"Our innate human posture is not only beautiful and empowering, it also prevents some of the most common and debilitating diseases of civilization."
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Save Your Hips: Heal Hip Pain Naturally
and Avoid Dangerous Orthopedic Surgery by Christine Kent Whole Woman Press
book review by Donna Ford
The disease called osteoarthritis of the hip is seen in both young athletes and the older adult population. While one type may result from physical training and activity, the other seems rooted in years of poor posture while driving cars and sitting on upholstered furniture. The latter explanation will be contested by today's orthopedic surgeon who attributes hip pain to bone disease rather than soft tissue trauma. This was not so before sanitized operating rooms and insurance coverage. Earlier doctors treated patients by restricting motion that aggravated muscles supporting the hips.
Save Your Hips is 142 pages of pictorial proof supporting the author's conclusion that perfect human posture should follow the model of a pregnant woman. Her belly is down, not pulled in. Her chest and shoulders are extended upright, with chin tucked slightly. This position induces natural spine curvature and places hip bones as designed above and beneath to support the womb. True for men, too? Yes. The author demonstrates why the tight abs of the athlete actually pulls the hips out of alignment.
Christine Kent has taken on the multi-billion dollar Hip Surgery industry with this book. For years her company, Whole Women Inc., helped women manage pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Her research led to the discovery of the true relationship of spinal curvature to the hip. Now she trains others in her methods. The book likely developed out of training materials for professionals. A list of figures, glossary, and index are included for the lay audience. However, the real benefit to those suffering hip pain is found in exercises on the accompanying DVD.