Poor posture may cause headaches, soreness, back pain and fatigue, by putting pressure on your spine. In many cases, this can be prevented with education about the issue. While it may take some diligence to undo bad habits, it’s worth persevering.
Recently we celebrated World Spine Day in which we highlighted the importance of physical activity and improving posture for good spinal health and prevention of injury.
It is estimated that one in six Australians (3.7 million) had chronic back problems in 2014–15, according to an August 2016 report released by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Chiropractic care
If you do experience pain due to poor posture, help is available. Chiropractic adjustments aim to free up locked spinal joints enabling better movement and decreased nerve irritation and help re-establishing a natural upright posture.
Once posture has been corrected, it’s important to maintain an upright posture for optimal health. Here’s a few tips to maintain a good posture:
Tip 1 – Sitting
- Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor.
- Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees.
- Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
- Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
- Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
- Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
- Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.
Tip 2 – Standing and walking
- Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
- Keep your knees slightly bent.
- Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
- Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
- Tuck your stomach in.
- Keep your head level-your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
- Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you have to stand for a long time.
Tip 3 – Sleeping
Even sleeping with a good posture has health benefits for the body. A firm mattress and the right pillow can help encourage your spine to go back into a neutral position – allowing your spine to rest from the day’s exertions.
Tip 4 – Get moving
To help support your good posture, be sure to also build in regular exercise during the week (e.g. walking, cycling, swimming, pilates etc.), This will help to stretch and strengthen your muscles.
Until the end of December, Waverley Chiropractic is offering a free Digital Posture Check. Contact 88395364 for your free assessment.
How common are headaches? Mt Waverley Chiropractor, Dr Shaun Beovich from Waverley Chiropractic Centre, says that headaches are one of the most common ailments to affect Australians, with between 75 and 90 per cent of the population suffering one or more headaches in any one year.
Chiropractic care helps the spine and nervous system recover from the effects of injury and stress. Chiropractic is for any man, woman or child seeking better overall health. It is not just for individuals with pain. But, here is a list of conditions chiropractic care is known to help:
Restore and maintain a HEALTHY body, optimising your ENERGY naturally by reducing spinal nerve irritation with specific CHIROPRACTIC adjustments. That’s the aim of Chiropractor Dr Shaun Beovich at Waverley Chiropractic Centre in Glen Waverley.