January, 2020
MEET YOUR CAREER GOALSWITH IMPROVED POSTURE INSIDE: • What Can I Do About My Poor Posture? • Relieve Back Pain In Minutes • Patient Success Spotlight • Healthy Recipe NEWSLETTER Health & Wellness Newsletter
Whether you have pain or have been suffering for a long time, seeing a physical therapist at Performance Therapy Institute can help you return to a more active and pain-free life. Give us a call today:
• FRANKLIN (615) 465-6810 • NASHVILLE (615) 375-9091
Doyousuffer fromdailyor recurrentachesandpains? Ifso,yourposturemaybe theculprit. Just thinkabout thenumberofhoursadaywespendstaringatacomputerscreen,hunched over our desks, or staring at our phones.That creates a lot of stress on the neck and back, especially ifyouareslouched, titled forward,or lookingdown forprolongedperiodsof time. How does poor posture affect me? Changes to your posture can negatively affect your body, and you may find yourself experiencing some of the following symptoms: • Ifyourposturecontainsa forwardhead tilt–This forward-headposturecreatesastrainon the neck, which can result in neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, chronic headaches, and lower back pain.Tilting your head forward for long periods of time shortens the muscles in thebackof theneck,andcan result insoreness throughoutmultiplepartsofyourbody. • Ifyourposturecontainsslouchingof themid-back– Ifyouslouch themiddleofyourback, you can drive your head forward and alter the way your ribs naturally align. By doing this, you may experience pain in the slouched region of the mid-back, in addition to pain in theneck. If this is your averagestanding posture, it is important to seekphysical therapy treatment right away – over time, standing like this day after day may cause internal issues, as it creates pressure on your lungs, heart, and digestive system.
• If your posture includes sitting for long periods of time – When you sit for prolonged periods of time, the muscles in your hips and legs will stiffen. When these muscles become stiff, they tighten and will pull on the lower back, causing pain. The joints also lose their range of motion, which can cause soreness or achiness in the hips, legs, and back, and can create issues with your gait. The way in which you walk can also have an effect on your posture. When you have improper posture, your center of gravity changes.This can cause your balance to decline, which can cause pain when walking, thus creating a vicious cycle of overcompensation and pain. The most common symptom of poor posture is lower back pain, although pain can be present in other parts of the body, as well. The back muscles constantly contract to keep you upright, and they overcompensate when you slouch or hunch over. Over a period of time, constant poor posture can create an unusual amount of wear and tear on the lower back, which can increase the risk of arthritis in the spine.
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