Many of our patients come in with back, shoulder, and neck pain, and often one of the first questions they ask is how to improve posture. It's no secret that much of the pain people experience comes from slouched shoulders, tech neck, extended periods of sitting, and more everyday activities. The good news is that with the proper chiropractic treatment plan and these proven chiropractic adjustment techniques for how to improve posture, you can minimize back pain and significantly improve your quality of life.
If you're struggling with ailments such as back and neck pain, migraines, sciatic nerve pain, arthritis, sports injuries, car accident injuries, and so much more, contact us today to schedule an appointment at one of our 10 convenient South Florida offices. Start on your path to a pain-free life now.
Keep reading to learn how to improve posture with these 5 proven techniques, many of which you can do right at home with no extra equipment. Best of all, many of them are absolutely free.
1) Ensure Your Workspace Has an Ergonomic Set-Up
Assessing and rearranging a few basic components of your workspace is a great way to start improving your posture, whether you work from home or in an office. There are many qualities to look for to find the best office chair as well as benefits to standing desks that can help improve your posture.
Ensure that your desk and chair are just the right height so that you're not looking either up or down at the computer screen all day, and select a chair that has the proper lumbar support to minimize lower back pain.
Many people spend the majority of their day sitting (or standing) at their desks. If your workspace is engineered to help maintain proper posture, you're more likely to carry those habits over into the rest of your daily life.
Additionally, simple additions such as a cushioned wrist rest or a mouse with extra hand support can minimize the strain that comes with continuous typing and screen-clicking.
2) Wear a Posture Corrector
Available only for as little as $10, posture braces and correctors are an excellent way to help get your body into the routine of holding proper alignment. Designed to only be worn for a few minutes each day, the devices help hold your shoulders back in the proper placement, which helps avoid the ever-so-common issue of slouching.
Some people find these correctors uncomfortable at first, as their bodies are so unaccustomed to aligning in the correct position. However, as you follow the guidelines and wear them continuously, you will find that not only does the discomfort go away, but you will begin to naturally hold your shoulders back in the proper position.
3) Use an App
As they say, "there's an app for that!" These days, there are wearable devices that connect to your phone, computer, or tablet and alert you when you slouch down into poor posture. These are often called "posture reminders" as they don't so much correct your posture as they provide reminders to maintain a proper position.
The concept is pretty neat. Many of the posture apps use something called "bio-feedback technology," meaning that they use real-time information from your body and convert it into data. Then, they use this feedback or information to provide you with feedback.
Some of the more common apps include UPRIGHT, which promises better posture in just 14 days, Lumo Back Wearable Tech, Posture Trainer, and Nekoze. These apps vary in price and capabilities, so some research is warranted before making a decision on which to purchase or use. Some use your phone's existing technology, while others require the additional purchase of a wearable device.
4) Chiropractic Treatment
The reality is that when your muscular-skeletal system is out of alignment due to a physical issue with your bones or muscles, perfect posture may be impossible no matter what you do without the proper help. This is because there's a physical, medical barrier preventing you from achieving your goal.
However, chiropractic care can often help these situations, alleviating pain and discomfort while also helping to improve your posture. There are several chiropractic techniques that can help achieve this goal.
Traditional Chiropractic Adjustments
The first is traditional spinal adjustments, which is what most people think of when the word "chiropractor" comes up in conversation. A chiropractic doctor will manually adjust the vertebrae in your spine so that they become properly aligned, which in turn can help you sit up straighter and improve your posture.
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Next, some methods, such as physical therapy and rehabilitation, help resolve issues that arise from either old or new injuries, which may inhibit proper range of motion or flexibility, in turn causing poor posture. As you work with a chiropractor to improve these issues, your posture may improve naturally.
A common example of this is in athletes who experience joint injuries to the knees or shoulders. As a result of the injury and pain, they begin to favor one side over the other, which can lead to a misalignment and poor posture. Or, a car accident victim with an injury such as whiplash may begin to hold their neck in an unnatural position, causing great posture issues and pain.
When you undergo physical therapy and rehabilitation to address these issues, your symptoms, such as poor posture and pain, can greatly improve.
Inflammation-Reducing Therapies
You may not realize it, but when you're suffering from inflammation in your soft tissues (such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments), these strains can put pressure on your bones and vertebrae, negatively affecting your posture.
There are several chiropractic techniques that are specifically designed to treat conditions that affect soft tissue, minimizing inflammation and therefore reducing the strain placed on your bones that may cause poor posture.
These techniques include ultrasound therapy, electric stimulation therapy (E-Stim), the Graston Technique, and more. Our chiropractors can perform each of these techniques at our offices as part of your treatment plan.
5) Exercise and Movement
Another excellent thing to take into consideration when evaluating how to improve posture is the amount of exercise you get and how often you move throughout the day. The more sedentary your lifestyle is, the more your muscles contract, becoming stiff, painful, and having a reduced range of motion. We know that each of these things can negatively impact the spine and your posture, but luckily this is an easy fix.
If you have a desk job, it's essential to get up and go for a short walk every 45 to 60 minutes, even if it's just around the office or downstairs to get a glass of water. This keeps your blood flowing and your muscles moving to avoid stiffness.
You can also take up an athletic hobby that keeps you moving in your free time. It can be as simple as going for a walk around the block every evening or as intense as taking up CrossFit. The important thing is that you find a physical activity that works for you and stick to it.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If you're struggling with back or muscle pain and are wondering how to improve posture, schedule an appointment at ChiroCare of Florida today. We provide each patient with an individualized consultation to review your medical history, symptoms, and goals before putting together a custom chiropractic treatment plan.
ChiroCare of Florida accepts most major insurance plans, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, so there's no reason to put off treatment. Call us today at (877) 388-2165 to schedule an appointment.
