To be the authority, you need to be able to show that what you are saying is true and that it works this way on everyone. Then, who could doubt you? Become fully grounded in your understanding of body mechanics and what can be done to improve those mechanics with support products. This article is the first step in doing just that.

I often find in working with doctors in the field, that they simply have never been taught how to tell - definitively - what patients need in the way of support products, and the underlying science of this. There are many products you can call upon to see if they improve shoe function.

Most chairs and seats are a joke and people need to understand how sitting affects the rest of their body. Listen, there is a proper protocol for testing shoes, seats, mattresses and pillows just like there is for fixing the spine. It's a simple matter of learning the protocol and then applying it.

This protocol is easy enough to learn and, once learned, you'll have the tools to earn more income. I have taught this information to doctors at seminars as well as to patients over the course of their care, which you may also decide to do. I've designed a booklet containing these general ideas that you can give to your patients – not to teach them (you'll do that), but to reinforce the importance of your care with them, which is invaluable.

Learning To Observe And Assess Your Patients

The things you want to observe are always there to see, at any time and in any position (standing, sitting or laying down). Some are more easily observed by you than your patients, who may take several weeks before they are observant enough to notice the differences; but they do need to learn to observe their body. As you guide your patients in learning how to observe their body, keep in mind this isn't necessarily about how they feel pain-wise, but more of a functional assessment.

Exactly what the observations are and how to make them are given in detail in my booklet available form my website (Ed. note: see Dr. Porter's bio at the end of this article). These aren't difficult to begin using once you have the basic idea. Think of it this way; what do you observe about someone whose spine is in need of care?

• Poor posture
• Poor balance
• Shallow breathing
• Pallor
• Wrinkles and tightness in their face

These are a few observations you can easily make and there are many more. To determine if it's necessary to make changes in how a patient stands, sits or sleeps, you should compare various functional and observable criteria about their shoes, seats, mattress and pillow in the following way: make your observations before you adjust someone and then again afterward. If your adjustment improved their body mechanics, then the functions and observations will also improve. Only then are you ready to test some aspect of their ergonomics – their shoes for example.

If the functional and observable criteria are worse with their shoes on than with them off it's obvious that something is wrong with their shoes and affecting their body mechanics. You can now go on to figuring out if the shoes can be fixed, or should just be discarded. Many shoes can be fixed once you determine what is making them work poorly.

This has always been a fun process for me. You are making instantaneous changes in someone's body with only slightly modifying something. Your patients are very much aware, and grateful, of every change you make for them and they willingly participate in their care by following your recommendations.

If you wish, you can train your staff to do this. A lay person can learn the step-by-step approach necessary to fix shoes (for example) and thus free up your time; although personally, I enjoy this part of practice so much that I wouldn't give it up. Remember that every time you (or your staff) fix a pair of shoes for a patient or teach them how to sit in a car, your patient is happier with your care, you are reinforced as being their ergonomics expert and, your practice earns additional income. You can't beat this - a win-win-win situation.

Everyone needs support products of some kind because of bad chairs, poor shoe design, improper mattress support and faulty pillow design. Understand these ergonomics of everyday living and your level of success with your patients will improve. You will enjoy your new reputation as the local authority on the ergonomics of standing, sitting and sleeping problems.

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Dr. Jerry Porter, a 1981 graduate of Palmer West College of Chiropractic, has been in private practice for 30 years in Spokane. He assisted with the development of Chiropractic Biophysics™ and became a certified instructor. In 1998 he learned Advanced BioStructural Correction™ and has taught standing, sitting, and sleeping technology at many ABC™ seminars. For additional information contact Dr. Porter via his website, www.ezpostureproducts.com.