I have poor posture. How Bad? When I pass windows while I shop, my reflection
shames me.
I have decided to pull my neck back. When I do that, my chest goes forward and my vision goes forward. You know what, my shoulders go back and I have a rhythm
to my stride. Really!
My back no longer hurts. I no longer strain my spine.
What ends up happening, I look in the windows and smile. But, darn, I buy some of
those items in the windows.
Fredzu
Also I noticed when I move my hips forward with each stride it makes it look like I'm walking just about normal. And I have to remember to swing my arms. However it becomes a conscious effort to do it.
I too have poor posture due to PD. I wrote an Android/Chrome smartphone app to automatically measure my lean and stoop and to vibrate when these exceeded limits. This is available free of charge at:
parkinsonsmeasurement.org/t...
How does this app work? I mean, must you have the phone on your body?
Almost all smartphones have an accelerometer. The app accesses these readings and does some maths to calculate the phone's tilt. So, to measure posture it needs to be attached to the body. In my case, much of my bad posture is due to my head slumping forward. To capture this the phone needs to be put on top of your head. In winter, I find the best way to do this is to velcro the phone to the inside of a tight fitting ski hat. To use, you must first baseline the app by standing with perfect posture for a few seconds. The app then measures the change over time and warns you by vibrating if the lean/stoop gets too big. It does not measure flex (a twisting rotation) because I can't differentiate between this and a change of direction. It gives unreliable results when used on buses/trains etc..
John
Is that safe having a cell phone against your head?
Valid question....especially with increased cancer risk in PD.
The first time that you use the app it is cached on your phone. Thereafter, it can be run in Airplane mode, "disabling Bluetooth, telephony, and Wi-Fi".
See google.com/search?q=smartph...
On the more general issue of whether smart phones can cause cancer, I am aware of the debate, but:
"there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk in humans"
See cancer.gov/about-cancer/cau...
John
that's so wonderful
Most common postural changes are related to the fact that are eyes are on the front of our face and we bend over our work.... plus we stand and walk only to the next place to sit.
These common traits results in a forward bend to our upper spine and a compensatory backward bending of our neck to keep our eyes level , pupil to retinal fovea. The problem is worsened by osteoporosis and neurological deficits such as PD
There’s nothing that will make us new again but we can slow down the degradation with some daily exercises. It’s difficult to describe them but you can find some easy and effective stretches by googling prone on elbows and chin tucks. Don’t make it hurt or make you dizzy.
First, thanks! I will try the neck trick.
I go to a Physical Therapist specializing in PD (highly recommended if you can find one in your area) to correct my posture and walking. She is putting me through what is known as 'Big' program. It addresses all aspects of how you walk and turn.
Has anyone been able to ward off, or hold back, the "Parkinson's Shuffle" and the stoop shouldered posture that goes with it?
What is so important about "POSTURE?"
Big benefits from thinking small
Atypical Parkinson’s Posture and Gait
