Let's Talk About Fixing Your Posture

When you have healthy posture, your spine and all of your body parts are in alignment so that they can function optimally. Healthy posture is characterized by just the right amount of muscle tension required to hold yourself upright against the pull of gravity.

You usually don’t think much about your posture; your body finds its posture all by itself. But that doesn’t mean it’s doing a good job. Working with devices encourages slouching. Carrying heavy backpacks can create an imbalanced load that disturbs your posture.

Poor posture not only changes the way you look and how people perceive you, but it can lead to some serious consequences. If your spine’s out of alignment, you’re at risk for complications such as:

• Neck pain 
• Back pain 
• Sciatica
• Joint pain
• Headaches

Our experienced team at Gorman Medical, PC, offers chiropractic care for complaints caused by poor posture, such as pain and headaches. But Charles Ripp, MD, and Fran Gorman, DNP, also fix posture itself at our offices in Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Do you have poor posture that you’d like to fix? Here’s how to do it … and why.

What healthy posture looks like

When your posture is healthy, the curves in your spine are gentle, forming an elongated “S” shape. Everything lines up, from hips to head. Your hips, shoulders, and head should all be perfectly aligned. Your eyes should gaze straight ahead, rather than down.

You can imagine a string that starts on your tailbone and comes out the top of your head. If that string comes out in front of your head or the back of your shoulders instead, then you have poor posture.

Types of poor posture

Is your posture poor? If so, then what type of poor posture do you have?

Forward head

Your ears should be positioned directly above your shoulders, in that vertical midline we established with the imaginary string. If you have “tech neck” from hunching over your device, books, or even a steering wheel, you’re considered to have a forward head posture. Aging and weakened muscles often result in forward head posture, too.

Kyphosis

Kyphosis is sometimes called a “hunchback.” Your shoulders are rounded forward, creating a severe curve in your thoracic spine (i.e., upper back). You might develop kyphosis due to osteoporosis, which may lead to compression fractures in the spine. Older women often have osteoporosis-related kyphosis, which is sometimes referred to as a “dowager’s hump.”

Swayback

If your pelvis tilts, extending beyond your body’s midline, while you simultaneously push out your buttocks, you have swayback, sometimes called lordosis or hyperlordosis. Both your abdomen and your rear stick out.

Sitting a lot can lead to swayback, because sitting tightens the muscles in your back. It also weakens your abdominal muscles.

Flatback

If you’ve lost the normal curve of your lower spine, you have flatback. Your lower back is straight, but you hunch forward. Having flatback may make standing for long periods of time painful.

What to do about your poor posture

Sure you can suck it in, pull it up, and look straight ahead. But you’ve had years or even decades of doing just the opposite. If you want to improve your posture, you can’t do it overnight.

Adopting a few new habits may help to alleviate muscle tension that pulls your spine and head into poor posture positions. Try:

• Stretching your arms, back, and legs regularly
• Taking breaks from sitting or standing
• Keeping your chin up when you look at your devices

You might try yoga, a dance class, Pilates, or tai chi to help build your core muscles and give you better body awareness. You might also turn to a professional for help, such as a chiropractor who can realign your spine.

How chiropractic helps posture

Chiropractic medicine considers an aligned spine the basis of all health. If your spine is out of alignment and your posture is poor, it affects every aspect of your body, including how efficiently your blood circulates and how well your organs function. Poor posture causes your body to work harder than it should.

To improve your posture, your chiropractor may use a variety of therapies as well as exercises and lifestyle adjustments to improve your alignment. Some options may include:

• Traction to alleviate pressure on disks
• Spinal adjustments to fix misalignments
• Massage and ultrasound to relax muscles
• Trigger point massage to resolve muscle knots
• Strengthening exercises to build core

We also may make lifestyle recommendations, such as losing weight to take pressure off your joints and muscles. You may need to adopt a healthier new diet and start an exercise regimen that includes strength training, aerobics, and stretching.

Don’t slouch and don’t delay fixing your posture problems: contact Gorman Medical, PC, via phone or online form today.