The postural system is what allows our body to maintain its balance in order to move. Indeed, the human body constantly fights against gravity in order to remain static in standing or sitting position but also to move. It is therefore important to preserve it and understand how it works through posturology.
Doctor Pierre-Marie Gagey, Founder of the French Association in Posturology-AFP defines posturology as the discipline which studies the systemèpostural soul of strong>’aplomb (S.P.A.), in space and time and its stabilization strategies.
In other words, it is the discipline that studies the position of the standing man, static or moving, in the‘space. makes it possible to analyze the musculo-articular and nervous mechanisms which govern the postural system in order to balance itself.
This system is what allows the whole body to maintain postural balance when standing and moving.
This system has several sensory sensors:
The latter are designed to gather information about our environment and transmit it to the brain which in turn sends signals to the postural muscle chains that allow us to carry out daily work. to stand, sit and moveto place with minimal energy expenditure and muscle tension.
When these sensors work properly, we speak of good posture.
This means that the head, shoulders, hips and feet are aligned and positioned correctly with each other.
When one or more of these sensors is out of order or malfunctioning, we speak of poor posture.
Asymmetries and postural imbalances then begin to appear, which leads to inconvenience in daily life which can be followed by chronic pain.
Since all areas of the body come into play, through the sensors of the postural system, posturology is a multidisciplinary practice. Thus, it can be practiced by specialists in each field concerned: podiatrist, osteopath, dentist, orthoptist, ENT, ophthalmologist, general practitioner, physiotherapist, etc.
However, we must be vigilant because posturology is not yet recognized as a medical or paramedical specialty. Thus, the posturologist is first and foremost a health professional who has undergone appropriate training and is equipped with the necessary equipment to practice.
In order for our body to fight against gravity and move in space, it must meet two conditions: the feet must be aligned with the ground and the eyes must be on the horizon. If these two factors are not met, we can still move, but at the cost of postural imbalances that will form. Indeed, the body, and more particularly its postural muscle chain, adapts and compensates for the postural deficiency and the poor positioning of the feet or an ocular divergence in order to maintain its position.
Today, most people have at least one postural imbalance, whether more or less important. Thus, our bodily function is far from optimal.
In addition, postural disorders are a major factor in many cases of muscle pain and contractures, muscle and joint injuries, and even digestive disorders. Many pathologies stem from a posture problem. And the problem that arises is that many of these imbalances go undetected and are regularly confused with organic diseases, which makes it impossible to treat them properly.
To treat imbalances and prevent future pathologies, you must first be able to detect the asynchrony of one or more postural sensors within the postural system. It is necessary to understand the origin of imbalances and disturbances in the body in order to then treat them directly at the source.
This is where the interest of posturology appears. The practice focuses on the central nervous system to assess neurosensory inputs that are not functioning optimally (skin, feet, eyes, jaw, ears, joints). After detecting the problem sensors, it is a question of treating them. The posturologist will test each of these sensors and find those that present a disturbance. Depending on those who need to be recalibrated, solutions and medical disciplines will be offered to the patient.
Subsequently, when the receptors start to agree with each other again thanks to the various treatments, the body will reorient itself towards a correct alignment.
It is in everyone’s interest to make an appointment to consult a posturologist when certain symptoms appear and in particular to diagnose and relieve chronic functional pain.
Here is a list of symptoms for which you should do a postural check:
There is a complete examination to analyze the whole posture: the postural report.
The results of this assessment determine the balance capacities of an individual according to his S.P.A. and allow a complete postural diagnosis.
This assessment takes place in several stages with different devices.
The first step is to determine the class of postural imbalance in order to direct the diagnosis towards one or more incriminated sensors. The practitioner performs an examination using the Verticale de Barré, essential in posturology to have a view of together on the patient’s posture.
Then, tests must be carried out on each of the sensory sensors of the upright postural system. The feet and more particularly the plantar supports are studied thanks to the podoscope , in order to determine whether the postural imbalance is plantar or not. Then, the diagnosis is directed towards the head sensors (mandibular, ocular and/or vestibular) thanks to the examination on foam tray. To finish with this second step, the Maddox test studies the visual sensor.
After having identified the sensors at the origin of the imbalance and their asynchrony, the posturologist must offer the patient a personalized treatment. The latter will be redirected to professionals specialized in the various sensors to be treated: a podiatrist for the feet, an orthoptist for the eyes, a dentist, an ENT specialist for the cephalic sensors, etc. They will then propose concrete solutions to rebalance these sensors using recognized medical methods such as:
Thus, posturology does not aim to treat any pathology but makes it possible to evaluate, to logically study a certain number of symptoms in order to take care of them globally in the most appropriate way.
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