NEWSLETTER Health &Wellness
BETTER POSTURE BETTER HEALTH How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Posture
Do you catch yourself slouching throughout the day? Do you notice your spine gets sore those last couple hours of the school or workday? If you are experiencing aches and pains, especially in your neck or back, your poor posture may be to blame. Most of us spend our day staring at a computer screen, riding in our car, or looking down at our phones. These slouched postures with our heads tilted forward or looking down cause stress to the muscles and joints of the neck and back. The worse your posture is, the more intense your back and neck pain can become. Fortunately, your posture can improve with the help of physical therapy. Call Homestead Physical Therapy today to learn more about how you can improve your posture and lead a pain-free, active life! What Are The Natural Curves of Your Spine? Our spines are made up of four natural curves: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral. When the spine is in its natural position, the vertebrae stack up over one another, and we call this “good posture” or sometimes “neutral spine.”
These natural curves, along with the intervertebral discs, absorb and distribute stresses from everyday activities such as sitting, standing, walking, or more intense activities such as running and jumping. When you slouch, the spine in your neck and lower back becomes straighter, while the upper back becomes excessively rounded. This produces a forward-head posture, humped upper back and flattened lower back. Ideally, our postures will change depending on our activities. Unfortunately, we often sink into poor postural habits and lose the natural stacked position our spines were designed to have. What Are The Most Common Problems With Bad Posture? Very few people have perfect posture. We become so wrapped up in whatever tasks we are doing that we forget to think about howwe are holding our bodies. Most people ignore their posture until they begin to notice aches and pains. Improper posture isn’t due to laziness but is generally due to bad habits, or at times, a physical weakness within our bodies. We slouch and slump when we get distracted or due to the design of our comfy couches and chairs. Poor posture leads to excessive strain on your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
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If you would like to get healthier and stronger this winter, contact us today at 307-745-5434 or online at www.homesteadptlaramie.com.
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