Optimal Posture LLC

06/23/2026

Perfecting your squat is for longevity. As an Alexander technique instructor, this is a skill you can master. Let’s work on this!

06/21/2026

Can do with every chair. May want to put a rolled towel or yoga mat length wise behind your spine for added support

Ever notice how some dining room chairs seem comfortable, but leave you feeling slumped by the end of a meal?

Many cushioned chairs encourage us to sink into the center of the seat, creating a rounded “C” shape through the spine. When posture collapses, it can be harder to feel comfortable, energized, and present.

Try this simple adjustment:

🪑 Find the front of the seat where it’s a little firmer.
🪑 Allow your sit bones to rest on that support.
🪑 Give your spine permission to float upward with a little thought rather than effort.

Sometimes small changes in how we sit can make a big difference in how we feel.

06/21/2026

Your shoulder may not be the problem... it may just be the employee working overtime.

🤔

Most people think the body works as separate parts. It doesn't. It works like a team. When one player can't do its job, someone else has to pick up the slack.

Take your big toe. During walking, it should extend as you push off the ground. If it can't, your ankle never moves through its full range. When the ankle can't extend, the calf stays shortened instead of lengthening like a spring to absorb and release energy.

That small change doesn't stay in your foot. It travels up the chain.

Because you can't push off properly, the opposite glute can't lengthen enough to slow your body as you step forward. Your knee loses one of its biggest shock absorbers, so it begins handling forces it wasn't designed to manage.

At the same time, your torso doesn't rotate as freely. Instead of your spine sharing the motion, your shoulder has to swing harder and farther to keep you moving. Thousands of extra arm swings every day create extra stress on the shoulder, neck, and upper back.

A stiff big toe can influence a tight calf. A tight calf can change ankle motion. Limited ankle motion can reduce glute function. Reduced glute function can overload the knee. Less torso rotation can increase shoulder stress.

That's why pain often shows up far away from where the real problem started.

The body is one connected system. Sometimes helping your shoulder begins with your foot.

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Become a Better Human

06/20/2026

Cervical vertebrae 7 and arm connection

C7 Motor Functions and Sensory Distribution: Understanding Triceps Strength, Wrist Flexion, and Middle Finger Sensation🛑✅

The C7 Nerve Root: A Key Link Between the Neck and Arm

The C7 nerve root is one of the most important nerves that exits the cervical (neck) portion of the spine. It plays a major role in controlling several muscles of the upper limb while also carrying sensory information from specific areas of the arm and hand back to the brain.

Because the C7 nerve travels through a narrow opening in the cervical spine, it may become irritated or compressed by conditions such as age-related changes, a cervical disc bulge, inflammation, or narrowing of the nerve passage. In many individuals, C7 is considered one of the more commonly affected cervical nerve roots.

Understanding the normal function of the C7 nerve may help explain why certain symptoms can appear in predictable patterns when the nerve becomes irritated.

✅What Does the C7 Nerve Root Do?
The C7 nerve has two primary responsibilities:

Motor function – sending signals from the brain to muscles.

Sensory function – carrying touch, pain, temperature, and other sensations from the skin to the brain.

When functioning normally, these two systems work together to allow smooth movement and normal feeling throughout parts of the upper extremity.

✅C7 Motor Functions
The C7 nerve contributes to several important muscle groups responsible for arm movement.

1. Triceps Muscle
One of the best-known muscles supplied by the C7 nerve is the triceps brachii.

The triceps is located on the back of the upper arm and is primarily responsible for:

Straightening the elbow

Pushing movements

Supporting lifting activities

Stabilizing the elbow joint

Simple daily activities that may involve the triceps include:

Pushing open a heavy door

Rising from a chair using the hands

Performing push-ups

Throwing a ball

Reaching forward forcefully

If the C7 nerve becomes irritated, triceps strength may become reduced in some individuals.

2. Wrist Flexors
The C7 nerve also contributes to muscles that flex the wrist.

These muscles help:

Bend the wrist downward

Improve grip positioning

Assist with lifting objects

Support fine hand coordination

Wrist flexors work together with other muscles supplied by nearby nerves to produce smooth and coordinated movement.

3. Finger Extension Assistance
The C7 nerve may also contribute to muscles involved in extending the fingers.

These muscles help:

Straighten the fingers

Release objects

Improve hand coordination

Perform typing and writing tasks

Since several nerves work together, symptoms may vary between individuals.

Sensory Function (Dermatome)
Every cervical nerve supplies feeling to a specific region of skin known as a dermatome.

The C7 dermatome typically includes sensation along:

The back of the upper arm

The back of the forearm

The center of the hand

The middle finger

This pattern helps healthcare professionals identify which nerve root may be involved.

Why the Middle Finger Is Important
Among all fingers, the middle finger is the classic sensory region associated with the C7 nerve.

When C7 becomes irritated, some individuals may experience altered sensation that can include:

Tingling

Pins-and-needles feelings

Reduced sensitivity

Burning sensations

Mild numbness

These sensory changes often follow the C7 dermatome rather than affecting the entire hand.

Why Is C7 Frequently Affected?
The C7 nerve exits the cervical spine through a narrow opening between the vertebrae.

Over time, normal aging or structural changes may reduce the available space around the nerve.

