The quality of your posture can have an incredible impact on your life. If you have good posture, you will perform better on the sporting field, have a healthier appearance, and even experience more confidence in your every day life. Poor posture, on the other hand, can increase the risk of certain chronic health conditions and can even cause severe pain.
Many of the patients attending our chiropractor clinic in Stoke on Trent are concerned about their posture. They know that they have a postural problem but are unsure what it is. In this post, I am going to share several common posture problems to help you understand when you need to see a chiropractor in Stoke on Trent.
Are you concerned about your posture, book an appointment with our leading chiropractor in Stoke on Trent — City Chiropractic on 01782 848 184. You can also read the remainder of the article to learn about the most common posture problems.
What is Posture?
Posture is the way in which you hold your body upright against gravity while in a standing, sitting, or lying position. “Good” posture means you are holding your body in a natural way, with your joints correctly aligned. This position produces the least amount of stress on the body. “Bad” posture means you are out of alignment and placing excessive strain on one or more parts of your body.
If you often sit, stand or lay with poor posture if can eventually lead to long-lasting changes in the body’s postural mechanisms, including:
- The length and strength of muscles
Poor posture causes certain supporting muscles to waste away from lack of use. These under-used muscles often become short, which can compact the bones of the vertebrae. - The performance of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres
The body has two types of muscles. Slow twitch (static) and fast twitch (phasic). Static muscle fibres tend to be found in the deeper layers of the muscle. They do a great job of sensing which way the body is positioned and making adjustments to keep you stable. Phasic muscle fibres are mostly used for movement. Poor posture causes muscle fatigue because it relies too much on phasic muscles and not enough on static. - Nervous system feedback on your current body position
Your body’s muscles relay information about your current body position to the brain via the nervous system. When you have poor posture for a long time and your static muscles are no longer fully engaged, the brain does not receive the full picture. As a result, it contracts phasic muscles, causing additional muscle fatigue and pain.
How Do You Know You Have Poor Posture?
There are several common symptoms of poor posture, with the most obvious ones being:
- Back pain
- Random aches and pains in your joints and muscles
- Feelings of muscle fatigue
- Rounded shoulders
- Developing a potbelly
- Having a head that either leans forward or backward
- Curved neck
- Headaches
What Does Healthy Posture Look Like?
A person with healthy posture has a body that is well aligned. When looking at them side-on, their ears are directly above their shoulders, the shoulder will line up with their hips, and the hips will line up with the ankles. There will be three natural curves in the spine, the cervical curve of the neck (concave), thoracic curve of the back (convex), lumbar curve of the lower back (concave). The curves of a healthy spine will be between 20 to 40 degrees.
The Most Common Posture Problems
Kyphosis
This is a common postural problem exhibited by patients visiting our chiropractic clinic in Stoke on Trent. People with this condition have a more severe spinal curve which can be in excess of 50 degrees. They usually present with a forward head posture, excessively concave cervical curve, rounded shoulders, and an excessive curve between the thoracic/lumbar regions.
Flat Back
A healthy spine should have a gentle S curve. People with flat back will lose some of the curve in the bottom portion of their spine (lumbar). This imbalance causes their head to lean forward and gives them stooped shoulders.
Swayback (Lordosis)
People with this condition have an exaggerated S curve in their spine, with the spine curving inwards in the lower back and neck regions. This can lead to back pain and impact on a person’s ability to move. Symptoms of this condition include a potbelly and buttocks that stick out.
Forward neck and head posture
Also known as “text neck” this is another common reason for people to visit our chiropractor clinic in Stoke on Trent. People with this condition have a head position that is in front of their body. This causes a lot of tension in the neck and shoulders, with headaches being a common symptom. Fortunately, it can usually be rectified quickly through a combination of spinal adjustments and physical therapy.
If you have bad posture or you suffering back pain our chiropractor in Stoke is here to help you. Why not book a visit with our chiropractor , contact City Chiropractic today on 01782 848 184 and our friendly team will help you.