Posture

Posture: The Missing Component of Good Health - How can chiropractic help?

It begins rather early in childhood. It can be produced by trauma, but it is most usually created by repetitive behaviour over time. Adults notice it in others but rarely notice it in themselves. What do you think the top replies would be if you polled a hundred individuals about the most essential factor in obtaining overall health and wellbeing? My assumption is that the majority of individuals regard eating a good diet, engaging in some amount of physical exercise, and having their teeth examined twice a year to be essential to their health and wellness. Although all of these factors are significant, posture outweighs them in terms of overall health impact.

The majority of us spend our days slouching behind a computer, having breakfast and dinner at the table, lounging on the couch watching our favourite television show, and travelling in the car. Sitting has lately been demonstrated to be one of the single most damaging activities to our health since it not only ruins our posture but also goes against everything our bodies are built to do. These activities are merely the tip of the iceberg in a long list that will eventually damage our posture and affect our structure.

 

CAUSES OF POOR POSTURE

- Misalignment in the spine

- Injuries to the Area

- Accidents

- Prolonged bad sitting habits

 

HOW DOES POOR POSTURE AFFECT YOUR HEALTH?

Consider your body to be an automobile. If the wheels are not aligned, it will suffer wear and tear over time, or if one specific portion of the engine is not operating, it will progressively fail. Our bodies are built in the same way. The most common result of poor posture is the development of musculoskeletal problems, which may include middle and lower back pain, headaches, neck stiffness, muscle spasm, sciatica, joint degeneration, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, impaired breathing, reduced hormone function, increased risk of injury, decreased quality of life, and decreased lifespan.

NORMAL POSTURE

There are various terms used interchangeably to describe normal posture, including good posture and neutral spine. These terms describe the human body having four distinct normal curves when viewed from the side as well as being vertical straight when viewed from behind. These curvatures are found in your neck (cervical), mid-back (thoracic), lower back (lumbar) and sacral regions and are responsible for providing the body with normal balance, flexibility, strength and stress absorption.

 

Maintaining normal posture should be simple and painless. If you are unable to do so, it is likely that structural abnormalities have occurred in your body and need to be addressed. Consider observing the posture of a person standing opposite you; perfect posture will be characterised by balanced horizontal shoulders and pelvis, as well as a vertically aligned midline that connects between their feet and their neck. Similarly, when viewed from the side, their neck should be straight, their shoulders retracted back and their legs slightly bent, allowing a plumb line to be dropped vertically through their ear, shoulder, hip, and ankle.

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE?

You can begin correcting your posture right away, but before you look for particular strategies, exercises, or devices to help you improve your posture, consult with a corrective Chiropractor. Chiropractors are musculoskeletal professionals who use a variety of treatments to achieve optimal structural position and nervous system function.

 

Your chiropractor will examine your entire body and give specialised guidance that is uniquely suited to your solution to help you attain normal posture, thereby improving your overall health and well-being.

 

CHIROPRACTIC


Back pain would be the most typical problem that patients would arrive with at a chiropractic clinic, together with headaches and neck pain. This makes sense because chiropractors are experts in musculoskeletal issues and have spent years studying the human body in-depth. A chiropractor may employ a variety of therapy methods that are most suited to your particular case; some of these methods include:

 

Specific manual adjustments (spinal manipulation) are made to constrained joints during spinal manipulation for increasing joint movement in order to enhance total joint alignment, flexibility, and movement as well as to reduce pain.

 

Joint mobilisation is for those who dislike manual adjustment or during acute episodes of pain where, joint mobilisation is a more gentle therapy that is frequently employed.

 

Flexion-distraction and traction therapy as a sort of joint mobilisation that gently stretches the spine's joints, flexion-distraction and traction treatment is a particularly useful method for disc fixation or restriction, scoliosis, and other joint-related conditions.

 

Postural correction & core strengthening exercises are two activities that can help with musculoskeletal issues that are underlying, with your chiropractor being able to subscribe, monitor and tailor those exercises for each individual patient.

 

Flexibility exercises & stretches are an excellent way to improve overall flexibility, release tension and support mobility. Most exercises and stretches are tailored to busy modern lives and easily integrate into your daily routine.

 

Activator Technique or Impulse Mobilisation Therapy (hand-held instruments) is used to facilitate improved joint mobility and is appropriate for all persons and levels of severity.

 

SOT pelvic blocking (mobilisation of pelvic joints) to promote pelvic and sacral joint mobility

 

 

MASSAGE


Certain myotherapy and remedial massage techniques may be required to aid rehabilitation depending on the particular cause of your back stiffness or pain. Practitioners use a range of treatments, including effleurage, trigger point therapy, cupping, ischemic compression, and others such as Dry Needling, to relieve muscular and soft tissue spasm and, of course, pain.

 

 

EXERCISE & PHYSIOTHERAPY


Exercises are an excellent approach to aid muscle rehabilitation and activation in many situations of postural discomfort. Generally, flexibility exercises are recommended at first. Once the discomfort has subsided, the next step is to rebuild the compromised muscle groups.

 

Here is a great video of some simple ways to begin reversing bad posture:

Chiropractic and Posture Correction

Normal upright posture is largely dependent upon visual, vestibular, soft tissue and skin mechanorepcetion all of which respond to Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy. Morningstar, M. et al (2005). Reflex control of the spine and posture: A review of the literature from a Chiropractic perspective. Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 13(16); 1 – 17

 

Methods for Correcting Trunk List: A Non-Randomized Clinical Control Trial.  Harrison DE, et al (2004). Eur Spine J. Springer Online E-Pub Ahead of Print.

 

Exercise prescription forms a large basis of Chiropractic management, segmental stretching and muscular chain therapy have been proven effective for treating postural deviations. Rosario, J.L et al (2012). Improving posture: Comparing segmental stretch and muscular chains therapy Clinical Chiropractic, 15(3); 121 – 128

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Looking for relief of poor posture? Want to try chiropractic care for yourself?

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