One of the basic principles that is at the heart of Pettibon System is adaptation.

The system stimulates change rather than causing it.  The adaptation causes the change.  Pettibon System is a Rehab System that is supported by adjusting not the other way around.  The adjusting stimulates the nervous system to improve and hold the patient in progressively better and better postures and mobilizes restrictions so that they can change with the rehab work.  It is the rehab work that makes it run.

There are 3 major changes that must be made 1) white tissue, 2) red tissue and 3) the Nervous system.  White tissue changes are elicited by a gentle progressive stretch that is self limiting.  The fulcrum stretches create adaptive elongation in the fiber of the discs much like orthodontics.  There is a change in the shape of the discs so that they have a wedge shape (the front of the disc is taller than the back of the disc).  Where there is need there is also adaptive shortening.  It is the shape of the wedges that are the genius of the vector forces but it is the warm up that makes it work through Historesis.  With on/off loading the tissue loses the elastic energy and becomes moldable.  The better the prehab the better the rehab.

The red tissue changes are accomplished with the weighting system and specific tailored isometric exercises.  Emphasis is on Type 2 muscle fibers.  The Postural muscle fibers are the focus of our rehab efforts.  The weighting system is an Isometric Demand Exercise that is force for time that causes change in shape, strength and endurance of the postural muscle system.  The other Isometric exercises also focus on postural muscle fibers.

The Nervous System must be rewired (reengamed) to cause the newly changed spinal fulcrums to act as fulcrums.  The Fulcrum Exercises are a group of skills divided into skill levels that cause reengraming of the spinal level system.  Fulcrums allow for this without holding a curve or doing the movement against gravity.  The Linked Trainer ™ takes these skills and creates demand to hold you own curve and against gravity with spinal fulcrum skills.  The weighting system also has an engramic role in repatterning the nervous system to work as it was designed to do.  If you don’t reegram the nervous system it will operate like the original flawed spine and will take the system right back to the old configuration in spite of the changes you have made to the system.  There is over lap in many of the tools in the Pettibon System tool box and all the tools have multiple uses and principles but these basics are what we are trying to accomplish.

Next Article = The Joy of Failure- In the Pettibon System there is no failure only information.  Failure is vital in solving spinal mysteries.

For more information on Pettibon System seminars or online training, please go to www.pettibonsytem.com.