Posture Alignment Therapy is a long term solution to eliminate chronic pain, increase function, reduce recovery time and likelihood of injury and make yourself look and feel better. It is a systematic way of addressing your body's misalignments with gentle stretches and exercises (some of which you may have seen, some of which you definitely haven’t) that change your muscle memory and recruitment patterns. Personalized to your body and your needs, the self-care regimen you develop with your practitioner goes beyond the quick-fix mentality circulating the fitness, chiropractic, medical, and physical therapy worlds.

We DO NOT treat symptomatic pain, or the pain site itself. The major differences is that we will look at YOU AS A WHOLE - your entire body as it presents itself relative to your "blue-print" design. Rather than treating the symptom, we address the context that sets the stage for the symptom. By doing so we can identify how your body has shifted away from it's proper function which ultimately resulted in your current pain/symptoms. By looking at the body as a whole, it allows us to clearly identify the root cause of your pain/problem.

By identifying the underlying root cause of the symptoms we have a platform to work from where we can re-build your structural foundation. By restoring your foundation, your whole body begins to moving properly again. End result? The symptoms of poor body mechanics (pain, fatigue, numbness, stiffness) are resolved.

High fives and hugs are all the touching we do. We can palpate your hips on occasion for a little more info, but only if you are comfortable with it. This is also why we are so effective via distance therapy through Zoom and other video technologies. 

You and your therapist will discuss the pain or performance concerns that you are currently having. A postural assessment, functional testing, and gait analysis will be done to determine your compensations and dysfunctions that are causing your pain. Posture photos will be taken every visit to track the progress of your structural changes. Your therapist will develop a series of exercises, called your “Routine or Menu", to address your specific compensations and dysfunctions. Your menu will change over time to adapt to the musculoskeletal changes that will be taking place in your body.

In the the first session, we'll be setting up a systematic sequence of exercises tailored to your specific issues. With this sequence of exercises, we'll be peeling back layers of dysfunction and compensation so that muscles that have been too tight can loosen up and muscles that haven't been working properly are nudged back into their proper function. You receive one-on-one instruction to ensure you know what you're doing and why you're doing it.

In subsequent sessions, we address questions and concerns that you have from doing your exercises at home, double-check you're doing all your exercises correctly, and make any changes to your menu of exercises based on the changes and improvements your body has already made. See the video in our resources section for more.

The initial visit is a 75-90 minute session and includes a detailed postural and functional assessment. Photos are taken so you can actually SEE the skeletal position of your body. Your gait is analyzed and various movements are performed to evaluate your specific limitations. An individualized program is designed by your therapist for you to perform at home on a daily basis. Programs vary in length to fit your lifestyle. The average length of a home program is 20-3 minutes. You will receive pictures of the exercises /positions with a detailed description of how to perform each one. The key to your results are the SEQUENCE of the exercise and CONSISTENCY of performing them.

You will feel a difference during your very first session. That doesn’t mean you will be free of pain the first visit, it means you will be able to feel a difference in your weight distribution, stance or gait which in time will lead to less pain. Many clients experience relief and/or greater balance and symmetry as we test your body with a few different exercises to determine the underlying causes of your pain. In some cases, depending on the severity of your issues, it may take longer for your posture and pain issues to go away. If you've had pain for 7 years, it MAY not be reasonable to expect it to disappear in 7 days. Sometimes, however, it does disappear in 7 minutes.

As you become more and more functional, these benefits will become long lasting and your pain will be eliminated permanently. However, most chronic pain and postural imbalances did not occur over night, so plan on giving your mind, body and spirit time to recover.

Most individuals wear shorts and a T-shirt/ tank top. For posture photos a sports bra and shorts that don’t cover your knees is ideal so we can see what’s going on. Loose yoga pants that can be rolled up work and a tank top of a different color- if you’re more comfortable that way. But the more we can see, the more we can see. Sessions are conducted without shoes. 

During your initial assessment, your therapist will look at your eight major loadbearing joints: Your two shoulders, two hips, two knees, and two ankles. Please wear (or bring clothes to change into) that will allow for this to be a simple process. Please wear shorts. Women should wear a sports bra. If you aren't comfortable in a sports bra, please wear a tank top. Also, please wear a pair of athletic shoes (lace up is suggested). 

