Poor posture is no surprise considering the time spent behind a desk looking down at the computer or smartphone. On average, Americans check their phones 344 times per day — that’s once every four minutes, with an average screen time of seven hours!
If it’s considered bad posture, then why does it feel good? Just like too much screen time, comfortable behavior feels good while doing it but often has impactful consequences. In the long term, postural issues severely affect the body’s nervous system and spine, resulting in back pain, headaches, and fatigue.
But don’t worry; a visit to the chiropractor can help correct poor postures, such as forward head translation or slouching, and realign the spine to ensure that the body is functioning optimally!
What is the Root Cause of Poor Posture?
Feeling like a walking skeleton has the propensity to make the best of days a challenge. Want to feel reinvigorated? Before you can fix your posture and restore proper alignment, you need to understand where it stems from. So settle in because we’re about to dive deeply into the reasons behind those slouchy shoulders.
The root cause of improper posture is multifaceted and often caused by a combination of factors, which include:
- Sedentary lifestyle: A lack of physical activity and exercise leads to weaker muscles and increased soft tissue, resulting in a lack of support. Lack of movement contributes to poor body mechanics and stiffening of the body’s joints.
- Muscular imbalance: Despite leading an active lifestyle, the back, shoulders, and core muscles tighten over time. This may be due to a lack of stretching or movement variation in those specific regions causing slouching or hunching.
- Stress: Stress and bad posture have a symbiotic relationship.
- Poor ergonomics: The image of rounded upper backs in front of screens is synonymous with the workplace. Sitting in front of an improper work setup leads to muscle fatigue and habitual slouching.
It’s essential to address the problem’s crux to correct posture imbalances effectively. Bergen Chiropractic will help you develop an effective treatment plan to restore better posture holistically!
How Does Poor Posture Affect Your Overall Health?
Bad posture not only affects one’s appearance but also significantly impacts overall health. Improper posture strains the muscles and joints, leading to pain and discomfort in the neck, shoulders, and back.
Prolonged bad posture can lead to chronic pain, headaches, and scoliosis. It also affects internal organs, leading to problems such as acid reflux, slowed digestion, constipation, and irregular breathing.
As improper posture can cause various health issues and limit self-confidence, it is essential to be mindful of one’s posture, make a conscious effort to maintain good posture and seek professional chiropractic assistance to reduce the risk of developing bad posture.
Signs of Bad Posture
Knowing what to look out for can help you get the assistance you need to remedy any postural problems you have developed. Some of the most common symptoms of bad posture include:
- Slouching or hunching forward: This is one of the most obvious signs of bad posture. It can occur while sitting or standing.
- Rounded shoulders: Rounded the shoulders forward indicates tight or weak muscles in the upper back and chest.
- Forward head: Jutting the head forward indicates that the neck and upper back muscles are tight and weak.
- Back and neck pain: A common symptom of lousy posture is back pain caused by the added strain on the muscles and joints.
- Tiredness: Prolonged poor posture can cause muscle fatigue, contributing to exhaustion and stress.
- Headaches: Lousy posture can also cause headaches.
- Difficulty breathing: Poor posture can affect the breathing pattern and make it difficult to take deep breaths.
- Poor digestion: Lousy posture can also affect organ function and cause problems such as acid reflux, weight gain, and constipation.
From tight muscles, uneven shoulders, and muscle strain to overly arched lower backs, there are plenty of telltale signs of a lack of good posture. Unfortunately, a host of symptoms are only apparent through a diagnosis, such as a twisted pelvis and the spine’s misalignment.
The Four Categories of Poor Posture
Lousy posture is often classified into four main categories:
- Kyphosis is a condition where the upper back is excessively rounded, and the shoulders are hunched forward. Weak back muscles and tight chest muscles usually cause this.
- Lordosis is a condition where the lower back is excessively arched, and the buttocks are pushed out, caused by weak abdominal muscles and tight hip muscles.
- A flat back is a condition where the lower back’s natural curve is flattened.
- Forward head is a condition where the head and ears are far ahead of the spine and the vertical midline of the body.
