Proper posture simply means that your bones are correctly aligned so that your joints, muscles, tendons, organs and nervous system can work properly. Often, an accident, pregnancy, excessive weight or bad habits can lead to poor posture. And over time, poor posture can cause many health problems.
A common complaint of many people with poor posture is lower back pain. However, our Chiropractors at Spine and Health in North Sydney or Crows Nest can straighten your spine and fix your posture so that you can enjoy less pain and better movement.
Signs of Poor Posture
If you are experiencing lower back pain, the following are some signs that it may be because of poor posture:
- Back pain that seems worse during specific times of the day or specific days of the week
- Pain that begins in the neck and travels down the back and into the legs
- Pain that begins suddenly with a new job or a different office chair
- Pain that subsides when changing positions
Causes of Poor Posture
In today’s crazy technological world, many of us find ourselves sitting in front of a computer screen for hours at a time. Without realizing it, we may begin to slouch or slump while sitting in our chair. Over time, this bad posture habit can cause the muscles in the chest to tighten which causes the upper back to curve excessively. This leads to a weakening of the upper back muscles resulting in lower back pain as well as pain in the shoulders and neck.
Poor posture also involves how we place our feet when we stand. A problem known as “over-pronation” occurs when the arch of the foot collapses during walking or standing. This sometimes causes the ankles to turn inward or outward depending on how you are standing. These factors combined can cause lower back pain as well as foot and knee pain.
Types of Lower Back Pain
Flexion and extension pattern pains are two common types of lower back pain due to poor posture. With flexion, the pain is felt when the back is bent or flexed forward. However, when the spine is extended, the pain eases. Those with flexion pain usually have what is referred to as a “flat back.” A flat back is a condition where the spine loses its natural curve in the lower back area and becomes… well, flat. Those with extension pain feel it when the spine extends or straightens and with flexion the pain eases. Our Posture Experts at Spine and Health can straighten your spine and eliminate your lower back pain.
Poor posture contributes not only to lower back pain, but it also affects our overall health. When one part of our body is not aligned, the rest of our body cannot work properly. Poor posture is not a sign of laziness. In fact, many different factors can contribute to poor posture. Whether it is an accident, weight gain, bad habits or pregnancy, it is important to be mindful of your posture so that your entire body can work together as nature intended. Let our Posture Experts at Spine and Health in North Sydney or Crows Next assess your pain, and fix your posture. Not only for pain free movement, but for overall good health as well.
