best Exercises for Retirement Community Residents

There is no doubt that exercise is very important for people of all ages. As you grow older, you should not despair and quit exercising. To maintain a healthy body, everybody needs physical activity that keeps your body moving. This helps in keeping a good physique, strong mental health, and also weight loss.

For older adults in retirement communities, the amount of exercise to do depends on factors like sickness and age. There are several types of exercises that older adults can do. They are not very intense and will not affect your health. Below we suggest a few great options that go well with retirement communities.

Endurance exercises

Examples of such exercises are jogging, biking, swimming, walking and dancing. These types of exercise help to stabilize your breathing rate and are good for your heart. Do not over work yourself by doing so many exercises per day. Your goal should be to have 150 minutes of exercise in a week. Depending on your health status, you can choose to do any of the endurance exercises. If you cannot ride a bike then swimming and light jogging could be the right exercise for you.

Weight lifting

Weight lifting helps in making you gain enough strength for your body. There are several weights that are recommended for older people. Do not go for the heavy weights because you might overwork your muscles and get a bad injury. Weight lifting should be done for a maximum of three days in a week. You should make sure that you have a rest between sessions or days to gain your strength. In the rest day, you can have other exercises. If you feel like you have the energy to lift weights ever day of the week, then you should ensure that you interchange the working muscles.

Balancing exercises

As you grow older, you might start facing difficulty in balancing and maintaining your stability. Due to illness or aging, most people can only stand for few minutes without risk of falling. Stability exercises help in strengthening your lower body. You can walk on your toes for short distances or do the stark pose. This is where you hold your arms wide apart and stand on one foot. At first, you might find it hard to maintain your balance but as you progress with your daily sessions, you will start gaining your balance.

Stretching

It is good to stretch your muscles so that your body stays flexible. These exercises are very good for people who have difficulty in walking or movement. Although they do not increase strength, they make your body limber and make movement easier. Stretch your shoulders, calf, thighs, legs and upper arms gently.

Chair exercises

There are several exercises that are chair bound for those people who have wheelchairs. You can use resistant bands for muscle strengthening. As you pull and stretch you are stretching your body and also adding stretch to your hands. You can bind the bands to furniture or even door knobs. You can even stretch the parts of your body that you are able to move without causing yourself a lot of pain. If you are seeing a physiotherapist or any kind of doctor, you can inquire about chair bound exercises that are fit for you.

Develop a Movement Practice to Optimize Mobility and Athletic Performance

With weight loss, strength training, pain relief, and injury prevention being the core purpose for individuals embracing health and fitness, it is important to shade some light on importance of developing a 'movement practice.'

A movement practice is a simple way of defining a pattern of movements, motions and exercises that help to improve physical mobility and overall fitness. A movement practice can be used simply as means to stay supple as well as optimize athletic performance.

Indeed, success in exercising highly depends on the ability to schedule and adhere to a routine of movements. Here is a sneak peak of the importance of maintaining good mobility while practicing Yoga, Pilates, foam rolling and tissue work.

Yoga

Yoga is a transformational exercise program based on ancient Indian culture that incorporates proper exercise, (Asanas), correct breathing (Pranayama), proper diet (Saucha), positive thinking (Dhyana) and complete relaxation (Savasana). It leads to physical and mental awareness, strong and balanced muscles as well as improved breathing system.

Yoga involves several awesome poses such as sun salutations, warrior poses, standing balances, seated, backbends, forward bends, twists and inversions. Most of these poses are done while standing and comfort enhancers such as props and cushions can be used to make the exercises comfortable and interesting.

These poses are important in facilitating good mobility, since they ensure that all the parts of the body are worked out. Moreover, our bodies always reject the changes we desire, and that is why exercising feels like a punishment. The yogic lifestyle also involves a complete life style change which may not be easy to adapt to, but which is crucial if the process is to be successful. This calls for scheduling a movement practice, to avoid disappointments.

Pilates

Pilates is based on six principles namely: centering, concentration, control, precision, breath and flow. Each of these principles should be applied whenever practicing Pilates, since each of them serves a specific purpose. For instance, centering is mainly geared towards spinal alignment.

Remember that Pilates is an elaborate process that requires total commitment in order to attain the so-called noticeable difference threshold. Indeed, gaining fitness by losing weight and regaining it simply by failure to come up with a movement practice is self-defeating logic.

Foam Rolling & Soft Tissue Work

In addition to getting deep tissue massage, physical therapists and athletes mainly practice foam rolling and soft tissue work in order to inhibit overactive muscles. This form of self-massage therapy is mainly geared towards enhancing soft tissue extensibility and to relieve the muscle of knots and adhesiona.

The fact that these exercises are designed for the quadriceps thoracic spine, the hamstrings and the hip flexors among other muscles necessitates planning for a movement practice, to ensure that each muscle is worked out, in order to activate the antagonist muscle.

This is a great movement practice if you can't afford regular massage treatments. A professional massage can cost upwards to $100 for an hour, however, you don't need an hour to dig-into your tight spots. Seek out local massage therapy in your area, and see they offer 20-30 min massages that are deeper and more focal.

Tips for Developing a Movement Practice

All said and done, it is not easy to establish a workable movement practice routine. However, the following tips could be of help.

• One should maintain a physically active lifestyle by experimenting on the various weight fitness programs.
• The proper mix of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity should be emphasized.
• Whenever practicing a certain exercise program, participants should ensure that they maintain the right posture at all times.
• The movement practice should incorporate movement of major body parts (core, legs, chest, neck, etc)

Indeed, taking on a movement program haphazardly is a waste of time. A movement practice must be scheduled and followed consistently if goals are to be achieved.