Too little too late? Or can i change my posture?

Poor posture is a very common thing we see in practice and one we strive to correct. It is so important for optimal overall function of not only your spine, but your body aswell. It is a common misconception that posture only involves your spine but it can be seen elsewhere in the body.

Duration of improving it can be a long process and depends on numerous factors:

• how long you have had poor posture for

• what caused it in the first place

• injury history

• lifestyles factors

• daily habits

All of which are important to identify and establish a tailored plan set out by a Chiropractor (or another health care professional) in order to make long lasting, beneficial changes to your body and overall posture.

It is very common to have patients will tell me they know they have bad posture, yet they do not actually know how it negatively impacts their body or why improving their posture is so vital.

Like many things just like posture it is important to understand that if you do nothing to fix it, then nothing will change. Similar to an aching back, neck headache or leg pain. It involves making changes and following them, it is not a quick fix.

What defines bad posture?

It comes in many forms, the ones we see commonly include:

• Forward head carriage

• Forward rolling shoulders

• a hump/slouch or increased curve in the middle back

• Increased or decreased curve/sway in low back

• Feet rolling inwards

• Hips and shoulders tilted

Common causes of bad posture

There are so many varying factors that can affect your posture. Some of the most common causes of bad posture are –

• Desk work

• Studying

• Unbalanced spinal muscles

• Poor sleeping positions

• Poor lifestyle habits

• Injury history

• Physical jobs involving heavy lifting, bending for long periods of time, or standing in awkward positions for extended periods of time.

• Poor shoes

Good news is it is never to late, thing we recommend improve posture include:

Changing habits and daily postures

Addressing daily habits and postures in different scenarios is a great way to work on postural changes these include:

• having someone assess your workstation or desk at home

• adjust car seat to allow more upright posture

• utilise a posture pillow or decrease the amount of pillows to 1

Using a foam roller daily

Lying on a long foam roller daily for 10 mins can along with helping to correct posture, decrease tension and stress among other things. However, its main function if used properly is to open the middle back and chest whilst realigning the head and shoulders back to a neutral position.

We can show you how to properly fully utilise the foam roller in the clinic

Strengthening and stretching exercises

We commonly prescribe specific rehab exercises and stretching for patients who come in to see us for poor posture which can sometimes be accompanied with neck, lowback or midback pain. Each patient presents with differing factors and this each patient needs a different plan to address their poor posture. These include exercises and stretch that target the neck, upper body, core, lower body and gluteal muscles.

Varying for each patient common exercises and stretches include:

• scapula retraction exercises

• chin tuck exercises

• deep neck flexor exercises

• chest stretches

• hip and glute stretches

• hamstring stretches

The above stretches and exercises are all small things you can implement every single day to help improve your posture.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic adjustments are great way to help realign and stabilise your spine. Here at Aligned Wellness Chiropractic a tailored plan set out by a Chiropractor to identify, address and develop a strategy is help get your posture tracking in the right direction.