Have you ever considered the toll sitting at a desk all day at work or school has on your body? Have you heard how sitting is the “new smoking,” meaning prolonged sitting is as harmful to the body as smoking? At Synergy Therapeutic Group, physical therapy can help determine if posture contributes to your aches and pains and what you can do to fix your posture and eliminate your pain!
In our modern world, we spend far too much time staring at a computer screen, hunched over our desks, or looking down at our phones. The truth is, our bodies were meant to move, but rather than getting up and changing our postures, we usually just fidget a bit and resort back to the same bad postures.
These poor postural habits often lead to aches and pain and may contribute to prolonged recovery after an injury. In most cases, the worse your posture is, the more stress on your joints, and more times than not, the more pain you will feel.
Despite the benefits of movement and the irritations we feel when we don’t move, we find ourselves stuck in slouched postures daily. At Synergy Therapeutic Group in Carbondale, our physical therapists will teach you the essential exercises you can perform to improve your posture.
Request an appointment today to learn more about what you can do to improve your posture and lead a pain-free life again!
What exactly does good posture mean?
Posture is another way of saying how we hold our body in space; this includes how we hold our body still and how we hold it when we move. Our ideal posture is found when we position our bodies with the least amount of strain placed on our joints and the supporting muscles. This position is often called the neutral spine (aka good posture).
The natural position of our spine is when the vertebrae stack up over one another. When we stack the vertebrae properly, the body can absorb the forces of gravity and the stresses from everyday activities. This includes when you stand, walk, sit and lie down. It also includes how we align our spinal joints when we lift something heavy or reach to grab something in awkward locations.
Learning to find and maintain your ideal posture is a vital part of moving and feeling better. When you are in your neutral posture, your body is aligned perfectly and allows you to move easily, breathe properly, and for your blood to circulate effectively and efficiently.
It is vital that our body, specifically the spine, does not like to remain in any particular position for extended times, which means our posture should move. You may hear how finding and staying in a specific posture is healthy, but any position held too long will eventually be counterproductive.
Our Carbondale physical therapists can help teach you to find your good posture(s) to counteract slouching, prevent or alleviate your pain and improve your overall health and well-being!
What to expect at your physical therapy sessions
Our physical therapists are experts at evaluating your current posture(s) and teaching you to find and maintain your ideal posture at rest and during movement. We will pinpoint the source of your aches and pains, and we can develop a plan for you that will return you to your neutral spine posture and alleviate your pain once and for all.
Here are seven types of exercises to improve your posture immediately:
- Find your natural posture: Lift your breast bone (i.e., sternum) towards the sky to straighten your spine into the neutral position. It would help if you did this simple movement several times every day.
- Standing backbends: Place your hands in the small of your back and bend backward as far as you can, pause for 1-2 seconds and return to standing tall. Repeat 3-5 reps 10x’s/day.
- Neck retractions: Scoot back in your chair. Lean your chest and shoulders backward over the top of your backrest. Pause for 1-2 seconds and return to tall sitting. Perform 3-5 repetitions 5-10 times per day.
- Spinal twists: Lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Allow your knees to gently fall to one side, pause and then return to starting position. Repeat to the other side. Perform 3-5 repetitions twice a day.
- Bridges: Lie on your back with your knees bent up and the bottoms of your feet on the floor. Lift your buttocks off the ground until your shoulders, pelvis, and knees make a straight line. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times twice every other day.
- Low planks: Lie on your stomach with your forearms resting on the ground and your elbows directly under your shoulders. Lift your body off the ground, so you are straight (like a plank of wood). Hold for 10-30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times twice every other day.
- Walking routine: Sticking to a regular walking program is very effective for the overall health of your spine and your general fitness.
Your body has hundreds of muscles that protect and control your joints in the spine. You can keep your joints and muscles healthy by exercising and improving your mobility. Learning to find your neutral posture while performing these exercise programs reinforces the body’s ability to find and maintain proper posture, no matter what you do throughout the day.
Although not a specific exercise, it is important to limit how long you sit to 30-45 minutes. Prolonged sitting is not suitable for your back or your overall health. Adjusting your posture while sitting using a lumbar roll or reclining your seat can be helpful. A more practical option is to stand up periodically throughout the day.
Request an appointment today!
Our physical therapists at Synergy Therapeutic Group are movement experts and will help give you the tools to improve your strength and mobility to affect your posture positively.
Call Synergy Therapeutic Group in Carbondale today to schedule an appointment and learn how we can help you find good posture once and for all!
