People develop habits of motion.  Posture patterns exist because we always move in similar patterns, using some muscles more than others

Posture can feel “right” but not be balanced.  Old injury and habits cause muscles and joints to compensate and move in an asymmetrical, or uneven pattern of motion.  Even after an injury is healed, people usually continue moving unevenly. Over time, when the brain believes the body is balanced and it is not, uneven joint stress causes premature wear and breakdown.

Motion can feel “right” when it’s actually uneven and unbalanced because we use “trick” motions.  Trick motions are when we move in a way to compensate for weak muscles or stiff/painful joints.  To learn normal motion we must first feel normal motion. Retraining these unconscious “trick” motions requires a conscious effort. 

The exercise ball is a tool designed to help us find unbalanced motion, and then exercise in a way to improve balance.  When you feel unstable sitting on an exercise ball, you can blame it on bad balance, or you can see it as a way of learning where your perceived reality and actual reality disagree.  Being conscious of a problem is the first step to change.

Exercising on a ball forces us to use control and balance.  Posture exercises work by teaching the muscles and joints controlled movement in a joint’s full range of motion.