Hi Esther have a question about J Spine when sitting or standing
my question - is there still meant to be minimal spinal curves or is the spine meant to be completely straight except at l5 -s1? because when i look in the mirror from the side i still have a slight curve in my thoracic spine. i mean it doesnt stick out much at all and my low back is pretty much flat except for the small curve down the bottom.
i have not bought your book yet, but i start a new job tomorow and i will be able to buy it by next week when i get payed.
also, what do you do about forward head posture? i have a slightly forward head. would foam rolling my upper back and doing chin tucks help?
thank you.
3 years 2 months ago
12/15/2010 - 7:51am
Hi Tom,
What you are describing sounds likely to be fine. To expect the spine to be perfectly straight except at L5-S1 would be slightly unrealistic. If you look at page 12 in 8 Steps to a Pain-Free back, you will see that a J-Spine has a little curve. Looking at the disc spaces within both drawings is really where you see the difference. Creating room for your discs is one of the most important things we can do when aligning the spine well.
A forward head can take a bit of time to correct, but I see it happening all of the time with my students. My biggest suggestion is to gently pull on the hair at the nape of the neck and let the head migrate back onto the spine. Then, pull up on the hair and let the chin angle down. Try not to force too much too soon as the neck is a somewhat slow area to change.
Page 207 has a nice neck strengthening exercise as well.
Enjoy!
-Charlene Hannibal
Gokhale Method Teacher, Palo Alto/San Francisco