Relief From Back Pain Caused
by Bad Posture
Video Dr. Bryan Stephens
As a Chiropractor, people often come in looking for relief from back pain. As a population, we spend too much time sitting and/or hunching forward. It can happen with computer work, being on phones, driving, lounging, reading, cooking, etc. This causes our posture to pull forward and increases the tension in the musculature in our chest and front part of the neck. All too often, I see patients come in to the office with neck and back pain and find part of the culprit is the constant tension built in the chest muscles that have altered the posture and biomechanics of the body. By having that constant tension, it also weakens the muscles in the back from being chronically stretched without being strengthened. Beside getting adjusted to restore the needed motion in the joint, we also focus on stretching the chest and strengthening the back to further the movement of the spine and help balance out the muscles.
One of the ways we help stretch the chest is by focusing on the pectoral muscles. This stretch is easily done in a doorway or against the corner of a wall. By bringing your arm to the side against the wall and leaning forward, you help open up the chest and release some of the tension in the pectoral muscles that are constantly contracted with the hunched posture. This in addition to strengthening the back help bring the posture more upright and lower the added stress through the neck and the back.
Along with the adjustment to restore segmental motion, stretching and strengthening of the surrounding areas is also needed to maintain the motion and help the entire motor segment unit. This means it goes beyond just the joint or muscle, but includes the nerves, tendons, ligaments, and blood flow as well. So now that you know the importance of not hunching, get up and get moving! Don’t let it impact your pain or your life.
Reference
Alain Hamaoui, Yola Friant, Serge Le Bozec, Does increased muscular tension along the torso impair postural equilibrium in a standing posture?, Gait & Posture, Volume 34, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 457-461, ISSN 0966-6362, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.06.017.
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in McKinney, near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Stonebridge Dr., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can restore motion, decrease pain and reduce stress by staying positive!