Chiropractic treatment helps many people in their holistic care journey, whether they are in pain or encounter any discomfort due to many reasons. For example, many individuals seek chiropractors’ help through chiropractic care for poor posture because of the relief they experience after every session. Plus, the treatment is non-invasive and drug-free. 

People have chiropractic care for poor posture, especially with the advancement of technology wherein people are hooked up to their phones. Our gadgets are a huge part of our work life, and we spend most of our time leaning forward while working on the phone, laptop, tablet, and the like. 

And this kind of habit is affecting our posture since we don’t sit properly. So instead, we tend to scooch because we feel comfortable doing it, which is not helpful with our posture. 

If you are not yet aware of chiropractic care for poor posture, continue reading this article, and we will walk you through the excellent benefits of chiropractic care for poor posture. 

What is Poor Posture?

Postural dysfunction refers to the spine’s abnormal position, which gives pressure to the vertebrae, muscles, and joints resulting in the curves of the tissues. 

Many people are experiencing poor posture, especially with the advanced technology available now, wherein most individuals are on their various gadgets for long hours and not minding proper posture. And this kind of situation is usually unnoticeable until it gets worse and our mobility and flexibility are affected. 

That’s why those who know the benefits of chiropractic pay a visit to their chiropractors for chiropractic care for poor posture. 

Chiropractic Care for Poor Posture: Symptoms

It’s vital to know and understand the sign and symptoms of poor posture to avoid the situation from getting worse. Some of the following symptoms of bad posture include:

• Painful body
• Headache
• Back pain
• The knees bend when standing or walking.
• Protruding abdomen
• Rounded shoulders
• Exhausted muscles
• The head bends forward or backward

Chiropractic Care for Poor Posture: Causes

Poor posture may lead to excruciating back pain (worse case), especially if not tended to right away. And many factors cause poor posture; hence, knowing the reasons behind it helps you avoid these situations as much as possible and maintain good posture. 

Some of the common causes of postural imbalance include:

• Sleeping Position: Slouching is not the only factor that affects poor posture but also sleeping position. There’s a proper sleeping position, so if your body’s sleeping position is improper, there’s a tendency that you will feel pain and discomfort from bad posture. 
• Phone Usage: Using your phone for prolonged hours can also cause poor posture since you bend your neck forward while texting, reading, or playing on your phone. And when you tilt your neck for a long time, it leads to stressing your spine. 
• Slouching: Slouching is a bad habit when sitting down while working, watching TV, reading a book, or the like leading to neck pain, shoulder pain, and back pain. In addition, when you slouch while sitting down, it may lead to bad posture. 
• Nutritional Deficiency: Poor nutrition can affect the posture because the muscles and bones become weak and can’t support the body from an upright position.
• Stress: Stress has a significant impact on your body physically and emotionally. When stressed, your muscles become tight and can’t support your spine, keeping the vertical body position. 
• Gaining Weight:  The extra weight on your body causes postural imbalance because the body works hard to balance it, which gives pressure to the lower back.
• Age: As people age, the body starts to bend over, making it hard for the spine to maintain proper posture.

Postural Imbalance: Other Causes

Other factors that affect proper posture are:

• Fashion: Yes, fashion is one factor that creates a postural imbalance. Think of the tight clothes, high heels, heavy bags, and fashion-related things you have to do or wear. Sometimes we don’t mind if our posture is compromised because we want to look beautiful. 
• Whiplash: Whiplash is the sudden and forceful movement of the neck due to accidents or injuries. And someone who suffers from whiplash may experience poor posture.
• Pregnancy: During pregnancy, the posture is also affected significantly when the belly is growing. The body starts to adjust when the belly becomes heavier, leading to back pain and postural imbalance. 
• Lifting Heavy Objects: Carrying heavy objects may also affect your posture, especially if your one shoulder is the only one carrying the object’s weight. Your body tends to tilt because the weight is unbalanced, leading to bad posture.

Good Posture Plays a Significant Role 

There’s no perfect posture, but one can have a good posture achievable when we are well-aware of the correct sitting, standing, or sleeping position. 

Having a good posture is significant because it can have a great impact on someone. Besides that, the following are the benefits of good posture.

• Boosts energy
• Lessens stress
• There’s a lesser chance of injury or back pain.
• Good posture helps improve digestion.
• When you are not stressed out, your joints and ligaments are not strained.
• It helps reduce mood swings. 

Moreover, chiropractic care for poor posture helps maintain proper posture. 

Types of Posture

Knowing the types of posture is vital to know if you have poor posture that needs to be fixed as early as possible before it gets worse. 

Swayback

Lordosis or swayback occurs when you sit for an extended period. Prolonged sitting makes your abdominal muscles and glutes weak and makes your back muscle tight. 

Someone with swayback looks like they are leaning back when standing because their rear and stomach are incredibly noticeable. Plus, the person with swayback creates a “Donald Duck” posture. 

Swayback may be caused by:

• Neuromuscular conditions
• Obesity
• Injury
• Spine and vertebrae abnormalities

Flatback

Someone with a flatback may be in pain when standing for long hours because the usual curve of the lower spine is lost. 

Flatback may occur at birth or due to some health conditions like degenerative spine conditions, surgery of the back, and others. 

Kyphosis

Too much curvature of the upper back or the thoracic spine, making the shoulders round, results from kyphosis or hunchback. 

Kyphosis usually happens to older women, especially those who have osteoporosis. 

On the other hand, young individuals have this kind of posture due to Scheuermann’s disease, polio, infection, chemotherapy, or radiation in treating cancer. 

Forward Head

Forward head posture happens when you curve your head while holding your phone, working in front of your laptop, or driving your car. Aging can also be a factor of having a forward head because your upper body losses muscle strength to support it. 

Other names for the forward head include:

• Tech neck
• Text neck
• Nerd neck

How to Maintain Good Posture?

Maintaining a good posture is challenging, mainly if you are always snowed under doing your task and don’t mind the proper position when sitting down or standing up. However, if you want to free yourself from the discomfort caused by postural imbalance, you have to maintain proper posture. 

• When you have to sit on a flat chair, make sure to use a supporter for your lower back.
• Keep away from mushy or squishy seats.
• Find an ergonomic chair that will comfort your back when your work requires you to sit for the whole day.
• When lifting heavy objects, use your thigh muscles and straighten your back. 

Chiropractic Care for Poor Posture

Spinal manipulation is a non-invasive and safe method to alleviate back pain caused by poor posture, which is why people who have known about chiropractic care for poor posture prefer to visit a chiropractor rather than taking pain relievers.

When you decide to have chiropractic care for your poor posture, you will consult first with a chiropractor. During the chiropractic care for poor posture consultation, the chiropractor asks about your pain and checks you from head to toe to determine the source of the problem.

Furthermore, the chiropractor explains to you why and how your posture affects you and recommends some stretches or exercises that you can do to lessen the pain that is torturing you. You will learn how excellent this treatment is after having your initial chiropractic care for poor posture. Therefore, you want to go back again for another chiropractic care for poor posture.

The Bottom Line

Listen to your body’s needs and give proper attention to them. If you are suffering from bad posture, don’t over-exert yourself to go back to the goos posture you had before. Make minor changes (because they still make a difference rather than doing nothing), primarily when you have to sit or stand for long hours while working. Take in between breaks and stretch your body, or set the alarm if you tend to focus on your task and forget to take a break and stretch.