Posture

As a nation we now spend more time staring at a computer screen than we do asleep! Whether it’s for work, education or socialising, computers, tablets and phones are now a huge part of our lives.

Unfortunately the position we take when looking at them is very often an unnatural one that puts unnecessary strain on our spines. Good posture is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve due to our current lifestyles and penchant for adopting the latest tech.

Stress, sitting for long periods of time, using electronic devices, carrying heavy bags and lack of exercise all contribute to poor posture. Forward head posture is a condition in which a person’s head is held in front instead of above their shoulders.

Forward head posture creates excessive strain on the muscles in your neck and back. It has been estimated that for every inch your head sits in front of your shoulders, the weight of it increases by 10 pounds. To cope with the extra weight, your muscles are in constant contraction. This adds pressure to the base of your skull and can lead to headaches, tingling and numbness in the arms, and a burning pain between the shoulder blades.

The more serious issue with forward head posture is that it restricts the movement of your ribs and therefore your ability to breath deeply. Put simply, not having your head on straight can affect your health. Poor posture has been shown to affect digestion, elimination and breathing.

How to achieve better posture

Managing stress on the spine is very important. This includes physical stress (falls, overtraining, no movement), emotional stress (causing that only too well know shoulder tension) and chemical stress (bad diet and use of toxic products).

Movement is key and the best place to start. You should be aiming to do something that gets you slightly out of breath every day. It can be anything from a half an hour walk through to yoga, pilates, hitting the gym, cycling, swimming... the list goes on. The secret is to start moving and keep moving.

Chiropractic is also excellent for encouraging movement within the spine and joints, and for maintaining optimal spinal alignment. Good alignment creates clear and healthy pathways to and from the central nervous system, which improves the body’s ability to self heal. This means we can move better, more easily and in a more natural way.

By promoting self-healing and balance within the body, regular chiropractic adjustments, combined with a healthy lifestyle, can improve our emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. We often find our clients develop a greater awareness of their bodies and their environment through regular adjustments. And of course, achieve better posture.