Back pain is preventable and treatable!
This program is designed to help those suffering from low back pain treat the foundation of their condition by restoring the ability to function from healthy posture. The HPC adopt an 80% philosophy to helping those with low back pain, 80% of the population are right lumbar loaders. Right lumbar loaders sit shifted to the left and stand with the right knee slightly bent. This overloads the low back and causes joint misalignments that are predicable. If you are a right lumbar loader and have back pain, we can help you get on a path for long-term injury management and prevention. Schedule a Posture Screen today to confirm our Healthy Back Program perfectly matches your needs and goals.
What Causes Most Low Back Pain?
Collapsed Upper Back Posture. Technology has us spending a majority of our day in collapsed upper back posture. A collapsed upper back is the main culprit for chronic low back pain. You cannot unload your neck or low back if your upper back is collapsed. Breaking faulty loading patterns in the low back takes 3 months and cost as little as $600.
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You cannot unload the neck if your upper thoracic spine is collapsed. Here a breakdown of the typical joint misalignments that cause back pain as a result of collapsed upper back posture (kyphosis).
- Collapse sitting posture results in a shift to right sit bone
- Entire pelvis rotates to the left
- In standing the right pelvis is collapsed forward and L5 is stuck left rotated
- Overtime L5 gets stuck left rotated and causes mechanical low back pain
- Untreated this can result in nerve compression and puts you at a risk for damaging your intervertebral disc
These joint misalignments overload the soft tissue and causes back pain.
Path to Chronic Low Back Pain:
- Collapse Upper Back Posture
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Collapse upper back posture (kyphosis) in sitting leads to a shift to the left sit bone over time and to the left leg in standing.
2. Anteriorly Collapsed Right Pelvis
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The right SI joint becomes hypermobile and collapses forward. This rotates the entire pelvis to the left. The last lumbar vertebrae (L5) can get pulled out of its neutral position on the sacrum.
3. Joint Misalignment and Pain
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This places a tremendous amount of stress on the soft tissue and can compress the nerve roots as they exit the lumbar spine. This is mechanical low back pain.
Don’t let your back pain turn into a medical diagnosis!
Collapsed Pelvis Back Pain Cycle
Collapsed upper back posture causes sacral sitting posture. Sacral sitting posture results in shift to the left sit bone (ischial tuberosity) which pulls the right pelvis forward and up. Over time this results in an anteriorly positioned pelvis. We refer to this as the collapsed pelvis back pain cycle. You rest the back and symptoms calm down, but you did not address the foundation of the problem. When you try and return to fitness, sport and recreational activities your pain returns. The Healthy Posture System™ combines joint correction techniques with 6 levels of neutral spine conditioning to break this cycle by conditioning you to sit, stand, walk and function from healthy posture.
The HPC Applies Reverse Engineering:
The HPC Low Back Program applies reverse engineering to address the foundation of the problem before we focus on strengthening and fitness. Instead of strengthening the core and prescribing functional fitness exercises we treat the faulty posture that is causing the joint misalignment which is the mechanical source of your pain.
- Neutral Spine Conditioning
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If joint misalignment is the foundation of the problem, let’s start there. Your first month of the HPC will restore your ability to get into neutral spine alignment.
We will also teach you joint clearing techniques to make sure your low back, hips, knees and ankles are in neutral joint position before you start strengthening exercises.
2. Lifestyle Modifications
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Then we will explore every aspect of your daily routine to identify where you may need some help performing your home and work activities from neutral spine alignment.
We may suggest the following;
▪ Wedge Cushion – to help you sit upright without back support.
▪ Monitor Riser – to elevate your monitor 4 to 6″
▪ Body Pillow – to help you sleep in neutral spine alignment.
▪ Heel Wedge – to bring the floor up to you in sitting.
3. Functional Fitness Exercises
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When you are demonstrating the ability to function from healthy posture, we will progress your strengthening program to meet your fitness, sport and recreation needs.
We will never progress you to the next level of the program until you demonstrate the ability to maintain neutral spine with every exercise at your current level of conditioning for 8 repetitions.
We will never progress you to the next level of the program until you demonstrate the ability to maintain neutral spine with every exercise at your current level of conditioning for 8 repetitions with a 3 second tempo of control.
That is what makes the us special. The science of the program makes us different.
Knowledge is Power!
Neutral Spine Alignment (NSA)
What is NSA?
Neutral Spine Alignment is when your pelvis, rib cage and skull are in alignment with each other in each plane of motion. All your vertebrae are aligned in a way that allow loads to transfer through each vertebra in a healthy way.
Neutral spine alignment is healthy posture.
Neutral spine conditioning is any fitness program that challenges your ability to perform every repetition of every exercise from neutral spine alignment. Read more about neutral spine conditioning in the next section.
Why is NSA so Important?
Function from collapsed posture is like driving your car with a flat tire. Things are going to breakdown prematurely. If you do not have healthy posture, you are wearing down your joints at an accelerated rate. Restoring your ability to functional from NSA restores your musculoskeletal system to its factory settings. No energy gets wasted, all your spinal vertebrae are involved in support and load transfer.
Every workout conditions you to move efficiently and meets your joint stability needs as well as your fitness needs.
- Every walk lubricates your hips and knees instead of breaking down one side more than the other.
- Every squat and lunge strengthen the low back symmetrically instead of reinforcing a faulty load that caused joint misalignments that overload a disc at one segment.
When your joints function from their neutral positions your muscles strengthen symmetrically. You maintain the joint integrity that allows for healthy aging.
