N E W S L E T T E R
How Posture Affects Back & Neck Pain HOW TO STRIKE YOUR POSE
Remember back when your mother used to tell you that if you wouldn’t stop hunching your shoulders, they’d be stuck that way forever? An idle threat, one thatbarelyanyone tookseriously.Yet, fast forwarda fewdecadesand it turnsout that mom might have been on to something, after all. Apoorhabitofbadposturecanhavea lasting impactonyourneckandback.The worse your posture is, the more intense your back and neck pain can become. Unfortunately, once you start experiencing neck and back pain, simply squaring yourshoulders isn’t likely tobemuchhelp.Workingwithaphysical therapistcan help you to train the muscles in your back, neck and shoulders so that you can improve your posture permanently, and, in doing so, bring relief to your chronic neck and back pain. THE POSTURE & PAIN CONNECTION Not all back pain is caused by poor posture, and it is true that you can have poor posture foryearswithout feeling theconsequencesof thatslouchrightaway,but in time thehabit is likely tocatchupwithyou.Therearecertainways thatyoucan tell if neck or back pain may be a result of poor posture, including: • The pain in your back is worsened at certain times of day. For example, after you’ve spent a day at the office, or after a few hours on the couch.
• The pain frequently starts in your neck and moves into your upper and lower back. Pain that seems to travel from one area of the back to another is frequently an indication of posture concerns. • The pain will subside after switching positions, such as switching from sitting to standing or vice versa. • Backorneckpain thatdevelopssoonafterachange incircumstances,such as starting a new job with a new desk chair, or getting a new car. After years of practicing poor posture, your back, shoulder and neck muscles will likely find standing or sitting with straight posture to be uncomfortable. This isbecauseyourmuscleshavegrownaccustomed to theslouching,andstanding up straight will require some thorough stretching. That doesn’t mean that once you have bad posture you can never correct it. Working with a physical therapist to improve your posture is a great way to overcome chronic neck and back pain. In physical therapy, you will be guided through a series of stretches and strength building exercises that can help you begin training your body to practice better posture, thereby reducing your back and neck pain.
A R E Y O U L E T T I N G Y O U R PA I N H O L D Y O U B A C K ? C A L L T O S C H E D U L E Y O U R A P P O I N T M E N T T O D AY !
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