Stop slouching!

How many times did you here that when you were growing up. Now that are dealing with daily pain, I am sure you wish you would have listened better to your mather nagging you.

What is Posture?

Simply put, posture is the the structural alignment of your body. In order for the body to move it depends on the cooperation of the muscular, neural & skeletal systems. When these are properly aligned and functioning we stand up straight , chin up and chest out just like they do in the army. That is also when we feel our best.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Slouching and poor posture leads to a host of skeletal, muscular and neural problems that can make day to day living just miserable for us. These misalignments of our systems can lead to unfortunate and unnecessary injuries.

Unchecked Posture distortion can lead to:

  1.  Inflammation
  2. Tissue trauma
  3. Muscle spasm
  4. Muscle adhesions

How many of these are you living with daily?

Common postural distortions are:

1. Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Postural Distortion – are characterized by increased lumbar extension and decreased hip extension.You will notice tight calves, adductors, erector spinae, rectus femoris (quad), latissimus dorsi and iliopsoas. Common injuries caused by this distortion are hamstring strains, groin strains and low back pain.

2. Upper-Extremity Postural Distortion – If you have rounded shoulders or a forward head posture , then listen closely. You will notice tightness in the upper trapezius, neck muscles, latissimus dorsi and chest muscles (pectoralis major/minor). Common injuries include headaches, biceps tendonitis and shoulder injuries.

3. Lower-Extremity Postural Distortion – A person with this distortion often has flat feet (pronation), feet pointed outward (slew-footed) and internal rotation of the knees (knock-kneed). You will notice tightness in the calves, peroneals, adductors, iliotibial band (IT), Iliopsoas and rectus femoris (quad). Common injuries for this distortion are plantar fascitis, shin splints and patellar tendonitis (jumper’s knee).

It comes down to this.

We may not want to hear it …but this is the truth.

We feel bad everyday because of the habits and lifestyles we have chosen to live everyday.
When we eat right , exercise daily and keep proper posture we will feel better. Neuromuscular massage can help you to regain the control of your posture to help to correct these distortions.

Learn what bad posture, bad lifting habits can lead too. What is Biomechanical Dysfunction?