Postural Care

All of these problems can be attributed to poor posture and chiropractic treatment is an excellent treatment option for you. We’ve seen a huge influx of patients in the past few months due to poor ergonomics that have led to repetitive strains. Many people do not have optimal home work stations in comparison to what they have at work. With many people working from home these days we've seen a sharp uptick in repetitive strain injuries due to poor posture. Poor posture can lead to neck pain, back pain and tension headaches. Every inch of forward head carriage leads to an increase of 10 pounds of strain to the neck and upper back muscles. This increased stress overloads the muscles. Over time these sometimes imperceptible strains can add up to become more severe and painful strains. Scar tissue can build up in the muscles and your joints can become stiff and achy.

Your treatment plan will consist of chiropractic adjustments to restore proper spinal alignment, muscle release techniques to relieve muscle tension and eliminate scar tissue and a home exercise program including stretches and strengthening exercises to help break the repetitive strain cycle and make your neck and back more resilient to sprains and strains in the future. We will also review improvements to your work station so that you can work pain-free.

Most of us started hearing about posture way back in grade school when our parents and teachers began to tell us to "stand up straight". We were told to have "good posture", often with the implication that such an achievement was associated with strength of character, discipline, and definiteness of purpose. But, typically, the means of accomplishing good posture were never exactly disclosed, other than the child's being encouraged to "suck in your stomach" and "pull your shoulders back". Unfortunately, these directives did not result in a pleasing, biomechanically effective, natural posture. Rather, these commands caused children to develop tight muscles. Fortunately, it is possible to attain good posture in ways that support a person's well-being.

A person's posture is primarily associated with the function of her or his spine. The adult human spine is most commonly composed of 26 movable segments. The neck contains 7 vertebrae, the mid back contains 12 vertebrae, the lower back contains 5 vertebrae, and there is 1 sacrum and 1 coccyx. The neck (cervical spine) is normally convex to the front, the mid back (thoracic spine) is normally convex to the rear, and the lower back (lumbar spine) is normally convex to the front. The sacrum and coccyx are oriented convexly to the rear. These alternating curves from top to bottom create biomechanical balance and participate in creating spinal flexibility. As a result, the spine is able to distribute biomechanical loads effectively and efficiently, resulting in ease of motion and strength throughout the course of one's daily activities.

But various musculoskeletal habits, physical and mental stress, diet and nutrition, injury, and spinal biomechanical dysfunction can all impact a person's posture. Over time, any and all of these circumstances can diminish the degree of curvature of affected spinal regions, reducing the normal biomechanical curves of the spine. Most typically, the spinal curvatures are flattened, resulting in loss of the normal curves in the neck, mid back, and lower back. The straightened regions of vertebrae lose their biomechanical resilience, with accompanying muscle tension, muscle spasms, and pain in various regions of the spine. As well, seemingly innocuous movements such as bending over to pick up a dropped pen or pencil, or bending over to place groceries in the trunk of one's car, may result in sudden, significant pain and injuries lingering for 2-3 weeks or more.

Regular chiropractic care provides substantial assistance to all members of the family regarding restoring and maintaining graceful, functional posture. Improved posture enables us to perform smoothly our activities of daily living. By detecting, analyzing, and correcting spinal biomechanical dysfunction and nerve interference, regular chiropractic care helps reestablish normal spinal biomechanics and improve physiological function and performance throughout the body. As a result, regular chiropractic care helps the entire family achieve higher levels of long-term health and well-being.

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Mörl F, Bradl I: Lumbar posture and muscular activity while sitting during office work. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 23(2):362-368, 2013

Żak M, Pezowicz C: Analysis of the impact of the course of hydration on the mechanical properties of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc. Eur Spine J 25(9):2681-2690, 2016