Degenerative disc disease and pain

It’s not very difficult to find studies that state that, in the end, the status of the physical body does not account for much when it comes to the pain the patient is dealing with.

We know that pain is a subjective phenomenon and that its causes are multiple. This being said, a recent study (2015) stipulated that, still, there happens to be a link between the degeneration of the discs and the pain reported.

A meta-analysis was performed and studies looking into degeneration of discs at the level of the lumbar spine in adults of 50 years or less were analyzed. Subjects reporting pain and subjects not reporting pain were studied. Subjects reporting pain either presented with radiculopathy or not.

3097 subjects were studied. 38.6% of them had no pain while 61.4% of them reported symptoms. The ones that suffered reported more often structural abnormalities (disc protrusion, spondylolysis or disc hernia).

It is true that we do not fully understand the concept of pain as much as we would like. And it’s also true that causes of pain are multi factorial. But this being said, it seems to do no harm to favor integrity of the musculo-skeletal system. That is the goal of Posturology.

The body and the mind

Of body and spirit

Are the body and spirit connected? If so, how?

Neuroscientists from Pittsburgh University have identified neuronal networks that bridge the cerebral cortex and the adrenal glands, responsible for the production of cortisol, the stress hormone.

The results of that study showcase how the body and the mind are actually literally connected. Their findings can explain why yoga and meditation have been found to be beneficial in developing a response to face stress, whether it be physical, mental or emotional.

We don’t know how many brain areas are connected to the adrenal glands but we do know that the connections are direct.

This study identifies the motor areas of the brain as the ones that connect the most with the adrenal glands. It could be that areas involved with cognition and emotional management are involved.

When one considers that the cerebral cortex (the seat of reason) is connected to the adrenal glands, this means that we have options and that we can find rapid solutions to remedy the present stress.

In posturology, by balancing the physical body, we improve the quality and quantity of sensory information responsible for the activation of the motor cortex. This can lead to a more favorable response to stress!

Prevention for lower back pain

A meta analysis on prevention for back pain was performed in the JAMA in 2016.

The objective was to investigate the efficiency of interventions for prevention of pain at the level of the lower back.

The literature review identified 6133 studies that were potentially eligible. 23 published reports were utilized, which equates to 30 850 participants that have been studied for this meta analysis.

Globally speaking, the evidence stipulates that exercise alone or exercise combined with education is efficient in preventing lower back pain.

But how ironic is this! What do we do when exercising actually causes specific pain? Do we modify the exercises? We cycle instead of running? I see it that this is what is typically done. Not so sexy…

When one calibrates posture, we can often allow ourselves to revisit activities that have been abandoned by the subject, considering that it is in a state of balance that these activities will be performed.

To calibrate posture is the most efficient way of improving proprioception. As far as I am concerned, it’s the only one that actually makes any sense. Once the body is more sensitive, we can recognize ourselves more easily and it is therefore easier to move in space and time. It is less risky and a lot more fun!

The right brain and dependence

Does dependency belong to a side of the brain?

Researchers from Indiana University have used positron emission tomography and functional MRI to study cerebral behavior when we would offer beer or Gatorade to beer fans.

When offered beer, once the subjects started drinking, they wanted more. The same did not happen when they were drinking Gatorade. The flavor of the beer lit up both frontal lobes as well as the right anterior striatum.

The anterior right striatum is a deep brain area linked to behavior and reward.

When one considers that the role of the basal ganglia (of which the anterior striatum is a component) is to filter the afferences from the motor cortex, we can think that an unequal activation of the motor cortices could create an asymmetry of stimulation of the basal ganglia.

Posturology tends to balance the activity of the motor cortices by stimulating its afferences symmetrically (parietal lobe and cerebellum, for example), via the skin of the foot and the musculature of the eyes.

Could it be then that, if we are to have an impact on the activation of the motor areas of the brain, we could play a role in diminishing the impact of a dominant right brain and its consequences as far as dependence on alcohol goes?

Eye movement and ADHD

Eye movement is quite an important component of Posturology. It is the reflection of a neurological reality where it is that both eyes move as one unit to focus on a given target.

In the context of Posturology, we study eye movement and we associate the findings with the position of the head, at rest. When eye movement is weak, head position on the shoulders is often altered.

Since this eye tracking business originates in the brain, it is possible that it could be studied to diagnose cerebral problems.

As far as autism is concerned, Jennifer Wagner, a researcher at the Boston General Hospital, studies eye movement in babies to discern which ones are at risk of developing autism. Preliminary results suggest that, at around 9 months of age, for the child at risk, the baby’s pupil dilates more when looking at emotional faces, suggesting that these babies are more so stimulated by emotional content.

The study of ocular movement could allow us to distinguish between ADHD and fetal alcoholism syndrome, for example. Lauren Itti, of the University of South California, stipulates that children affected by fetal alcoholism syndrome observe the orientation of objects and contours differently.

Itti indicates that ocular movement can also be useful in the diagnostic of schizophrenia. She finds that schizophrenics have a difficult time pursuing an object.

On May 21, 2016, in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers have indicated that, via ocular movement tests, we were able to differentiate between schizophrenics and healthy individuals in 98% of the cases.

This all being said, in the context of Posturology, one can wonder how far it goes when we get eyes to coordinate and that we favor better neurological organization!