No. Because these are unique exercises that you've likely never even seen before with little details you may not be used to paying attention to, you'll receive full instructions for each and every exercise we do in your session in PDF format as well as storing the pictures, descriptions and videos for your routine on an app. It's recommended that you print out a full copy of your sequence of exercises and keep a PDF copy on your smart phone (if you have one) so that you are never without them! If you have any questions between sessions, you are strongly encouraged to ask them via email or phone at no charge whatsoever.

Some basic items will help, such as yoga blocks, a yoga strap (and not a stretchy band) a slant board (widely available on amazon), but there is one key piece of equipment that some clients do need to ensure their long term success. It is roughly $200 and will become your best friend for life (without exaggeration). It’s called a ‘tower’. Check our video on what the tower does in the resources section. LINKS HERE

Yes. Your central nervous system has developed specific muscle patterning to compensate for your dysfunctions. The motion that brought your body where you don’t want it is being fed everyday. To achieve balance and to permanently change your body, it needs to be trained and reminded on a daily basis of the position you want it to be in and then stimulate those new muscle patterns on a daily basis.

Do your routine:

• 3 or less days/week, and you will slow the rate at which you get worse.
• 4-5 days/week, and you will maintain where you are/ get some slow progress.
• 6-7 days/week, and you will achieve your goals.

This varies from client to client, but most people will feel positive changes at their first visit. This may mean a reduction in pain, or your body simply working better. At their first visit clients commonly report "I feel like it’s easier to move, I’m lighter on my feet, and everything is moving more smoothly."

Remember, our goal is not to try to find a few magic exercises that help you obtain short-term symptomatic relief. Our goal is to help you address the source of your pain and eliminate those dysfunctions that have led to your symptoms or limitations. Remember that these issues developed over time and they will take time to correct. The great news is that it takes a fraction of the time to correct these issues compared to the time it took to develop them.

A word about the process - Don't be surprised if initially you feel much better for a few hours and then experience a return of your symptoms. That can be a normal part of the process. You will feel better because your body will be in a better postural position. As you move through your day and experience fatigue, your body may begin reverting to the posture it has been used to being in for years and you may feel a return of your symptom as it does so. That is why we encourage you to do your exercises every day. As you become posturally stronger, the window of time where your body stays in its improved position will grow longer and longer until eventually this becomes your normal posture and your pain is eliminated permanently.

It depends. Your path to success with Egoscue may include ups and downs. And occasionally the exercises may cause some delayed muscle soreness as you begin to integrate new muscle patterning. Any soreness, however, should be that "good kind of soreness", like after a workout, and should quickly subside. Your routine should never cause your symptoms to increase. If that happens, contact your therapist for any appropriate menu adjustments.

That is up to you. Posture therapy is a great complement to these and other therapies. Most people find that posture therapy helps them get even better results from these other therapies and makes them less dependent on being treated by others, thus saving you money in the long run.

It depends. The majority of the time, we encourage you to continue with a current program as long as it is not causing more pain while being performed. Share this information with your therapist, who will work with you to put together an exercise plan for you that moves you toward your goals in a safe and efficient manner. It may be necessary to avoid certain activities initially until your body is better aligned. In general, the more you move, the better, but we want to ensure your exercise programs are working to help build your postural integrity, not diminish it. We believe it makes sense to "straighten before you strengthen."

Based on your posture, your therapist has carefully planned the amount of time between your sessions. Frequent cancellations or rescheduling of your appointments will slow your progress. This is the second biggest reason why clients get suboptimal results with Egoscue. They try to make their appointments last or stretch them out. Please do not do this! It will only delay achieving your goals and getting the results you are seeking.

Based on your progress, your therapist has carefully planned the amount of time between your sessions. Frequent cancellations or rescheduling of your appointments will slow your progress. Cancel your appointment only if you have an emergency and please give us a 48-hour notice. We know that “life” can get in the way and giving a 48-hour notice is not always possible, especially with emergencies. Reschedule your appointment as soon as possible. If the time between appointments will be significant, please touch base with your therapist. They may want to change your current menu or give you a supplemental menu.

You GET to do them for as long as you want great posture. Most people find that if they commit to at least 20 min./day for 3 months, they will experience a significant change in alignment and function. After the 3 month timeframe, a majority of clients chose to continue with a daily routine because of the continued benefits that they notice as a result. Our clients describe that they "look forward" to these exercises because they make their body feel so much better.

We work to get your whole body moving properly so that the symptoms of poor body mechanics (pain, fatigue, numbness, stiffness) resolve themselves. Rather than treating the symptom, we address the context that sets the stage for the symptom and teach you how to sustain your changes for life.

We address the underlying ROOT CAUSE or SOURCE of the problem.

