Correcting Poor Posture with Chiropractic Care in Nashville

When was the last time you paid attention to your posture? If you can’t remember, you aren’t alone. Posture refers to the position in which you hold your body when you are standing, sitting, or lying down. Our spine has three natural curves and good posture should maintain these without increasing them. This means keeping our head above our shoulders, our back straight, and the tops of our shoulders over the hips. However, maintaining this posture all the time can get tiresome, uncomfortable and many of us simply forget to pay attention to the position of our body.

Most people suffer from poor posture from time to time, and in theory, it sounds like something that really isn’t a big deal. However, over time it could have significant consequences for your health and wellbeing.

Why Is Proper Posture Important?

When people think about being healthy, they rarely think about their spine. However, the spine houses the spinal cord – an integral part of our central nervous system, which is responsible for all other body systems, from breathing and healing to enabling us to walk and talk. When you have poor posture, the way that you sit and stand can put pressure and stress onto your spine, affecting your spinal cord. Meanwhile, sitting and standing with proper alignment and good posture will actually help improve blood flow, prevent nerves from being pinched and minimize your risk of experience back pain. It will also enable your central nervous system to function effectively, and this will help all of your other body systems to work optimally too.

Another reason posture is important is because it can help to prevent future injury. When you continually stand or sit in a position where your spine isn’t properly aligned, you are putting stress on various areas of your body that may not be strong enough to cope with persistent pressure. This could increase your risk of experiencing an injury like a slipped disc, sciatica, or knee pain. Lower back pain is a very common problem associated with poor posture, and some patients will experience chronic discomfort.

How Can Chiropractic Care Correct Poor Posture?

Chiropractors are trained to recognize, diagnose and treat issues affecting the musculoskeletal system – one of the key components of which is the spine. Your chiropractor will be able to look at you and determine how good (or bad!) your posture is, what is causing any posture problems, and recommend treatments to help improve your posture in the long term.

Chiropractors use a range of different techniques to support their patients. The most well-known is spinal manipulation – using the hands to adjust the position of the spine so that any areas of pressure are removed, the spinal cord can function optimally and any symptoms associated with the poor posture are eliminated. Spinal manipulations shouldn’t be painful, but they can be uncomfortable.

Your chiropractor understands the need for good posture and will be able to advise you of steps you can take in your day-to-day life to help ensure that your posture is a good as possible. This could include changing your mattress, altering your workstation so that it is more ergonomic, or teaching you stretching exercises that you can perform as part of your ongoing care. They can also help you to develop good posture habits that could help to reduce the risk of future accidents/incidents in the future.

If you are suffering from posture problems and would like to find out if you could benefit from chiropractic care, please speak to our experienced chiropractic team in Nashville, TN by calling our clinic today.