How Physiotherapy Can Improve Posture  

Many people realize that they have poor posture, but they’re unsure how to fix it. Certainly, if you crane your neck down to look at your phone or slouch down at your desk, working on stopping those habits can help with improving your posture. But, changing up your office equipment or being more mindful with your phone may not actually make a big enough difference for you to prevent injury and pain. Posture is complex, and developing a strong and healthy posture may require some more intentional exercises rather than simply avoiding bad habits. Physiotherapists can help by giving you the muscle condition, flexibility, and practice you need to keep your spine well-aligned (along with the rest of your body.)  

Why Care About Posture?

Posture is a significant health issue. Depending on of the specifics of your poor posture and how much pressure it places on your body, you can develop serious health problems as a result. Possible issues stemming from poor posture include: 

• Chronic pain: You can cause significant back and neck pain from having poor posture. This tends to be long-term pain that is challenging to resolve the longer you’ve had poor posture.  
• Pressure on organs: When you lean forward you place strain on your heart and all of the organs in your abdomen. This can reduce your blood flow and create problems with food moving through your intestines. It can also lead to heart problems.  
• Migraines: If you bend from the neck, you also create tension in the neck muscles and this can impact blood flow and cause pain. Some people experience migraines and tension headaches from poor posture.  

Resolving your posture issues can relieve pain and allow all of your organs to function properly, which can have dramatic positive impacts on your overall health and quality of life.  

The Root Issues of Poor Posture

Sitting at a desk, looking at a phone, being forced into poor posture for work, or carrying excess weight are all contributors to poor posture. Over time, the muscles that we should be using to maintain good posture weaken. Suddenly, changing how you’re sitting or standing is challenging because you’re calling on muscles that are just not used to keeping you in this position without constant effort. So, you need to redevelop strength in these muscles. Sometimes people also need to improve their flexibility to regain correct posture.  

How Physiotherapy Can Help with Posture

When it comes to something so essential as your posture, it is useful to work with professionals who know what proper posture looks like and who can help you target the specific muscles that you need to correct your unique problems.  

A physiotherapist can assess your existing posture and tell you where you’re struggling and what needs to be improved. They can give you targeted exercises to build strength, flexibility, and even muscle memory to help you make positive changes to your posture. They will assess your progress over time and help you fine tune your posture as it improves.  

The team at Meadowlands Physiotherapy can help you correct issues with your posture. You can resolve pain or prevent it from ever happening by working on your posture now. Reach out to us to get started.