Biohacking your posture to look better and feel better!
We all recognize the un-esthetic aspect of bad posture. Occasionally catching your self in the mirror after a long day and seeing that forward head and slumped shoulders is often enough to remind us to stand up straight get our shoulders back and our heads up…….. at least for a moment! But the poor esthetics of bad posture is not all there is to worry about. Over time poor posture takes a serious toll on your spine, shoulders, hips and knees. This series of structural flaws can lead to back pain and joint pain, which of course is one of our main concerns at Desert Valley Chiropractic.
Poor Posture can also lead to reduced flexibility and poorly working muscles which limits your ability to build muscle and burn fat. Worst of all bad posture can lead to nerve constriction in your spine. As the spine begins to change shape and loose its natural and beneficial curves there is an increase load placed on the spine. As a result we can get compression on the spine and nerve impingement.
As Dr. Katherine discussed in our chiropractic biohack The Life Changing Magic Of Chiropractic Care! These nerve impingements and the surrounding inflammation can lead to poor function through out the body. This includes our organs, glands, muscles and joints. Therefore by taking some simple steps to improve your posture you can also improve your health and that is why posture exercises are this months biohack!
Sit Up Straight:
We are sitting and looking at down more than EVER and it is taking a real toll on our posture. At Desert Valley Chiropractic we see many patient’s who are concerned about their posture. However, we have many more come in complaining of the symptoms of bad posture without realizing their posture is the problem. Commonly poor posture symptoms include:
- Neck pain
- Pain across the shoulders
- Pain in the front of the shoulders
- Headaches
- Jaw pain
Poor posture is most easily recognized by a forward head posture and rounded shoulders. It is becoming an increasing issue especially in young people who are developing their spines and muscles while looking down at screens and devises for hours on end! Forward head refers to the position of your head relative to your shoulders. It means if we look at you from the side your ear would be in front of the tip of your shoulder. This leads to rounding of your shoulders and an increased hump in the upper back. Pro longed time in this posture leads to a shortening of the muscles in the front of your chest and shoulders. In this position you must increase the muscle activity in your neck and upper shoulders
When you stand up straight you want your profile or sideview to look tall and straight.
- Ears should be over your shoulder
- Your chest and sternum should be pointed up
- Pull your shoulder blades should be back and down from your ears
This position balances the weight of your head on your neck and minimizes the amount your muscles have to work to hold your head up.
Ok so bad posture does not look nice but how does bad posture affect your health and wellness?
Good posture reduces the amount of spasm irritation and inflammation we see in the neck and back muscles, and that reduces the amount of joint misalignment we see in your spine leading to pain, pinched nerves headaches and knots. Bad posture reduces the natural curves in your spine this reduces your body’s ability to function optimally effecting muscle function and other joints in the body as well. Severe curving of the spine and its effects on the nerves can begin to effect organ function and overall health.
What are some ways to fix it?
Poor posture is the result of muscles that have adapted in a not great way to stresses and positions they have been put into. Forward head posture often comes from the muscles in the front of your chest and the front of your neck are too tight, meanwhile the muscles in the back of your neck and upper back are stretched out, weak and not firing the way they should be. So we want to reverse this by:
Getting adjusted to take down the pain and inflammation in those muscles and around the nerve roots
Stretching the muscles in the front of the chest and neck
Strengthening and stabilizing the muscles in the upper back and back of the neck
Here are some of our favorite simple posture exercises
Door way stretches
Place your hands high on either side of a door frame
Put one foot into the doorway
While maintaining good posture put your weight onto the foot in front until a stretch is felt across your chest and shoulders
Hold for 15 seconds
The use your hands and apply light pressure to the door frame for about 5 seconds
Now relax the pressure you had on the door frame and drop a bit further into the chest stretch
Hold there for 15 seconds
The use your hands and apply light pressure to the door frame for about 5 seconds
You should be able to drop a little further into the stretch again
Repeat this 3-5 x
Ball sit
Sit on a fit ball making sure your feet are not up against the ball
Turn your hands so your palms face up
Squeeze your shoulder blades down and back
Draw your head and neck back so your ear lobe is over your shoulder
Now hold this position for 3-5 minutes
Tip for buying a fit ball:
- Get a ball appropriate for your height
- Make sure the ball is burst resistant we like this one https://www.amazon.com/BalanceFrom-Anti-Burst-Resistant-Exercise-000-Pound/dp/B07RY536G1/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3F6M5DYJO4YRS&keywords=burst+resistant+exercise+ball&qid=1652982073&sprefix=busrt+resistant+%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-8
Towel Roll
Take a hand towel and roll it up
Lay down and place the rolled towel behind your neck
Hold this position for 3-10 minutes gradually working up in time ie 3 min , 5 min, 10 min
If the towel exercise helps you may benefit from a devise that we like called a posture pump which is available on amazon
