Poor Posture and How We Can Fix It
by Dr. Tim Fargo, Chiropractor
Sometimes poor posture is just the result of not paying attention. You know how it is when you’re sitting at your desk, and maybe you’ve been doing so for a number of hours, and then you notice that your back or neck is hurting. If you could see yourself in the mirror at that moment, you would probably be unpleasantly surprised to see how poor your posture is. As a side note, please recognize that sitting for prolonged periods is incompatible with the genetic programming of modern humans. So-called “modern humans” are no different, from a genetic perspective, than our hunter gatherer ancestors of 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. If we displaced one of those folks through time into today’s environment and had them sit the way you do, then they would suffer the same way you do. The problem with sustained or repeated poor posture is that it changes the shape, architecture and length of your tissues.
If you sit like this fellow for hours, then your upper back muscles will weaken, the muscles across your chest will tighten, and the ligaments that are encasing your spine will contract in the front. Even discs and bone can change shape under loads like this. This ability to change shape in response to forces is known as “plasticity”. Plasticity is one of the remarkable features of the human body. Fortunately, there is another side to this equation, and that side is about using the inherent plasticity of the body to create more normal posture.
In addition to just plain inattention, there are people who have postural problems because their spine is misshaped, from birth or through development, in a way that is not optimal. For example, a person can have scoliosis or kyphosis (a spinal deformity that puts a person in a hunched posture) for which they bear no responsibility. Similarly, people can have fractures, neurological problems, or other conditions that force them into poor posture.
Regardless of the source of poor posture, the doctors at Chiropractic Health and Wellness, in Edina, are well trained to help you correct it. We can help you fix your posture through a combination of strengthening and stretching exercises, specific chiropractic adjustments, and both home and in-office traction therapies. For example, if your poor posture is about a hunched forward position, then traction therapy and exercise would be designed to get you arching backwards. Much like straightening teeth, when we put deforming forces into the body for a period of time with sufficient force and repetition, the tissue changes shape. Of course, we also have to help you with your ergonomics (work posture and activities). At Chiropractic Health and Wellness we specialize in helping people with poor posture and, in doing so, we change their health in the present and far into the future. If you, or someone you know and care for, suffers with poor posture, let us help you by scheduling an appointment.