Possible contributing factors may include:

Cervical disc bulges

Disc herniation

Degenerative disc changes

Bone spurs

Thickened supporting tissues

Narrowing of the neural foramen

These changes can sometimes place pressure on the nerve root.

Possible Symptoms of C7 Nerve Irritation
Symptoms may vary depending on the degree of irritation.

Possible signs can include:

Neck Symptoms
Neck discomfort

Neck stiffness

Reduced neck mobility

Shoulder and Arm Symptoms
Pain traveling into the shoulder

Pain down the back of the arm

Aching around the triceps region

Forearm Symptoms
Pain extending toward the forearm

Tingling sensations

Burning feelings

Hand Symptoms
Middle finger numbness

Tingling in the middle finger

Reduced sensation

Occasional weakness during gripping

Not everyone experiences every symptom.

Motor Changes That May Occur
If the motor fibers of the C7 nerve become affected, muscle performance may change.

Possible findings may include:

Reduced triceps strength

Difficulty straightening the elbow

Weaker pushing movements

Mild wrist weakness

Reduced endurance during repetitive arm activities

The severity of symptoms varies greatly among individuals.

Sensory Changes
Sensory symptoms may include:

Tingling

Numbness

Pins-and-needles sensations

Increased sensitivity

Burning discomfort

These sensations commonly follow the C7 dermatome rather than spreading randomly throughout the arm.

Reflex Changes
Healthcare professionals often examine the triceps reflex during a neurological assessment.

A reduced triceps reflex may sometimes suggest involvement of the C7 nerve root when considered alongside other examination findings.

A reflex test alone is not enough to determine the cause of symptoms.

✅Common Conditions That May Affect the C7 Nerve
Several cervical spine conditions may involve the C7 nerve, including:

Cervical disc bulge

Cervical disc herniation

Degenerative disc disease

Cervical spondylosis

Foraminal narrowing

Cervical radiculopathy

These conditions may affect people differently.

✅How Healthcare Professionals Evaluate C7 Function
Evaluation may include:

Medical history

Physical examination

Muscle strength testing

Sensory examination

Reflex assessment

Range-of-motion evaluation

When appropriate, additional imaging or nerve studies may help clarify the source of symptoms.

✅Everyday Activities That May Be Influenced
Because the C7 nerve contributes to arm strength and hand function, irritation may influence activities such as:

Lifting groceries

Pushing objects

Typing

Writing

Sports involving throwing

Carrying bags

Household chores

Many individuals continue to perform these activities with only mild symptoms, while others may notice greater difficulty depending on the underlying condition.

✅Can Symptoms Extend Beyond the Middle Finger?
Although the middle finger is the classic C7 sensory region, symptom patterns may differ slightly between individuals.

Some people may notice symptoms extending into nearby fingers or adjacent parts of the hand due to natural anatomical variation or involvement of neighboring nerve roots.

This variation is one reason why a comprehensive clinical evaluation is important.

🌿Key Points to Remember
The C7 nerve root helps control the triceps muscle, allowing elbow straightening.

It also contributes to wrist flexor muscles and finger movement.

The middle finger is the hallmark sensory region of the C7 dermatome.

C7 is among the more commonly affected cervical nerve roots.

Symptoms may include neck pain, arm pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness depending on the underlying cause.

Motor and sensory findings often occur together but may vary from person to person.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It does not diagnose, treat, or replace professional medical evaluation. Symptoms involving the neck, arm, or hand may have multiple causes, and only a qualified healthcare professional can determine the underlying reason after an appropriate assessment.

06/20/2026

06/18/2026

Vertical balance is the last of three that can be accomplished. What I find is you must have left/ right then front/ back balance to achieve vertical balance. This applies to both horse and rider

Left/right balance is associated with the thoracic and lumbar of the horse rolling side to side. Ever had a horse “drop a shoulder?” Or saddle slips to one side? This is unnecessary rotation.

Front to back balance come next. Take a look at your horse. Is the shoulder/girth area larger than the hind end? When the horse is standing, are their front legs vertical or a bit behind vertical? All signs the horse is on the forehand

I teach a long line method that corrects both of these to get to vertical balance

Can you spot vertical balance in a horse?

More importantly, can you help them find it in movement?

In this month's webinar, The Importance of Vertical Balance in Rehab Training and Injury Prevention, Dr Karin Leibbrandt; Equine Health and Training dives deeply into the role that vertical balance plays in posture, movement, performance, and long-term soundness.

Vertical balance is about far more than standing straight. It is about how the horse organises its body around gravity and how forces are distributed through the musculoskeletal system during movement. When a horse is vertically balanced, movement becomes more efficient, posture improves, and tissues are loaded more appropriately. When balance is lost, compensations begin to develop.

The image shows a horse moving on the lunge both in and out of vertical balance. Notice the alignment of the forelimbs, the position of the head and neck, and the curvature of the spine between the two images. These subtle differences can have a significant impact on how the horse moves and how forces are distributed throughout the body.

As rehabilitation professionals, understanding vertical balance gives us another lens through which to assess movement, identify compensations, and guide horses towards healthier, more biomechanically efficient patterns of movement.

To learn more about this webinar, comment EQU and we'll send you more information to register.

06/16/2026

Let’s talk fascia!! As an Alexander Technique instructor and orthopedic massage therapist, I have more worked with more problems with stuck fascia than muscle. With my knowledge base of both, I can first, help you unstick your fascia then make movement easier