Chiropractors at Synergy Health Centre recognize that poor posture can be a big contributor to spinal pain. Very often poor posture is a result of an existing muscle imbalance, pain or bad habits and conversely, having poor posture can also contribute to you developing pain and a muscle imbalance.
Sitting on an office chair for long periods can contribute to spinal problems. Sitting doubles the pressure on the discs in your low back. The static posture will also affect the muscles in the lower back, neck, arms and legs. The muscles prefer to be used in dynamic rather than static activities, the reason being that they depend on movement to help the blood flow in the musculature. This is important, as it helps to flush away build-up of lactic acid and other by-products in the muscles, which can result in pain.
The postural muscles are the ones that are most likely to suffer. Prolonged sitting can cause muscles that support the spine to weaken and over time this weakness becomes significant. As our muscles fatigue it often results in the upper back being more slumped. A slumped posture causes increased musculo-skeletal stress, which in turn may lead to conditions such as; headaches, neck pain, jaw pain, shoulder pain, numbness or tingling in the arms or hands and pain in the shoulder blades.
Over time a poor sitting posture and incorrect work ergonomics can damage spinal structures and become the cause of reoccuring pain. Our chiropractors at Synergy Health Centre place great emphasis on giving both postural and ergonomic advice as part of the chiropractic treatment.
Once symptoms have arisen, the problem is usually fully established and a chiropractic treatment program at Synergy Health Centre including postural advice, manual treatment (chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue therapy) and rehabilitation exercises help to re-establish a flexible, strong and pain-free posture.
Sources: CCA, Chrio Nexus, ACA, BCCA
