It’s common in chiropractic to hear that posture is a “window to the spine”. This means that posture can provide clues about what a person may be experiencing as a cause of their symptoms. You see, our bodies function at full capacity when we have optimal posture. Sedentary lifestyles, poor body mechanics, desk jobs, and even cell phone use can all negatively affect your posture.

One especially important thing to note is that your Central Nervous System (CNS) is composed of your brain and spinal cord and nerves and is your body’s “communication highway”. Your spine protects this highway, so when there is interference in the spine (subluxations), your body isn’t able to clearly communicate. Nervous system dysfunction can begin to deteriorate your health and cause symptoms as your body alerts you that something isn’t right. This can lead to structural problems.

Here are just a few things that your posture can impact:

• breathing capacity
• brain function
• blood circulation
• digestion
• stress levels
• back and neck pain
• immune function

One example of poor posture that is commonly seen in today’s world is what we call “tech neck”. Forward head carriage caused by the motion of looking down or leaning forward dramatically increases the amount of stress on your cervical spine. This can cause rounded shoulders (lower lung capacity), decreased blood flow to the brain and spine, disc degeneration, inflammation, and pain. Even just a millimeter of change in head posture can create a pattern of change/compensation lower in the spine.

Good News! There ARE things you can do to prevent poor posture from negatively affecting your health and lifestyle!

1. Get moving! 

• Take time to stretch regularly and aim to get at least 30 minutes of daily movement.
• Strength training can help support your body and neutral posture.

2. See a Chiropractor regularly.

• Regular chiropractic adjustments work to evaluate and correct misalignments in the spine. Proper communication in the spine will work to improve posture and your health!

3. Use appropriate pillows for support.

• A pillow between your knees if you frequently sleep on your side and a supportive pillow for your neck are key to encouraging restful sleep without worrying about waking with pain.

Which of these three simple steps are you implementing first to encourage proper posture and overall health?!

Schedule yourself or a family member for their New Patient Visit at www.dynamicchiro.com/schedule-an-appointment so that they too can experience whole-body wellness with chiropractic care!