Maintaining active lifestyle
Free sessions on postural therapy and joint pain
Naturally Active for Life Victoria County will sponsor four postural therapy sessions with postural alignment practitioner Marcelle Lavoie.
The sessions will take place at St. Ann’s Bay United Church tearoom and will focus on the importance of proper posture in battling chronic joint pain.
The first session on Monday involves a general discussion on postural therapy. The remaining three sessions will focus on joint pain.
“I think people need to become familiar with postural therapy,” said Lavoie, who most people will know as the former owner of the Wreck Cove General Store on the Cabot Trail in northern Cape Breton.
Lavoie said she became familiar with postural therapy back in 1995.
“When I sold my business about three years ago, I decided to get certified in postural therapy through Egoscue University in San Diego, Calif.”
The university offers several levels of certification in nonmedical postural therapy.
According to its website, Egoscue is a postural therapy designed to eliminate chronic pain without drugs or surgery. Founded by Pete Egoscue in 1978, the Egoscue Method focuses on a series of gentle stretches and exercises to correct misalignments in the musculoskeletal system of the body.
Along with Lavoie, there are two other certified postural alignment practitioners in Canada listed on the Egoscue website, one in Newfoundland and another in Quebec.
“There are Egoscue postural clinics in the (United) States and around the world. But here in Nova Scotia, I don’t believe there are a lot of people who are familiar with this practice,” said Lavoie.
Lavoie said people often assume chronic pain is due to old age and stop golfing, running, gardening or going for walks.
“They stop doing activities they have loved doing all their lives because their knees or backs don’t support it anymore,” she said. “But we can straighten ourselves up and resume those things you love through postural therapy. I’ve been working with individuals since 2015 and I’ve seen people resume an active lifestyle almost immediately.”
This is the first time Lavoie, who does private consultations, has held public sessions.
“If people want to have this program in their communities or workplace, they can contact me and I can try and set something up.”