Krista Burns, DC, DHA, is the founder of the American Posture Institute, author of the textbook The Posture Principles, and a TEDx speaker. She is leading the charge against postural decline as a both a doctor of chiropractic and a doctor of health administration. Dr. Burns has been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News Radio, and in Global Woman Magazine. She is an international speaker and has presented at the World Congress of Neurology and Neurological Disorders and the World Congress of Falls and Postural Stability. Additionally, she was recognized as a Top 100 Doctor by the Global Summits Institute and is the host of the International Posture Symposium.
Dr. Burns will present “Postural Neurology: An Evidence-Based and Neurologic Approach to Postural Correction for Chiropractic Practice” at Engage 2023. Below, the ACA Blog learns more about Dr. Burns and what doctors can expect from her Engage 2023 program.
How is the topic you are presenting at Engage 2023 relevant to today’s chiropractor?
Dr. Burns: According to the American Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (2021), more than 70% of school-aged children present with moderate to severe forward-head posture. Tech neck is impacting patients at an alarming rate, and postural distortion patterns are shown to impact neurologic function. Postural neurology bridges the gap between evidence-based practice, neurologic rehabilitation, and structural care for the modern chiropractor.
What first made you interested in the topic?
Dr. Burns: I was on the path to becoming an Olympic mogul skier. The morning of U.S. Ski Team selections, everything changed in an instant when I suffered an injury to my spine. Desperate to get out of pain and continue skiing, I sought allopathic treatment of weekly injections in my spine. After the injections, not only could I not ski, but I could barely walk, and I lost sensation in my lumbar spine. In a flash, I watched my Olympic dream pass me by. From that moment on, I made it my life’s mission to help patients with natural solutions to back pain so they can live the life of their dreams.
After graduating from Palmer College of Chiropractic, I moved to Italy and started a practice focused on postural correction. Specializing in posture opened the door to many opportunities, including working with the Italian school system implementing the program Better Posture for Brighter Futures, corporate collaborations, working with professional sports teams, and being featured in the media.
Posture makes sense. Everyone understands the benefits of postural correction, and there is a significant public health need. Specializing in postural neurology helps chiropractors grow their practices by making a greater impact in their community and getting superior clinical results.
What practical knowledge or skills can attendees take away from your presentation?
Dr. Burns: The purpose of “Postural Neurology: An Evidence-Based and Neurologic Approach to Postural Correction for Chiropractic Practice” is to demonstrate practical solutions for postural correction that are neurologic, and evidence based.
Participants will learn the neurology of the posture system, including the role of the visual system for head posture and orientation, the role of the vestibular system for postural stability, and the role of the sensory and motor cortex for sensorimotor integration. Participants will discover a comprehensive research review of how postural distortion patterns impact neurologic function.
For clinical application, practitioners will learn brain-based posture assessments and brain-based postural correction protocols to detect, analyze, and correct postural distortion patterns.
How will what attendees take away make them a better doctor?
Dr. Burns: Postural neurology will help chiropractors connect the dots between complex neuroscience and their everyday case presentations. They will learn how to 1) confidently assess the visual and vestibular system in relation to the posture system with brain-based posture assessments, 2) implement neuro rehabilitation for long-term postural correction results and discover how to set up treatment plans for neuroplasticity, and 3) gain clinical certainty and get superior clinical results with postural neurology.
What benefits do you gain from attending ACA Engage?
Dr. Burns: ACA Engage is a can’t-miss event to connect with likeminded chiropractors, stay up to date on best practices, and advance the chiropractic profession forward. I am looking forward to learning from our colleagues and I am honored to present “Postural Neurology” to such a prestigious group of chiropractic leaders.
Want to learn more? Plan to attend Dr. Burns’ presentation at Engage 2023. To view the ACA Engage schedule and all that the program has to offer. Click here for conference details and to register!
