"When you're out of balance, two things can happen:
you can regain balance or you can fall." - Barefoot Ted
Barefoot Ted is a barefoot running icon that stared in the book Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. He started running barefoot by accident after buying pair after pair of the most expensive and advanced running shoes on the market and having more running injuries and pain - instead of less - as the shoes advertised. In frustration he threw off his new $300 pair of running shoes and walked home barefoot and noticed that by the time he got home he was pain free. The next day he did his first barefoot run and it was also pain free. He quickly realized that he had been out of balance with his body, with nature, and with his approach to running.
Barefoot Ted realized that running barefoot allows (or forces) you to be more in touch with your body, your form, and your environment and really helps you regain balance in these things. He has been running barefoot all around the world pain free since that first barefoot discovery run.
Barefoot Ted realized that running barefoot allows (or forces) you to be more in touch with your body, your form, and your environment and really helps you regain balance in these things. He has been running barefoot all around the world pain free since that first barefoot discovery run.
At Oregon Exercise Therapy, as an Egoscue University certified Postural Alignment Specialist and Advanced Exercise Therapist, I look at balance in regards to a client's joint alignment, muscle development, and range of motion in their body. We all share the same musculoskeletal design which is designed to be symmetrical left to right in bone alignment, muscle development, and joint range of motion and balanced front to back in weight distribution. Our eight major load joints (ankles, knees, hips and shoulders) are designed to vertically align from the front, back, left and right sides.
I love Barefoot Ted's quote above because it speaks to what each of my clients have gone through. They have gotten out of balance with nature and the human requirement for motion. Their body has responded by altering its postural position and movement patterns. Painful symptoms don't always show up right away, but the body is no longer working in an efficient pattern which can be seen in how the body moves. Looking at how someone walks, runs, gets out of a chair, or ties their shoes can show us whether a person is in balance or out of balance. Look at the runners below and see if you can spot what I'm talking about with inefficient movement:
I love Barefoot Ted's quote above because it speaks to what each of my clients have gone through. They have gotten out of balance with nature and the human requirement for motion. Their body has responded by altering its postural position and movement patterns. Painful symptoms don't always show up right away, but the body is no longer working in an efficient pattern which can be seen in how the body moves. Looking at how someone walks, runs, gets out of a chair, or ties their shoes can show us whether a person is in balance or out of balance. Look at the runners below and see if you can spot what I'm talking about with inefficient movement:
Yes, the runners in the video are "faking" bad running form, but you get the idea of inefficient gait and compensated movement. If we can learn to recognize these imbalances early on and do something to correct why they are there, we can regain balance. If we don't learn to recognize these imbalances, we will "fall" as Barefoot Ted says, meaning we end up with sports injuries, muscle spasms, back injuries, and chronic pain.
My job as a Postural Alignment Specialist and Advanced Exercise Therapist at Oregon Exercise Therapy, is to help you learn how and why your body is out of balance and help you regain balance. This can help you avoid injury and improve performance or if you are in pain already it can help you out of chronic pain and get you back to the point where you can be as active as you want and live your life without limitations.
My job as a Postural Alignment Specialist and Advanced Exercise Therapist at Oregon Exercise Therapy, is to help you learn how and why your body is out of balance and help you regain balance. This can help you avoid injury and improve performance or if you are in pain already it can help you out of chronic pain and get you back to the point where you can be as active as you want and live your life without limitations.
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