At our practice, we see it all the time—patients who come to us with back or neck pain unaware at what they’ve done to cause it. But to us, it’s obvious from the second they step foot in our practice. It’s poor posture!
Poor posture is a culprit of tons of spinal problems that can manifest itself throughout your body. Here are a few ways your everyday life could be leading to poor posture.
1. Technology. It’s hard to escape the power of the screen. Children as young as toddlers now walk around with their eyes glued to a phone or iPad. What comes with staring at a computer, phone or tablet? Forward head posture, which is no good for our necks. Think about it—when your head is forward and looking down, your neck has to carry a HUGE amount of weight differently than it would if you were looking upright. This can cause an immense amount of stress on your neck and spine.
2. Over-sitting. Let’s face it—we sit a lot. Whether it’s at work behind a desk for 8+ hours a day or relaxing on the couch at home, too much sitting isn’t good for our spine. In fact, most of us sink into a chair or couch and don’t give much thought to posture when we do it. Next time you’re relaxing, examine how you’re sitting—we bet it’s not pretty for your spine.
3. Lack of exercise. Did you know that if we don’t exercise or stretch, our muscles, joints and body can lose flexibility and movement? This can cause us to move in the wrong ways, resulting in certain muscles overcompensating for others, leading to postural irregularities.
Here’s How We Help
We love helping patients improve their posture. We’ve invested in a number of tools, technology and education to accomplish exactly that.
When you visit us for an appointment, we’ll first get to know you and your health goals. Then, we’ll perform a postural examination to pinpoint weaknesses in your neck and spine, as well as shoulders. We’ll also take photos of your posture so that we can track improvements and measure progress. Depending on your unique needs, we may perform adjustments and provide exercises or stretches that can benefit you. Your care plan will be entirely unique to your needs.
Whether you need help for yourself or a loved one, we’re here for you.
Contact us today to book a postural analysis and discover a care plan built uniquely for you. Get started now!