This past weekend I had the pleasure to present Postural Respiration to a diverse mix of new attendees and "veterans" of PRI at Pro Sport in Redmond, WA. I would rename this weekend "Superior T-4 Syndrome in Seattle" considering how many course attendees presented with this patho-mechanical respiratory compensation and asked so many questions about patho-mechanical rib kinematics as it relates to this subject! We had an opportunity to demonstrate in front of class at least four students that looked like they could possibly be patho-mechanical in terms of their respiration and body type.
One take away is you may suspect a positional issue but always test and retest. Two of the students demonstrated the definitive assessment of decreased left apical expansion after a Superior T-4 manual technique. Superior T-4 came up during discussion on Saturday and was a topic that came up often during the entire weekend on how to define, assess and then treat it both manually and non-manually. One of the students that had non-manual techniques provided experienced the left side of her body in a way that she expressed with an enthusiastic smile and a new place that she could feel and find in her body! In addition, she felt a bit "unstable" when she first started walking and liked it! Welcome to variability! She not only found neutral, but she experienced transitioning right to left side and back again, alternating and reciprocating, lateralizing and realizing what tri-planer position, gait and breathing is all about. What a lesson for all to see, experience and what it means to reduce the reliance on end-ranges driven by asymmetries, respiration and patterns driven by neurology!
The enthusiasm and new awareness of Superior T-4, especially for students new to PRI, was totally fun for all involved including this instructor! Thank you PRI dedicated veterans Erin Rajca and Michael Ball, both PT’s and PRC’s, for their help and knowledge.
This course was a joy for all with them in attendance providing energy, experience and caring. Thank you Cory and Amanda for hosting at PRO SPORT and all of your hard work! And shout out to all of the students in attendance for your most outstanding questions and persistence in wanting to understand PRI principles especially regarding Superior T-4.