A person may be dealing with a combination of these postural issues. Therefore, chiropractic assessment is imperative to properly diagnose the underlying cause behind your poor posture.
Can a Chiropractor Help With Bad Posture Correction?
Of course! Chiropractic care helps restore healthy posture, positively affecting overall health. Chiropractors are healthcare professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions, including posture-related ones.
Bergen Chiropractic uses a variety of effective techniques, including spinal manipulation, adjustment procedures, massage therapy, soft tissue therapy, and strengthening exercises to help correct imbalances and reduce pain, setting you up for maintaining good posture in the long run!
Our team of experts will perform a thorough examination to identify any structural or biomechanical issues that may influence the treatment outline. You may also qualify for X-rays or other imaging studies to better understand the problem.
Once a diagnosis is given, our team will develop a chiropractic treatment plan specific to your needs. This may include spinal adjustments to correct misalignments, exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles, and lifestyle and ergonomic modifications to help prevent poor posture from recurring.
Not only will you feel better, but you’ll have an improved aesthetic. So say goodbye to slouching and hello to a straight and healthy spine!
What Does Chiropractic Posture Correction Entail?
Chiropractic posture correction involves more than just the satisfying popping sound you hear when the chiropractic adjustments are made. It typically combines different techniques and modalities depending on the individual’s condition and needs.
Spinal Adjustments
Chiropractic care uses gentle manipulative techniques to correct any spinal misalignments that may contribute to lousy posture. This approach can help restore the spine’s natural curve and reduce pain.
Soft Tissue Therapy
Effective techniques such as massage, stretching, and myofascial liberation release muscle tension and improve flexibility, resulting in fewer aches and pains.
Careful Exercise and Stretching
Specific exercises and stretches are prescribed to improve muscle strength and flexibility. These exercises help improve posture and reduce pain by correcting muscle imbalances.
Chiropractic posture correction is not a one-time treatment; it is a process that requires regular monitoring and adjustments to ensure that the patient’s posture improves and stays that way.
How to Improve Poor Posture at Home
Improving poor posture at home is simple! You can achieve it through exercises, stretches, and lifestyle improvements, such as swapping high-heeled shoes for sneakers or flats.
Here are a few steps to help improve lousy posture at home:
- Strengthen the core: Strong abdominal and back muscles help support the spinal cord and improve posture. Exercises such as planks, bridges, and crunches help strengthen the core muscles.
- Stretch those muscles: Tight muscles can pull the body out of correct alignment, causing poor posture. Stretching the chest, shoulders, and upper back helps release tension and improve posture.
- Use the wall: Sit with your legs flat on the floor and your back against the wall. Keep your shoulders back and down and your head up. Maintain this position for 30 seconds to a minute at a time.
- Keep active throughout the day: While working, take short breaks every 30 minutes to an hour to stand up, stretch, and move around.
Improving poor posture takes time and consistency — it’s not an overnight process. However, with consistent effort coupled with chiropractic care, you will see improvements, and maintaining proper posture will become a habit!
Learn How to Maintain Proper Posture at Bergen Chiropractic!
At the Bergen Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Center, our chiropractic team, led by Dr. Gregory Doerr, follows the highest and most professional medical standards to provide superior chiropractic help. Our mission is to provide unparalleled patient care and services in a comfortable healing atmosphere. Access our contact form or call us at (201) 945-4075 to learn more about our chiropractic services! Our chiropractic offices at 532 Anderson Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010, and 62 Summit Ave, Hackensack, NJ 07601, are ready to welcome you as we proudly serve New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, PA, and Baltimore, MD, areas. Also, feel free to access our blog, Facebook, and Instagram pages for more information on chiropractic treatments!
References
- “3 Surprising Risks of Poor Posture.” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/3-surprising-risks-of-poor-posture. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
- Team, Wellness. “The Health Effects of Poor Posture.” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, health.clevelandclinic.org/health-effects-of-poor-posture/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
- Hecht, Marjorie. “Types of Posture: How to Correct Bad Posture.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 19 Nov. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/bone-health/the-4-main-types-of-posture#common-posture-problems. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
