WHAT IS POSTURAL VISION AND INTEGRATIVE POSTURAL THERAPY?
Postural Vision is an interdisciplinary approach to management of movement dysfunction that includes neuro-optometry and PRI-based physical therapy. By combining these two fields of study with dentistry, a true and unique program of Integrative Postural Therapy results.
PRI stands for the Postural Restoration Institute® located in Lincoln, Nebraska. PRI created a fantastic vision program through the genius work of a Physical Therapist named Ron Hruska and an Optometrist named Dr. Heidi Wise OD, FCOVD. Dr. Wise provided the optometric expertise from her 20 years of experience in Neuro-optometry and vision development. When her experience was coupled with the visionary work of Ron Hruska, the result was a successful treatment regimen the likes of which had not been seen before: it included combining practices of Physical Therapy, Optometry and Dentistry!
Dr. Wise worked with Ron Hruska for many years in Lincoln and they began a teaching program to educate other professionals in this exciting field of Optometric and Physical Therapy interdisciplinary integration.
After moving to Savannah, Georgia to be closer to family, Dr. Wise naturally teamed up with Dr. Elizabeth Caughey DDS (caugheydds.com) and Mike Cantrell MPT, PRC (PRIperformance.com) at their facility called the Atlanta Center for Integrative Postural Therapy®. This union allows a seamless mechanism of treatment for patients with pain and clients who wish to improve athletic performance. Dr. Caughey and Mike Cantrell have both been mentored by Ron Hruska. Mike is Postural Restoration Certified and actually taught PRI classes for Ron for almost two decades. This seasoned team of clinicians is now ready to provide for you what has been years in the making: Dentistry, Optometry and Physical Therapy under one roof, at the same time!
AM I A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR INTEGRATIVE POSTURAL THERAPY?
If you have experienced some of these typical symptoms and have not responded, or found only short-term benefit, to treatment in the past then you are likely a candidate:
- Chronic headaches
- Dizziness or balance issues when traveling or with body movements
- Pain or stiffness in the morning that isn’t related to arthritis
- Neck tension or shoulder girdle tightness
- Pain associated with computer work
- “Foggy Headedness” or “Brain Fog”
We also see children whose growth and development is hindered by the interplay of the visual and dental systems. Your child may be a candidate if you note:
- Dyslexia/dysgraphia/poor reading comprehension
- Poor coordination and balance particularly after a growth spurt
- Asymmetric facial development
- Juvenile kyphosis or Mild scoliosis
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Body movement is a neurological process in which the brain assesses and reacts to body position from incoming information from all the senses in the body. This incoming information or “afferent data” can become skewed over time for various reasons. Some people are born with cervical or cranial strains that grow stronger with visual dominance in one eye. Others may experience a subtle shift in how they hold their weight, like a small ankle injury for example. Still others may have more significant issues, like difficulty breathing for many years, auto accidents, pregnancies or even the way the teeth meet together. There are dozens of reasons. Integrative Postural Therapy® can use exercises and changes in the senses of vision and occlusion (how the teeth meet) to alter and redirect that afferent information and teach the brain to create new patterns of movement.