Integrated approach to posture: case study

The results obtained by an integrated approach to a case presenting a complex and disabling postural problem shows the importance of teamwork within posturology. A correct understanding of human biomechanics sees the body behaving as a vortex on a transverse plane and, at the feet, a frontal plane. This interconnected tensegrity structure has allowed humans, the only bipedal mammal, to move most effectively within the gravitational field. As the ultimate cybernetic system, humans need to sense at every moment the surrounding environment. Because of the substantial environmental changes "imposed" by modern society, ergonomics become an integral and crucial part of a program of postural re-education. Since plantar and dental occlusal supports seem to be critical for posture, using ergonomic devices such as splints and insoles, in synergistic combination with techniques acting on the myofascial system (bodywork, gymnastics), may lead to important results. These results can be detectable and quantifiable as in the present case study. Keywords: bodywork, cervicalgia, ergonomics, gymnastics, insoles, migraine, postural analysis, postural re-education, scoliosis, splints