Imagine building a snowman. Yes, a snowman. Let’s face it… winter is coming.
If you place three large snowballs directly on top of each other you will create a tall and happy snowman. However, if even one snowball section is not centered well, the snowman will lean and eventually fall over.
Now apply that concept to your posture. There are 5 vertebrae in our lumbar spine, 12 in our thoracic spine and 7 in our cervical spine. That’s 24 snowballs that we need to appropriately stack on a daily basis. However, unlike our leaning snowman, our bodies are less likely to just fall over. Instead, the muscles and ligaments that hold us up all day have to work extra hard to hold us up. Eventually, they get tired and are overworked – and that’s when pain sets in. Pain from poor posture can happen in the neck, shoulders, mid back, low back, hips, and more.
To further complicate things, our daily tasks aren’t doing us any favors. We are often shifting our bodies forward in our day-to-day activities, and when combined with the effects of gravity, that poor posture becomes further compressed. These posture-killing daily activities include working on the computer, doing the dishes, driving, folding laundry, taking care of our kids, reading a book, gardening and more. We may not be able to change this reality, so what can we do about it?
Practice proper body mechanics when raking and shoveling this fall and winter! Download and print our infographics to use as a reminder.
We can build improved postural awareness, we can stand more during the day, we can go for walks, and we can strengthen the muscles that need to work harder and stretch the ones that get tight.
How else can good posture aid in a better quality of life? Standing tall and upright opens our rib cage, allowing for improved lung expansion during breathing, thus improving pulmonary health. Posture can allow proper healing from injury. Our bodies have an amazing ability to heal, but poor posture limits this. Improved posture can help with circulation and blood flow which can deliver vital oxygen throughout our cells. Proper posture can also protect the discs between each vertebra, prolonging spine health as we age, and even help to relieve chronic headaches. The list goes on and on.
If you feel like the many years of poor posture have taken a toll and you are not sure where to start, that’s where MKE Physical Therapy can help. We address posture on a regular basis for many patients who sit at a desk all day, for athletes who are looking for less pain and improved performance, and for patients who just want to enjoy day-to-day activity without being limited by pain.
During a physical therapy session, we perform extensive hands on manual work to these overworked posture muscles. This can include soft tissue massage, dry needling and other hands-on techniques. We follow this up with proper posture exercises to not only get you feeling better but to also keep you feeling better. For video demonstrations of exercises to get you started on your journey to better posture, click the button below.
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Better posture makes for a better life. This winter, stand tall and build a happier snowman!
