spine

Lifestyle Changes #2: Super Duper Easy Ways to correct your posture

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Posture is difficult to correct instantly. Why? Because the muscles that create your posture are involuntary. You can’t make them contract consciously.  But…… you can change your lifestyle habits a bit to force them to adjust to your functional change and through time these muscles can help to better your posture.

#1: Brush your teeth facing away from the sink. I know, its crazy, but when brushing your teeth facing away from the sink, the body will stand up right and you are fighting the urge to bend forward while doing this daily task.

#2: Text and Read on your back. This prevents the typical forward neck bend and rounded shoulders during text messaging and reading that leads to neck, shoulder, and back pain.

#3: Ladies: Rearrange your purse. Only carry necessities in your purse. Cross strap purses are the best, but if you have a hand purse or shoulder purse, alternate hands/shoulders to prevent the body from side leaning.

#4: Guys: Remove wallet out your pockets or reduce the size. Wallets too big can cause the lower back to become uneven and prolonged use can cause a more permanent posture dysfunction.

#5 Eat at the dinner table. When you eat at a coffee table or with plate in hand, there is a greater tendency to extend your neck out and head towards your plate to reach for your food which contributes to forward head lean and trapezius strain.

With these super small corrections, you are on your way to a better spine.

Changing the world, one spine at a time.

Head to Toe Posture & Rehabilitation Center

“Posture is OUR thing!”

http://www.facebook.com/htprcllc

Looking at the World From a Sideways view

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We live in a world with increased technology. And like most people, recently, our cellphones are our lifelines. We can’t leave home without it, and the average person checks their phone 110-150 times per day. It’s crazy! I’m one of them!!!

 

So, How does cellular phone usage effect the neck?

Let’s get the science out of the way:

Wolff’s law A law stating that bone density changes in response to changes in the functional forces on the bone.

Davis‘s law is used in anatomy to describe how soft tissue models along imposed demands.

 

In other words:

The longer the head is tilted to the side to talk on the phone and bent over to play games, text, internet surf, etc. The phone user is creating semipermanent to permanent changes in the posture, structure, and function of the neck and upper back. It will not happen immediatly. It is through time, and the younger users will end up having musculoskeletal issues at a much younger age because of the introduction of this behavior before the spine has reached maturity. This is a huge problem.

 

Solution:

Behavior Changes:

1. We had a fad in the early 2000’s of headsets, but lately this fad has died down. But we need to bring it back. Cell phones are too small to rest them between your ear and your shoulders.

2. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE bringing your phone up to your face to text, email, or play games.

3. Make the font bigger on the phone to prevent you neck from going forward to see the screen.

 

It’s all about prevention! Not intervention!

 

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Dr. D