Why Posture Therapy is Important: A Conversation with Vita Zagorodny | PURE Lifestyle Series
What if correcting your posture is the key to reducing chronic pain? Chattanooga-based Posture Therapist Vita Zagorodny will explain the impact of Posture Therapy on the body when she headlines the next PURE Lifestyle Series event on Saturday, September 9th from 12-2 p.m. at PURE Face Care. Posture involves more than just standing up straight; Vita is eager to share her wisdom. She spoke to Lyndi Locke, PURE’s Digital Marketing Manager.
Vita’s Beginning
Lyndi Locke: Tell me a little bit about your background and how you began to practice Posture Therapy.
Vita Zagorodny: “I’ve always wanted to work with people by helping them deal with pain. During high school, I interned at a Physical Therapy clinic, and that set the course for me becoming a Physical Therapist. A few years down the road, I was finishing up my undergrad at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and needed an internship during my last semester to graduate with my Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science.”
Vita became friends with a woman at a local fitness club, who taught Posture Therapy classes there. After observing her while interning for a month at the fitness club, Vita knew she wanted to pursue Posture Therapy as a career.
“After seeing the detailed, one-on-one treatment on how the root cause of pain is addressed -- not just symptoms -- I quickly started to see how I could change my schooling and continue to train as a Posture Therapist. After training, I started working at the clinic. Within a year, I was helping run the clinic,” explains Vita.
When she and her husband were ready to start a family, they moved back home to Chattanooga. A year later, Vita opened Posture Solutions Therapy here in town. She is currently the only Posture Therapist in Chattanooga.
How does Posture Therapy compare to other forms of therapy?
“Posture Therapy is about looking at the entire structure of the body and treating it as a unit. The root causes and symptoms, most of the time, are located in different parts of the body. I take the time to evaluate every moving part of the body, figuring out the dysfunctions and compensations.”
Vita explains that the reason a client achieves long-term results with Posture Therapy is because the body is treated as a whole, not just by sections.
“If someone is experiencing neck pain, I examine the hips. The spine sits at the top of the hip, and if there is misalignment there, the spine will be compromised -- which leads to the neck struggling.”
About Vita’s Process
Vita does not do hands-on manipulation; rather, she teaches the client the correct exercises to do at home. Since muscles move bones, she instructs clients which muscles need to activate in order to shift joints back into alignment.
Describe what a session with you is like. What can clients expect?
“The first session is an Evaluation. We chat about what the client is experiencing. Then, I educate the client on posture and how therapy works, starting with taking photos. The client stands barefoot from the front, back and side views. I’ll show the structure on the computer screen and we talk about the misalignments and current posture. After we establish what the body is telling us in the standing position, I’ll have the client walk down the hall barefoot. I look at what the body does under demand: How the hips perform, what the spine does while walking, how the feet land against the floor.”
These clues help Vita figure out why and where a client is experiencing pain. From there, she creates a custom treatment plan:
“We review each exercise together, and make sure the body is responding correctly during the exercise. At the end of each session, I expect to see some change in the body -- even as simple as standing taller, to more dramatic changes like walking better or feeling less pain.”
Vita recommends a minimum of eight sessions to achieve optimal results; she offers packages of eight and sixteen at Posture Solutions Therapy.
Little Changes, Large Outcome
Posture Therapy involves completing small exercises each day, but those lead to impactful results.
“Consistency in small actions pays off in long-term success. A daily 20-minute posture routine can retrain your body by correcting eight hours of slouching that day. Improving your posture can help you avoid years of pain and surgeries,” advises Vita.
As humans, we crave instant, dramatic results. However, working little by little accomplishes long-term goals.
“My job has taught me a lot about doing simple, daily actions to be proactive about my future, even if I don’t see results right away.”
RSVP via this Facebook Event to attend our PURE Lifestyle Series with Vita Zagorodny. Admission is free!
Visit the Posture Solutions Therapy Website and Instagram to learn more about Posture Therapy. Vita offers remote Posture Therapy sessions, as well as a FREE consultation.