Posture Solutions in Albury-Wodonga
A lot of practitioners talk about the importance of having good posture and know that poor posture is bad and good posture is, well good! But few can offer assistance towards the long-term correction of poor posture.
Having your mum or nanna or someone else yell at you to “stand up straight” is all well and good, but what if you can’t!
What does Poor Posture Really mean?
Poor posture is a lifetime scenario for most people. In fact, when the head is carried forward for many years and the shoulders round, there is a greater incidence of developing arthritis in the spine.
Poor posture can also affect the blood flow to the spinal cord itself, which causes disc damage and robs the muscles of oxygen affecting your daily life. Also, tendons and ligaments undergo changes that can become permanent. Thus why many individuals who have poor posture cannot correct it by themselves.
Posture can affect spinal pain, headaches, blood pressure, pulse and lung capacity.
What does Good Posture look like?
Every patient at House of Chiropractic has regular full posture assessments.
We perform both digital and manual assessments on new patients and regularly through patient's programs.
How good would it be if everyone in Albury received posture correction?
Gosh, we would be a good looking bunch, standing taller and moving freer!
Posture Assessment
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Front on look for tilts or shifts
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Side on look if the pelvis, rib cage or head has carried forward or backwards
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Assess for head, rib cage or pelvic rotations
It sounds simple enough, but your head and rib cage should straight on top of your pelvis without any tilting or twisting. Just like building blocks. You’d be surprised how many people aren't aligned like this.
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From the side, your ear should sit directly above your shoulder, your shoulder above your hip and your hip above your ankle.
The exciting news is you don’t have to try and assess posture yourself. We can assess it for you. We are good at it. We also fix posture. We are good at this too. So don’t sweat it, we have you covered.
Forward Head Posture and Hyperkyphosis
The weight of your head is more like a bowling ball than a golf ball, so holding it forward, out of alignment, puts a strain on your neck and upper back muscles.
This can result in muscle fatigue and an aching neck. If it’s not corrected the tissues around the spine change shape (called deformation, it doesn’t sound good does it) and this can become permanent.
Therefore, it takes time to correct forward head posture.
Forward head posture can flatten the neck curve which can cause disc compression, damage and arthritis. This abnormal misalignment can also cause tension headaches.
In Albury, forward head posture is one posture we find daily and spend time on its correction.
The “hunch back” you see in people as they age may be common but is not normal. The spine is failing, often deteriorating. This is called hyperkyphosis. The earlier it’s assessed and then an action plan put into place the better.
For more information on your posture CLICK HERE.
How can you Prevent Poor Posture?
Try to break a continuous posture every 20-30 minutes.
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Take a break from positions that place your head in a forward position where your ear is in front of your shoulder, like working on a computer;
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Regularly change positions where you are continually twisted, like on a forklift;
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Think about how you could do something different where you are continually tilted like on a phone.
Book a Professional Posture Assessment
We will be there to welcome you as soon as you open the door. During your first visit to House of Chiropractic in Albury-Wodonga, our Chiropractor will listen to you to find out what is wrong.
If they think you may be out of alignment a thorough examination will be recommended. This will include digital postural analysis. It may be necessary to have some x-rays taken of your spine. We will explain all the steps involved.
Please allow around 30 - 45 minutes for your first visit.
If we think chiropractic care can help you, you may have your first spinal correction ('adjustment') at this visit. This is completely different for everyone. We use a range of techniques depending on what is best suited for you and your health concerns.
We'd Love to Hear from You
Our Chiropractic House is welcoming and waiting for you. Simply tap the button above to book your first visit online or CONTACT US - we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.