Posture correction training institution

It is an intermediate product that combines "professional rehabilitation technology + mass consumer demand". It is neither a shortcut that can save you from a hunched back in 7 days, nor is it an IQ tax that relies entirely on marketing. Choosing the right and suitable institution can solve the problems of muscle compensation, chronic pain and even early scoliosis. Choosing the wrong one may cause joint damage and nerve compression, which is more than worth the gain.

Last week, I met a girl who works in Internet operations to complain to me. She said that she spent 8,000 to sign up for a "crash course on girls' back" from an Internet celebrity organization. After taking three sessions, her trapezius muscles became more swollen and she suffered from headaches for almost a week. When I touched her levator scapulae muscles, they were hardened into sun-exposed rubber. After careful questioning, I found out that she had an old problem of cervical spine straightening. In order to get quick results, the coach pressed her trapezius muscles hard every time during class, which directly compressed the nerve. In the end, half of the money was refunded, and she went to the hospital's rehabilitation department for two weeks of physical therapy before she recovered.

The institutions on the market now basically take two paths. They are not absolutely good or bad, and they cater to completely different groups of people. The first type is derived from the fitness industry. The core logic is "relaxing tense muscles + strengthening weak muscles". Most of them are provided by experienced fitness coaches after taking posture correction courses. The unit price is generally 200-400 yuan/session, which is very suitable for people who are just sitting for a long time. Young people with rounded shoulders, mildly high and low shoulders, and no substantial joint pain or bone problems - after all, many people are hunched just because their chest muscles are too tight and their back muscles are too weak. If you practice for a month or two to adjust your strength-generating habits, and consciously sink your shoulders when sitting, the effect will be visible to the naked eye. But the problem also comes from the background of "fitness background". Many coaches have not systematically studied sports anatomy and cannot distinguish the difference between muscle compensation and bony scoliosis. They just start deadlifting, which can easily lead to problems. Supporters on both sides have been arguing for more than a day or two. The fitness camp says that the rehabilitation camp is making a fuss out of a molehill. They insist on charging several times the money for an evaluation that can be solved by just two months of muscle training. ； The rehabilitation school says that the fitness school treats the symptoms but not the root cause, and does not even look at basic imaging reports. Practicing blindly will only aggravate compensation. In fact, what they say makes sense. The core depends on your own needs.

The other type is institutions derived from rehabilitation medicine. Many of the managers themselves are therapists from the hospital's rehabilitation department, and even have referral cooperation with the orthopedics and rehabilitation departments of public hospitals. They will first conduct a comprehensive assessment for half an hour to an hour, check joint mobility and muscle tension. If scoliosis or joint dislocation is suspected, they will also ask you to go to the hospital to take anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the whole spine to rule out bone problems. If the scoliosis exceeds 20 degrees, they will directly ask you to see an orthopedic surgeon, and will not take your order at all. My cousin was diagnosed with 15-degree idiopathic scoliosis during a physical examination last year. She went to a small institution run by a teacher from the rehabilitation department of the local physical education college. She went there twice a week. Each time, she first released the tight unilateral erector spinae muscles and then practiced core stability. There was no fancy speed. Cheng promised that after practicing for eight months, she went to take X-rays, and the degree dropped to 8 degrees. The high and low shoulders that could be seen at a glance when wearing tight skirts are now basically invisible. She said that now she does not have back pain like before when she sits in meetings all day long. Of course, the shortcomings of this type of institution are also obvious: they are expensive, with a single class starting from 500 yuan, and a course of treatment costing tens of thousands is not uncommon, and the results are slow. Many people only see a little change after ten classes, and they always feel that the money is spent "unintuitively".

In the past two years, I helped several friends around me choose institutions, and the pitfalls I walked through could be half a circle around the office building. Just a reminder, if the salesperson tells you "build right-angled shoulders in 7 days" or "correct scoliosis in a month" as soon as you enter the door, just turn around and walk away. How can it really be corrected so quickly? Just like the long and short legs you saved for three to five years to cross your legs, how can you get them back in just ten days? There are also those who ask you to apply for a card right away, without even asking whether you have any old injuries, your usual exercise habits, or whether you suffer from frequent joint pains. This is most likely unreliable, and they don’t even understand what the problem is. Isn’t the correction just a fool’s errand?

By the way, there is another misunderstanding that many people believe is that the more painful the correction, the more effective it will be. I have seen people squeeze their shoulders until tears flow, and they gritted their teeth and said, "It hurts because it is useful." In fact, it is really effective correction. Soreness and swelling are normal. If there is a sharp stinging or numbness, you must stop immediately. That is not correction, but injury. Just like a twisted screw, you have to first check whether the nut is rusty and whether the screw has slippery threads. Then slowly tighten it back. Hard wrenching will only break the thread, right?

To put it bluntly, most posture problems are caused by daily bad habits. All the agency can do is to help you put the crooked "frame" back into position and teach you how to stand, sit and walk correctly. If you go back, you still cross your legs as soon as you sit down, and slump on the sofa scrolling through your phone until midnight. Even if you go to the agency three times a week, you will still be back to your original shape. Whether the money is worth spending depends half on whether the organization is professional enough, and the other half depends on whether you can get rid of the little problems that are engraved in your daily life.