Many patients are concerned about their poor posture & consult Chiropractors to assess it.
Some postural issue patients mention include:
- Excessive slouching
- Rounded shoulders
- A bump on the back of their neck/upper back
- Excess curve in their lower back
what factors influence Posture?
Posture can be defined as the position we naturally take on (sitting, standing or lying).Â
Your body takes on this position due to the actions of the muscles & ligaments which surround our bones & joints.Â
Movement patterns start developing very early on, so your posture is a long-term evolution over your life.Â
Factors that can affect it are:
- Work position
- Repetitive activities
- Emotional state
- Stressful situations
- Exercise you perform/Sports you play
- Your daily habits
is a perfect posture important?
More research is arising that static “perfect” posture may not be as important as we first thought.
Now this doesn’t mean that it is completely irrelevant. Especially if it is directly affecting something such as giving you pain or impacting how your body functions.
It just means we may need to rethink how our Posture should be.Â
We aren’t made to sit in one upright “perfect” position all day – we need to think of it as a fluid or a changing state.
For example, if you can think of a day where you really tried to hold your posture upright all day – You may have been quite sore towards the end of the day.
Put simply, we aren’t made to be stationary, we are made to move. The same applies for your Posture.
Keeping a range of positions and postures throughout the day will be better for your body.Â
How people can run into problems, is when their body isn’t adaptable or “ready” for a range of different postures.Â
Your spine & muscles need to be strong & mobile enough to be able to deal with the different stressors & positions of the day.
Each person is different & has different requirements – so each body needs a different approach to their posture & strength. This is where Chiropractic care may be able to assist.
how can chiropractors help?
Chiropractors are trained to assess spinal mobility, function & strength. They assess from the neck to the lower back & hips to see what effect that is having on your body (pain, injury, dysfunction etc.).Â
So what steps do they take?
- Decrease Pain (if present)
- Assess Postural alignment, gait (how you walk) & see if is having an effect on your function
- Assess Range of motion & flexibility of joints
- Assess tension in surrounding muscles
- Assess muscular strength & endurance
- Assess ergonomics (during work, sleep, daily activities)
our top 5 Takeaways to start working on your Posture
- Get an assessment from a trained Health Professional in regards to your posture
- Keep in mind, no one has 100% “perfect posture” and this isn’t necessary
- Small changes each day will give you the most sustainable change (i.e. No “quick fixes” exist for changing posture long term e.g. postural braces)
- Keep active throughout the day & take regular breaks if seated/at desk (The Posture Pole is a great tool as seen below)
- Having adequate levels of physical activity (Including Strength based training)Â will decrease the chances of developing aches & pains as well as many chronic diseases, so being active (& strong) is your best prevention
need some help?
Our Team of Chiropractors are qualified and trained in diagnosing and assessing a range of issues with joints, muscles and nerves in the body!Â
Contact us here if you would like to know more information.
See our locations in Fremantle & Perth below.
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