It can be surprising to learn how important posture is to a person’s lifestyle and how it affects their health. Many problems can be brought on by poor posture, including lower back pain, back ache, neck pain, numbness or tingling sensations, headaches, referred pain, muscle weakness, and joint stiffness.
Our spine is divided into five parts, each of which is curved in a particular way. Maintaining these curves is crucial to ensuring proper function and minimal stress on our bones, nerves, and muscles. It’s easy to put the spine in an awkward position without realizing it; therefore, it’s important to have your posture checked so that any problems can be found and fixed.
Hunching:
Many people hunch over while driving, working at a desk all day, or sitting at a computer. This can cause spine strain that can lead to deformity and pain, such as rounded shoulders. Sitting in an incorrect posture for a prolonged period can significantly put a person at risk of developing back pain.
Pillows:
Using the incorrect pillow while you sleep is a typical cause of neck pain. The spine can bend from too many or too few pillows and cause a stiff or aching neck. Although memory foam pillows are said to improve posture by molding to your position, this won’t help if your neck doesn’t already have the right curve. When you lie on your side, having the right number of pillows will help to align your spine; however, if you sleep on your back, it can be a little difficult because your neck must be in the right position and have the right curvature.
Mobile Phones:
It is very easy to develop bad posture, especially among teenagers who are addicted to their phones. Our spine is stressed when we look down at the screen, which can cause pain in the neck and shoulders as well as the deformity “poking chin.”
Although it’s always better to address a problem before it occurs, if you’re already affected by poor posture, it’s still not too late. In order to help you avoid or lessen the severity of poor posture, osteopaths can provide a variety of treatments, corrective suggestions, and exercises. They consist of evaluating posture-related habits, providing good posture education and practice, using soft tissue techniques and massage, performing manual therapy, and more.
Contact a qualified osteopath if you’re facing postural issues.
Book an appointment or contact us to discover how our Doctors of Osteopathic medicine can help improve your health with a wholistic approach.