The Effects of Poor Posture on Your Health

Our body is designed in such a way that our head, rib cage and pelvis should be in perfect alignment for optimal health. However, these days it is common for people to have their heads sitting forward on their shoulders, with their shoulders rounded and their upper back hunched forward.

How does this happen?
One common reason for poor posture is our modern day lifestyle. We often spend hours at a time sitting at a desk, driving or looking down at an ipad, iphone or other mobile device. These abnormal positions add stress to our spinal joints, muscles and tissues and over time can alter proper alignment of the body.

Is this a big deal?
Research studies have demonstrated that for every inch of forward head posture, the weight of the head on the spine can increase by an additional 4.5 kg. * No wonder so many people suffer from tight and sore neck muscles and headaches!!!!

What can you do?
Good posture is vital for our body to function optimally. Chiropractors specialise in good spinal health and will assess your posture and spinal alignment as part of a thorough examination to determine what affect any changes to correct posture is having on your joints, muscles and ligaments.

Formulating a treatment plan
After the assessment, your Chiropractor will talk to you about their findings. They will discuss any issues in detail and talk about the treatment that they recommend moving forward.
Rectifying poor posture is ideal where possible as it can help with ongoing conditions that are a direct result of your body’s misalignment.

* Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol. 3

---

by Dr Emma Wilkinson