As a child, you have probably been told to stand straight or sit properly by your parents or teachers. Don’t you wish you had listened and followed their advice? When you were younger, sitting slumped or standing lazily may have been alright for you. However, bad posture, when not corrected, carries on until you grow up and get older.
It might seem easy to straighten your back when sitting or standing, but when your attention drifts, your back eventually gets back into its former hunched position. A chiropractor may help change this.
Why is posture important?
The obvious reason why posture is important is it improves the way you look. But more than that, a good posture also helps with:
- keeping bones and joints properly aligned
- keeping ligaments from getting worked up, thus, minimizing injuries
- preventing muscle pain and strain
- promoting efficient muscle and energy use
- reducing risks of depression and stress
What goes on in the initial examination?
In the initial chiropractic examination, a few things must be checked in order to determine the appropriate treatment.
This should help the chiropractor determine what is causing your bad posture and if it is fixable. This is often a set of questions regarding your lifestyle, the type of work you do, any habits you have, and more.
The chiropractor may ask you to sit and stand so they may assess how bad your posture is. In a standing position, the position of the head, shoulders, and pelvis are checked from the back to see if they are uneven or tilted and to which side. From the side, the chiropractor checks if the head is aligned to your shoulders, if there is a hunched area on your back, or if your pelvis is tilted forwards or backwards.
Mobility and flexibility tests
Various mobility tests may be done to check if there are compensations in the body. For example, when a hunched back is straightened, is another part of the body going to move to compensate the change of position?
This involves the use of x-rays to get an image of any changes in the spine. It is also useful in checking for possible signs of scoliosis, arthritis, and other medical conditions that may cause bad posture.
Chiropractic care and therapies
Spine and Posture Care offers techniques that may help improve and maintain your posture.
This involves gentle joint movements that may help increase mobility and reduce muscle tension.
Soft tissue work
This focuses on the compensations. Muscle stretches are done to relax stressed and overworked muscles. Muscle strengthening is done on muscles that are weak and underused.
Stretches, exercises, and rehabilitation programs
A set of stretches, exercises, or rehabilitation activities are created for you to do at home. This way, not only do you get proper treatment in the clinic, you get to maintain the momentum at home and get better results faster.
Our Sydney chiropractor may be able to help you fix your posture. Bad posture not only affects your appearance but your health and lifestyle as well. If you got off to a bad start, there is still a possibility to make it all right. We are committed to providing our patients with the care they need and deserve. There is hope for bad posture.