Help Improve your Posture!
There are a number of contributing factors that may lead to poor posture including, but not limited to, weakness/tightness of the musculature that enables us to sit or stand tall comfortably, a poor ergonomic set up at your work station, frequent use of smartphones/tablets and sleeping on the wrong type of pillow(s). If any of these circumstances are present in your life (and it’s usually a combination of all of them) we can help!
First, try these three basic exercises for postural improvements.
Supine chin tuck – Lie flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keeping your head on the floor, tuck chin into neck as if to make a double chin. Then, without losing the chin tuck, lift your head slightly off of the floor approximately 1cm and hold. Your goal is to reach a 1 minute hold for 3 repetitions. You should feel muscle fatigue on the anterior neck.
Wall angel – Stand with your back against the wall with head touching wall and performing a chin tuck (see 1. above). Place your arms in a “field goal” position out and away from your sides with elbows at shoulder height. Squeeze your shoulder blades into the wall and push the back of your hands into the wall and hold. Your goal is to reach a 1 minute hold and perform one repetition every hour.
Doorway pectoral stretch – Stand in a doorway and place forearms on each side of the door frame with elbows at shoulder height. Slowly lean chest forward through the doorway while maintaining chin tuck (see 1. above) and standing tall. A moderate stretch discomfort should be felt in the chest. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat one repetition every hour.
If you are able to complete the above exercises consistently and without difficulty but are still experiencing poor posture or neck/back pain, it’s time to schedule an appointment with our chiropractors or physical therapist!
We can help diagnose the cause of poor posture which in turn helps guide our treatments for treating you through the use of manipulation, soft tissue mobilization (manual as well as Graston techniques), and stretching. We can also assess your ergonomics in various settings and correct them through the use of photos taken on your cell phone/camera.
For your convenience, we also sell a variety of pillows that can help you improve your posture even while sleeping!
Dustin Szenderski DPT