How A Chiropractor Can Help Improve Your Posture

Bad posture not only affects your appearance, but it can lead to problems with back and neck pain too. Bad posture develops due to habit, poor ergonomics when working at a computer, or carrying your body in a way that compensates for back pain. A chiropractor can often be useful in treating the cause of your bad posture. Here are some ways chiropractic treatments can help.

Relieve Back Pain

If you have bad posture because standing straight causes back pain, the first step is to correct the pain in your back. A chiropractor has several treatments that might help. A trigger point massage breaks up adhesions in your back so you can move more freely with less pain. A spinal adjustment realigns your spine so there is less stress on nerves, discs, and ligaments that may be causing you pain. Hot and cold therapy may also help heal damaged tissues so you can resume a normal posture without pain. Once your back pain has been treated, the chiropractor can work with you to break your old habits of bad posture so you stand and sit straight and prevent further injuries.

Teach Back Exercises

Your poor posture may be due to repetitive activities that cause muscles on one side of your body to be more developed than the other side. If you carry a heavy bag on one shoulder all the time, that shoulder may become overdeveloped and be higher than the other. A chiropractor can teach you exercises that strengthen the muscles that support your spine equally on both sides to bring your body back into alignment. You may learn stretches as well as strengthening exercises that change your muscles in a way that brings your body back into normal alignment to improve your posture. Strengthening the weak muscles also helps prevent against strain and injury as you work towards developing a new posture.

Provide Posture Training

You may not realize how your daily habits affect your posture and your appearance. For example, frequent texting or reading a tablet may cause your head to develop a forward position on your spine. A chiropractor can teach you the proper way to hold your body during different activities such as sitting, walking, and sleeping. This strengthens muscles you may not be using now and gradually helps make good posture a habit.

If you notice your posture seems slumped or if one hip or shoulder is higher than the other, visit a chiropractor's office like Dimond Chiropractic Center for help before the abnormal body position causes problems. Bad posture strains your ligaments, spine, and muscles. It can eventually lead to problems with chronic pain, so correcting your posture is important for your health as well as your appearance.