Harnessing the Power of Posture
Postural deficiencies are on the rise
Poor posture is the norm. As more and more jobs are transitioned into office scenarios, more people are spending the working day seated. Many of those people will then spend their post-work hours seated as well, creating a sedentary lifestyle that is devastating for our bodies. Posture is the outward manifestation of this problem- you only need look at someone to see if their posture is suffering. The signs may be slight- or we may be so accustomed to them that we take them as the norm. Things like a belly stuck out, a head stuck forward, or rounded shoulders, are signs that our posture is not up to scratch. So how do we take back the power over our posture? Through awareness and proactivity.
One posture problem at a time: forward head syndrome
As we specialize in biomechanics and musculoskeletal function, the signs of poor posture are obvious to us when people walk through the door of our office. A static postural analysis confirms what we could clearly see, and few of us are perfect. One of the most common postures we are seeing today is forward head syndrome, commonly referred to as reader’s neck. You can determine if you have FHP by having someone take a quick side-profile photo of your head: if your earlobe is right above the AC joint (bony protrusion) in your shoulder, your head is right where it needs to be. But for people who use devices all too frequently, it is more likely that the ear will be forward of the AC joint.
FHP has musculoskeletal ramifications: it usually involves tight neck muscles and poor function/tightness in the postural muscles of the upper back- the levator scapulae and upper trapezius. This often manifests itself in the form of neck pain, upper back pain and headaches. Our solution is to establish awareness of the problem, helping you to reset your head whenever you feel it creeping forward. Keep this stat in mind: every inch you hold your head forward adds another 10 pounds of downward pressure to your spine. So the effects can actually be felt in the lower back!
Once we have established awareness, we use gentle hands-on modalities to release tightness from the neck muscles and adjustments to restore mobility to spinal joints in the neck. Then we focus on strengthening muscles that help you hold your head in place despite the urge to lean forward as you use your device.
Addressing postural deficiencies in Ramsey
Posture is a hard battle to win on your own. If you feel you need an extra layer of defense against the risk factors for posture inherent in your lifestyle, give our office in Ramsey a call to schedule an appointment today.