NSA is a free fountain of youth that will not just keep you in the game, but it will have you performing like a champion throughout your life physically. You will also save tens of thousands of dollars because you suffered less injuries and needed fewer medical procedures.
Facet versus Vertebral Body Loading?
Collapsed upper back posture results in anteriorly collapsed pelvis posture in standing because your low back has to extend to offset that collapsed upper back. This results in facet loading in the lumbar spine. The facet joints are not designed to support your upper boady, they are designed to guide motion. When you are in standing in collapsed pelvis posture, the weight of the upper body is predominately being supported by the L5/S1 segment.
Neutral spine alignment restores healthy loading through the low back. Your vertebrae are stacked through the vertebral bodies which are designed for load transfer and support. All 5 lumbar spine vertebrae are sharing the load of support and motion when you are in neutral spine alignment.
How Do I Get Into NSA?
There are 4 principles of neutral spine alignment that you must learn to get into healthy posture. They are very precise and subtle movements that your nervous system needs time and supervision to properly integrate into movement. We could not explain its nuance in a video or paragraph.
We suggest you purchase a movement screen to get started on this powerful journey to healthy posture and symmetrical movement.
How Can a HPC Membership Help?
The HPC virtually guides you through 6 levels of neutral spine conditioning in combination with individually prescribed joint clearing techniques to restore your ability to function from neutral spine alignment. We will explore every aspect of your daily routine and get you on the path to healthy aging physically. If you have a back pain condition you will be guided through the program by a physical therapist.
Here is what you will accomplish.
————— Get Started Membership —————
- Month 1: Functional Mobility Phase – This usually requires a month of functional mobility exercises and joint clearing techniques to help you start each day with access to neutral spine alignment. During this first month we will look at every aspect of your day and identify what lifestyle modification are needed to help you break your collapsed posture behaviors.
- Month 2: Neutral Spine Conditioning Phase – now that you can get into neutral spine alignment, we start challenging your ability to maintain it during daily activities.
- Month 3: Functional Conditioning Phase – we add resistances and modifications to each exercise to safely return you to your fitness program.
————– Maintenance Membership ————–
- Month 4+5: Functional Fitness Phase
- Month 6: Healthy Sport and Recreational Activities Phase
Neutral Spine Conditioning (NSC)
What is NSC?
Neutral Spine Conditioning (NSC) is when you condition yourself to perform 100% of your fitness, sport and recreational activities from neutral spine alignment. At this level of neutral spine conditioning your workouts and sports are no longer driving faulty loading patterns. This is the goal you want to reach for long term injury management, injury prevention and healthy aging.
Can NSC Prevent Injury?
Yes. When you can maintain neutral spine alignment during fitness and sport you have reached the pinacol of physical wellness. Your nervous system is now wired to function from neutral at a level that far exceeds your daily tasks.
You have broken the collapsed posture and joint misalignment cycle!
Conditioning yourself to perform your fitness, sport and recreational activities from healthy posture establishes a foundation for long-term injury management and prevention.
NSC is a free fountain of youth that will not just keep you in the game, but it will have you performing like a champion throughout your life physically. You will also save tens of thousands of dollars because you suffered less injuries and needed fewer medical procedures.
Can NSC Reduce Back Pain?
Yes. If joint misalignment is the foundation of your back pain. You must not just strengthen your abdominals; you have to neurologically condition yourself to maintain neutral pelvis during daily activities. We must restore healthy posture and condition you to perform your daily activities from neutral spine alignment before we progress to strengthening and fitness.
Any exercise performed from collapsed posture only strengthens the faulty loading patterns that are causing the misalignments causing your pain.
Todd Ball PT
If you are receiving massage therapy or manual therapy to treat the misalignment but not addressing the collapsed posture, you may be spinning your wheels. A HPC membership is the perfect complement to treatment protocols that focus on pain management/reduction.
If you are doing exercises to address back pain but did not improve your posture, you may be strengthening the faulty loading patterns that are causing your pain.
How Do I Know if I Need NSC?
You could benefit from Neutral Spine Conditioning if;
- When you stand in front of the mirror your head is tilted
- If you cannot lift an arm overhead without pain
- Your shoulder blade hikes up when you lift your arm overhead
- You cannot place both hands behind your head
- You cannot lay on your back comfortably without head support
- You cross one leg habitually over the other in sitting
- You stand with your feet pointing outward
- You cannot squat to pick something off the floor without balance support
- You cannot go up or down stairs without balance support
- You cannot stand on one foot for more than 10 seconds
- You wear out the outside of your shoes quicker than the inside
How Can a HPC Membership Help?
The HPC virtually guides you through 6 levels of neutral spine conditioning in combination with individually prescribed joint clearing techniques to restore your ability to function from neutral spine alignment. We will explore every aspect of your daily routine and get you on the path to healthy aging physically. If you have an active back pain condition you will be guided through the program by a physical therapist.
Here is what you will accomplish.
————— Get Started Membership —————
- Month 1: Functional Mobility Phase – This usually requires a month of functional mobility exercises and joint clearing techniques to help you start each day with access to neutral spine alignment. During this first month we will look at every aspect of your day and identify what lifestyle modification are needed to help you break your collapsed posture behaviors.
- Month 2: Neutral Spine Conditioning Phase – now that you can get into neutral spine alignment, we start challenging your ability to maintain it during daily activities.
- Month 3: Functional Conditioning Phase – we add resistances and modifications to each exercise to safely return you to your fitness program.
————– Maintenance Membership ————–
- Month 4+5: Functional Fitness Phase
- Month 6: Healthy Sport and Recreational Activities Phase
