Does your posture make you look and feel older?
If you’re like 80% of people these days…the answer’s YES.
Forward neck posture and a hunched upper back are the most common causes of neck pain, shoulder pain and headaches. This type of posture leads to pinched nerves causing tingling in the fingers, pain in your upper arm, sinus congestion and even vertigo. What’s more, poor posture makes your body work harder, and wear out faster.
We spend more time in front of screens than ever before in history. People are glued to their desktop computers in their home offices. Then, after work they spend hours on other devices. Laptops, ipads and smartphones can’t be used ergonomically, because their screens don’t un-attach from their keyboards. You have to hunch to use them…and we’re seeing more serious health issues arising from this posture.
Have you noticed it in yourself?
The hump starting at the base of your neck, rounded shoulders, extra tension in your face, an achy neck, low back pain and a belly pooch are some of the more obvious ways your posture’s making you look and feel older.
Even more detrimental are the effects poor posture has on other areas of your health. When you have bad posture, you’re literally crunching your joints, nerves, muscles, and organs together in a manner that doesn’t allow them to function properly. The health complications are vast, and often go untreated until there’s permanent damage.
Some of the health conditions associated with poor posture include:
- Pain in the neck, shoulders, upper, lower and middle back
- Arthritis
- Costochondritis and other rib issues- becoming VERY common.
- Pinched nerves causing sciatica, hand and arm tingling
- Headaches and Migraines
- Stressful mouth breathing, snoring and sleep apnea
- Decreased blood flow to the brain/Brain fog
- Decreased lung capacity by 30%
- Dizziness, vertigo and balance issues
- Constant Fatigue and lack of energy
- Appearance of sagging chin and jaw
- Increased anxiety and worry, depressed mood
- Jaw pain and sinus issues
- Impaired athletic performance
- Looking 10lbs heavier
What is good posture?
Good posture is the natural alignment of your joints…resulting in all of your systems running efficiently while creating the least amount of tension in your body. It allows your muscles to stay relaxed as your nerves communicate ideally and your lungs fill effortlessly.
In fact, your spine is designed to “stack” so that you can use the least amount of effort possible to hold yourself up, keeping you feeling young and energized.
Unfortunately, posture is a very misunderstood “hot topic” and much of the information and quick fixes on google are simply wrong.
Many people try to fix their posture by squeezing the muscles between their shoulder blades or doing chin tucks but neither of these will lead to good posture, and are actually a hindrance to getting there.
Remember:
Proper posture creates more ease, not more tension.
How Can We Help?
Once a damaging posture has become a long term habit you’ll need help from one of our chiropractors who will unlock and realign the joints so that you can begin to correct your posture.
As Dr. Shulman and Dr. Neely adjust any areas that are affecting your posture you’ll notice an improvement in your posture very quickly. It will become easier to sit and stand correctly. Along with adjustments the doctors will provide personalized exercises, stretches and ergonomic or lifestyle suggestions.
