Breathing

I was born with scoliosis and a left leg that was 1/4" shorter than my right leg. I was lucky that my scoliosis was an “S”-curve, which meant that my spine was somewhat balanced. I wore a 1/4" lift in my left shoe to even out my hips. From the age of 12 through the age of 18, I kept an annual appointment with one of Chicago’s top orthopedic surgeons...

Chronically contracted muscles of the abdomen, chest, back, and waist can easily restrict the inhalation and exhalation of breath. There is a complicated and beautifully orchestrated pattern of muscular coordination between the diaphragm, the abdominal muscles, the chest, neck, and shoulder muscles, the muscles between the ribs, as well as the back and waist muscles that must occur in order to enable deep and easy breathing.