CONDITIONS

Posture problems

The quality of your posture can have an incredible impact on your life. If you have good posture, you will perform better on the sporting field, have a healthier appearance, and even experience more confidence in your every day life. Poor posture, on the other hand, can increase the risk of certain chronic health conditions and can even cause severe pain. Poor posture, most commonly identified as “slouching,” limits a person’s ability to perform tasks adequately opposed to when our spine is straightened. Even though many of us have fallen victim to this “comfortable” position at the office or in class, there is a chance we can eventually suffer from our lack of good posture.

What is Posture?

Posture is the way in which you hold your body upright against gravity while in a standing, sitting, or lying position. “Good” posture means you are holding your body in a natural way, with your joints correctly aligned. This position produces the least amount of stress on the body. “Bad” posture means you are out of alignment and placing excessive strain on one or more parts of your body.

If you often sit, stand or lay with poor posture if can eventually lead to long-lasting changes in the body’s postural mechanisms, including:

• The length and strength of muscles
  Poor posture causes certain supporting muscles to waste away from lack of use. These under-used muscles often become short, which can compact the bones of the vertebrae.
• The performance of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres
  The body has two types of muscles. Slow twitch (static) and fast twitch (phasic). Static muscle fibres tend to be found in the deeper layers of the muscle. They do a great job of sensing which way the body is positioned and making adjustments to keep you stable. Phasic muscle fibres are mostly used for movement. Poor posture causes muscle fatigue because it relies too much on phasic muscles and not enough on static.
• Nervous system feedback on your current body position
  Your body’s muscles relay information about your current body position to the brain via the nervous system. When you have poor posture for a long time and your static muscles are no longer fully engaged, the brain does not receive the full picture. As a result, it contracts phasic muscles, causing additional muscle fatigue and pain.

How Do You Know You Have Poor Posture?

There are several common symptoms of poor posture, with the most obvious ones being:

• Back pain
• Random aches and pains in your joints and muscles
• Feelings of muscle fatigue
• Rounded shoulders
• Developing a potbelly
• Having a head that either leans forward or backward
• Curved neck
• Headaches 

What Does Healthy Posture Look Like?

A person with healthy posture has a body that is well aligned. When looking at them side-on, their ears are directly above their shoulders, the shoulder will line up with their hips, and the hips will line up with the ankles. There will be three natural curves in the spine, the cervical curve of the neck (concave), thoracic curve of the back (convex), lumbar curve of the lower back (concave). The curves of a healthy spine will be between 20 to 40 degrees. 

The Most Common Posture Problems

Kyphosis

This is a common postural problem exhibited by patients visiting our chiropractic clinic in Stoke on Trent. People with this condition have a more severe spinal curve which can be in excess of 50 degrees. They usually present with a forward head posture, excessively concave cervical curve, rounded shoulders, and an excessive curve between the thoracic/lumbar regions.

Flat Back

A healthy spine should have a gentle S curve. People with flat back will lose some of the curve in the bottom portion of their spine (lumbar). This imbalance causes their head to lean forward and gives them stooped shoulders.

Swayback (Lordosis)

People with this condition have an exaggerated S curve in their spine, with the spine curving inwards in the lower back and neck regions. This can lead to back pain and impact on a person’s ability to move. Symptoms of this condition include a potbelly and buttocks that stick out.

Forward neck and head posture

Also known as “text neck” this is another common reason for people to visit our chiropractor clinic in Stoke on Trent. People with this condition have a head position that is in front of their body. This causes a lot of tension in the neck and shoulders, with headaches being a common symptom. Fortunately, it can usually be rectified quickly through a combination of spinal adjustments and physical therapy.

Can I improve my posture?

Awareness of your posture, along with an understanding of healthy movement strategies, will help you consciously correct yourself. Your doctor of chiropractic can further assist you by recommending exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles. He or she can also assist you with choosing better postures during your work or recreational activities, reducing your risk of injury.

Ergonomic Considerations

How we hold and move our bodies every day, even while doing something as simple as sitting at a desk or standing in place, can have an impact on our posture. Below are some general ergonomic tips to help reduce the chance of pain and injuries:

While sitting at a desk: 

• Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor.
• Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be directly in front of your knees.
• Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
• Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
• Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
• Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
• Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time. Take breaks and move your body.

When standing: 

• Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
• Keep your knees slightly bent.
• Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
• Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled down and backward.
• Tuck your stomach in.
• Keep your head level. Your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
• Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you must stand for a long time.

When lying down in bed: 

• Find the mattress that is right for you. While a firm mattress is generally recommended, some people find that softer mattresses reduce their back pain. Your individual comfort should guide your choice.
• Choose the right pillow, too. Special pillows are available to help with postural problems resulting from poor sleeping positions.
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
• Sleep on your side or back, which is often helpful for back pain. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs. If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.