The Pettibon System is a comprehensive rehabilitation program for the spine's hard and soft tissues, restoring the normal curves of the spine, or, if the normal curves never existed, helping to create them, and providing relief from pain. It is an extensively researched spinal rehab program, often eliminating the need for physical therapy or surgery. 

The Pettibon Weighting System 

   The Pettibon System re-aligns your spine with the patented Pettibon Weighting System. This systems consists of specially designed head, shoulder, and hip weights that you wear for up to 20 minutes twice daily.

Wearing the weights causes new postural information to be sent to the brain, which then triggers your nervous system to alter the body's positioning. This altered positioning creates a more ideal spinal alignment and posture.
Additionally, the weights force weak postural muscles to do isometric exercises, restoring muscle strength, endurance and balance. The result is a stronger body, accustomed to holding its corrected alignment, with decreased irritation to nerves, ligaments, discs, joints and muscles.

  Why Isometric Exercises?

Our bodies are made of two important types of muscles:  phasic and postural.  In the gym, when we’re ‘pumping  iron’ and doing aerobic exercises, we’re affecting our  phasic muscles. What’s happening to our postural  muscles? Not much. So exercises to strengthen phasic muscles don't improve posture.
Postural muscles react very differently to fatigue and injury than phasic muslces do. Where phasic muscles go flaccid and collapse, postural muscles spasm. Postural muscle spasm distorts our appearance because our spine is no longer aligned.
Isometric exercises, which involve pushing against a force that moves very slowly or doesn’t move at all, help eliminate postural muscle spasms as well as rehabilitate their balance, strength, and endurance.

Three Disctinct Phases of Care

Each program is tailored for each individual's needs, based on findings from thorough examination and x-rays.

• Phase I- Acute Care

           The Acute Care phase lasts approximately 6 weeks. During this phase of care, we focus on pain relief, improving normal spinal curves, and starting spinal balancing. You will receive training on your home care equipment, and visit the office 2-3 times each week. Your home care exercises during this phase involve about 15-20 minutes of activity each day.                                                                                                                                                                                

          
• Phase II - Rehabilitation and Correction 

           During the second phase of care, the goal is to achieve optimal spine correction. This consists of 2 office visits each week, where you will continue to receive spinal adjustments and therapeutic exercises. You will also continue your home care exercises.
           At the end of Rehabilitation and Correction, you are re-examined and generally re-X-rayed to assess your progress and readiness for the next phase of care.

• Phase III - Wellness Care 

           In this phase, we strengthen, maintain and/or enhance your spine and posture correction. This consists of 1 weekly office visit for 1 to 3 months, and continuing your exercises at home each day.                 By the end of this phase, you should be incorporating your exercises into your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth. Schedule office visits as needed to maintain your healthy, aligned spine!