What Does My Posture Have To Do With It?

How often do you pay attention to your posture when you go about your day?  If you are like the average American, it probably isn't something that is commonly on the forefront of your mind.  Poor posture is an epidemic among the American population and the effects of it are quite detrimental to our health. 

Ideal Posture

As illustrated above, from front to back, our spine should be straight leaving our head, shoulders and hips level.  From the side, our spine should contain three curves which aid in keeping the spine healthy.  A correct position would have the middle of our ear lining up with the middle of the shoulder, much like a golf ball sitting on top of a tee.

The most common postural problem I see is something we call Foward Head Posture (FHP).  We live in a forward facing world from working on computers to watching T.V and playing video games.  Other activities that can lead to FHP are reading, sitting in school and carrying backpacks, just to name a few.

The repetitive activities and motions  we do strengthen the nerve and muscle pathways making it more easy to move into the forward direction.  The repetitive movements coupled with poor ergonomics and trauma more readily cause our body to adapt to FHP.

The effects of poor posture, or more specifically, FHP are becoming more evident.  The abnormal position for long periods of time not only leads to muscle weakness but the tissue and muscles will start to deform and these changes can become permanent and lead to a flattened neck curve.  If the curve becomes straight or flat the nerves get compressed causing premature arthritis to develop.  Other thing we tend to see as a result of poor posture are things like muscle fatigue, aching back, sore neck, headaches, jaw or bite problems (TMJ), arm pain, hand pain, carpal tunnel, mood disorders, chronic fatigue, blood pressure problems and lung capacity problems, just to name a few.

Now that we have our parents or grandparents voices in the back of our mind telling us to "sit up straight", it is time to listen and pay attention to your posture.  Your chiropractor will conduct a thorough examination to determine if there are any spinal subluxations or misalignments contributing to your posture problem.

'Watching Your Back'

Dr. Heather Giesen