Do you suffer from daily or recurrent aches and pains? Do you find your back and neck getting stiff and sore at the end of the day? If so, your posture may be the culprit. Our physical therapists at IMG Physical Therapy can help determine what is causing your pain and give you the solutions you have been looking for!
Too often, we spend our time staring at a computer screen, hunched over our desks, or looking down at our phones. These postures create a lot of stress on the neck and back, especially when we are slouched, tilted forward, or looking down for prolonged periods.
The worse your posture is, the more intense your back and neck pain can become. Once your body gets used to poor posture, it becomes more challenging to make a quick adjustment back into a good posture.
The good news is that guidance from IMG Physical Therapy physical therapists can teach you how to correct your posture and bring you relief before it becomes a significant problem! Contact us today to make an appointment.
How Posture Causes Pain
Posture refers to the position(s) of a person’s body in space. Prolonged postures, like sitting or standing for long periods, often lead to stiffness and soreness in the spine.
In the upper part of the spine, slouching will cause a forward-head posture. This, in turn, creates a strain on the neck muscles and joints, resulting in neck pain and upper back pain, and may lead to arm pain or chronic headaches.
Slouching also affects the mid-back by altering the way your ribs naturally align. Over time, sitting and standing like this day after day may cause internal issues, as it creates pressure on your lungs, heart, and digestive system.
The lower back is not immune to slouched posture either. Slouching posture causes increased pressure to the lumbar discs and causes the muscles in your hips and legs to tighten. This tension affects how the pelvis and spine move and often leads to lower back pain.
The most common symptom of poor posture is pain somewhere in the spine. The back muscles constantly contract to keep you upright, and they overcompensate when you slouch or hunch over. After a while, constant poor posture can create an unusual amount of wear and tear on the spine, increasing the risk of arthritis in the spine.
The good news is that working with a physical therapist to improve your posture with exercises is an effective way to overcome neck and back pain.
How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Posture
After years of practicing poor postural habits, your back, shoulder, and neck muscles will likely find standing or sitting with a straight posture to be challenging. Here are a few steps you can take to try and help:
Sit Properly
If you are at a desk for extended periods of the day, make sure you sit upright.
Make sure you scoot your buttocks to the back of the chair and sit back against the backrest of the chair.
Use a lumbar support to make sure you maintain the upright position.
Take Breaks
If you are an office worker, most of the day is spent sitting behind a computer. It is vital to make sure that you get up every 30-45 minutes and take a short walk, at least for a minute or two.
Exercise
Taking the time to walk or jog around the neighborhood every day can highly improve your well-being. Exercise is essential, primarily if your job produces several hours of inactivity. Strengthening is also an effective way to reduce the risk of injury to your neck and back.
What to Expect in Physical Therapy
Physical therapists are dedicated to getting you back on track to a pain-free life. They will evaluate your posture to determine the best treatments necessary for you, and then they will create a treatment plan unique for your needs.
Your therapist will teach you strategies like:
• Stand tall whenever you are standing or walking.
• Use support when you sit to keep your posture correct.
• Maintain a straight spine when you lift heavy objects.
Physical therapy is the ideal tool for providing you with an opportunity to understand what may be causing your pain. We can help you mobilize your spine and strengthen the surrounding muscles to alleviate the pain associated with your poor postural habits.
Contact Us To Schedule An Appointment
If you are experiencing pain, and you think it may result from your posture, give IMG Physical Therapy a call today. Addressing your posture early on is the best way to prevent an issue from becoming more debilitating!
Call today to schedule a consultation with one of our expert physical therapists and discover how you can live life with freely moving joints!
Hello all,
I hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season and getting to enjoy time with friends and family. The Holiday Season does allow us time to sit back and reflect on the year as well as the important things in life and spending time with friends and family. The Holidays can also be a stressful time and cause increased tension on your neck and upper back due to stress and the strain of keeping the Holidays Merry.
Perhaps you feel a bit like Santa Claus after a long night of driving a sleigh, slightly hunched over, keeping the reindeer in line or carrying a heavy bag filled with toys over your back-causing pain and irritation, or maybe you feel like you have been wedged down a chimney. Well you’re in luck, I have an early Holiday gift for you.
In case you’re feeling the postural stress of the Holiday Season, and it feels like you’ve been wedged down a chimney, here are three postural gifts to help you improve your posture and feel a little better for the Holiday Season.
First, while you are driving your sleigh to get all of your gifts, sit up nice and tall with good posture, set your rear-view mirror while sitting with good posture, every time you look in the rear-view mirror and are slouching this will remind you to sit up tall while driving.
Second, pretend while you are doing any activity that someone is pulling you up with a string right through the top of your head, this will help keep your head up and shoulders back. The farther your head goes forward the greater stress is placed on your neck muscles which leads to pain and headaches.
Finally, avoid sitting long periods of time looking down at your phone or tablet, sit up tall and keep the device at eye level. If possible try to limit screen time especially if you are prone to being hunched over while using these devices. (See visual below for proper ergonomic office set up.)
I hope some of these simple ideas help your posture and overall neck and back pain, but if your symptoms persist please don’t hesitate to call us at IMG-PT. We are trained in advanced manual therapy techniques as well as exercises that can help relieve your upper back/neck pain and headaches. We are here to help you survive the Holidays, and have you ready to go for the new year!
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Patient Spotlight
“I went for a 7 year old shoulder injury. Had seen 2 shoulder specialists and been to LVHN physical therapy. IMG helped immediately and explained what I could expect in the future and how to handle it when problems arise. The staff is knowledgeable, skilled and fun to be around. I hope I won’t be going for more PT but if I do, I will be going here.”
—Jeff K.
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Exercise of the Month
Core Kickouts
Start by lying on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your feet on the floor. Slowly kick one leg straight out and then bring it back in. Repeat on the other side. Make sure to keep your abdominals braced. Repeat 3 sets, 10 reps each.
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