In addition, we also use restorative positions combined with gentle repetitions to activate or stimulate individual muscles in a very specific position and in a specific sequence. This allows a gradual re-education of the body so that restoration of alignment and movement occurs without excessive effort or force being applied.

The second major difference is that we have the time to spend with you one-on-one to ensure that what you are doing and feeling (in mind, body, and spirit) are the correct responses.

What Postural Alignment Therapy does is reduces your ability to compensate while isolating the correct primary postural muscles. Typically, machines or group classes end up strengthening your compensation not eliminating it.

Think of it as the foundation or base layer of functional movement upon which all other movements hinge upon. While you may see benefits of the gym or taking group classes, a body with pain and postural deviations will pull to the dysfunctional movement patterns in those classes, and even more so if taking classes without an instructor who is highly trained in identifying postural deviations, compensations, injuries or special populations.

No. The myth that all body problems can be fixed by working on "the core" is like saying that all you need to do to maintain your car is to put gas in it. More often than not, our clients have already tried going after the core only to find their pain get WORSE (this is especially true for back pain sufferers). The problem isn't with the core muscles. It's with imbalances in muscles all over the body. Your actual ‘core’ muscles are all around your hips and pelvis. Check out the video on core in our resources section for a more detailed explanation.

Yes! Preventing joint dysfunction and ultimately pain is the name of the game. Correcting the imbalances before deterioration of the muscles and joints set in.

Yes. Discs do not bulge without a reason. Nerves do not get irritated without a reason. Pain does not surface without a reason. No matter what kind of pain you have, it's important to recognize that the pain is not CONSTANT (or if it is constant these days, then recognize that it wasn't always constant) because it means the reason for your pain is subject to the changing positioning of your body. By consistently retraining your body's muscle memory, you can realign your body -- moving discs, nerves, and muscles back into the right positions -- so your body can stop signaling (with pain) that there's something wrong!

Another term for these is ‘very fancy band-aids.’ If you’re considering surgery to deal with your pain, I encourage you to look into the available research literature for the surgery you’re considering. The long-term effectiveness of most “pain-curing” surgeries tends to be rather discouraging and the loss in quality of life is immeasurable, even when deemed "successful." If you think never being able to walk or run quickly again is a fair trade-off for relief of back or knee pain, then by all means consider surgery.

As for mind-altering painkillers, if you’re happy operating in a fog while continuing to do more damage to your body, by all means do so! If you’re visiting this website, you probably aren’t happy with that course of action.

No! It is never too late to start posture therapy, or too early, for that matter. We’ve worked with clients in their 90s and with children under the age of 3. The body is a remarkable machine with a tremendous capacity to adapt and heal, regardless of age. We’ve seen many older clients make tremendous progress as they feed their bodies the motion they’ve been missing. It is never too late to start making things better.

Yes! While we have many clients who travel to us from a distance, we understand that getting to your visits as needed can be more challenging when you’re not local. We offer therapy on-line, and by webcam video chat, using Zoom and other video calling formats.

The most important factor here is your attitude. Do you believe your body can improve, that it can get stronger and heal? Or do you believe you are broken, that your body is fundamentally damaged and that you somehow require "fixing"? Either way, you’re right, as your beliefs will enable or disable your progress.

We do not believe you are broken and require fixing. Rather, we want to partner with you to help you rediscover your body’s magnificent blueprint, restore your postural integrity and balance, and then watch in amazement as your body begins the process of changing from within. Your body wants to return to its balanced design. That is why it gave you the pain signal in the first place, to let you know something was compromised and action was required to restore balance. By believing this process can happen you will not only create the mindset that consistent action is required to heal, but you will also create the biochemical state within your body to facilitate its proper response. We all know this is true, that attitude and belief impact your health at a physical level. So let’s start making attitude work for you, not against you

The first visit of 75-90 mins is $250 and that cost is applied as a credit toward any package or membership you choose, assuming you want to commit to your healing with posture therapy. Subsequent visits cost as low as $140, depending on which option you choose. 

Posture therapy is considered a non-medical approach. That being said, some insurances choose to pay for services such as massage therapy and a variety of complimentary services. We have had several clients that have chosen to send their invoice to their individual insurance companies and some have received coverage for the service. Health Spending and Flex Spending plans (HSA/FSA) most often can be used to pay.

Refer, Refer, Refer!! If you refer two people that come in for a single paid visit, or one person who signs up for a package or membership you receive a FREE visit! It’s that easy!