Since you were little, you were probably told to stand and sit up straight. In modern society, good posture is important for a number of reasons – from looking professional at your job to displaying confidence. However, the most important thing is its effects on your health.
The way you hold your body while you sit, stand, walk, or lay down can ultimately impact the health of your spine, nerves, muscles, and other tissues. Poor posture might exacerbate current painful conditions while paving the way for new ones. Many of today’s common ailments, including back pain and muscle tension, stem from or are worsened by poor posture.
At PostureWorks in San Francisco, CA, and Lakewood, CO, we’re used to seeing patients who have developed poor spine health because of years of incorrect posture. In order to take control of your spine health and manage pain, evaluate and correct your posture every day using these four easy steps.
Prepare
Part of the reason may be lacking is because the objects or furniture in your environment allow it to. Chairs without adequate support may allow you to slouch at your desk, and low desks or tables may force you to keep your chin lowered more than is healthy. Prepare your environment for the switch to good posture by rearranging your belongings and replacing non-supportive furniture with pieces that give you options, such as repositionable desks, yoga balls, and supportive cushions.
Position
Position is key to fixing and maintaining your posture in the long term. Learn what good posture is when standing and sitting. Identify key aspects of the “correct” posture that you want to work on, such as holding your weight evenly on both hips while standing or sitting with your shoulders pulled back rather than rounded forward. Once you’ve identified the specific positions you need to work on, keep them top of mind.
Practice
Practice makes perfect in most things, and this is particularly true with holding good posture. You’ll only be able to shed your bad postural habits and implement good ones if you continue to focus on correcting and practice sitting and standing properly day after day. In time, you won’t even have to think about it!
Program
With the help of a licensed chiropractor, you may be able to make your transition to great posture even faster and smoother with a posture program personalized for your specific needs. Your chiropractor can identify areas of pain or weakness in your body, as well as specific “pain points” regarding your posture and give you exercises, stretches, and chiropractic treatments to potentially alleviate your discomfort and help strengthen your posture simultaneously.
Maintaining good posture is a key component of maintaining the health of your spine and – by extension – your entire body. For more information about spine health, contact the experts at PostureWorks in San Francisco, CA, and Lakewood, CO. Our professional chiropractors utilize a well-researched, holistic approach to wellness called Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) to identify problem areas and find solutions. Call us today to learn more!
Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.
