Poor posture is an underlying factor in a number of common health conditions. Bad posture can lead to muscle strains, degenerative disc disease, tension headaches and more, so it’s very important that you work to improve your posture. And while you can perform regular posture checks and improve your spinal alignment if you notice that you’re slipping out of a healthy posture, wouldn’t it be nice if you could make it easier for your body to naturally have good posture? You can naturally improve your posture positioning with the help of physical therapy. We explain how in today’s blog.
How PT Can Improve Your Posture
While sometimes poor posture is caused by laziness, far more often we naturally slip out of a healthy alignment due to underlying issues with our spine and the structures that support it. However, you can correct these physical deficiencies with the help of a physical therapy routine. Here’s how:
- Improved Strength and Stability – One of the main reasons we end up slouching forward or hunched at our office chair is not because we’re lazy, but because healthy posture is stressful on your spine. That’s not to say that poor posture is easier on your spine, it just changes how the stress of gravity is dispersed. It can be physically tiring on your muscles and joints to have ideal posture, but physical therapy can help to strengthen these areas so that they can more easily handle this stress. If your spine is better equipped to handle stress when seated or standing, you won’t subconsciously shift or an unhealthy posture position as easily.
- Improved Flexibility – Spinal stiffness is also a common underlying reason why we end up shifting out of a healthy posture position. If your muscles are stiff or rigid, you may want to slump or hunch forward to take strain off these areas. Again, physical therapy can help to improve your comfortable range of motion and increase muscle flexibility so that stiffness isn’t causing problems for your posture.
- PT Acts As Conditioning – Sitting for long periods of time can be hard on your spine. We recommend that you get up and move for a few minutes every 30-45 minutes at a minimum to help take static pressure off certain areas of your spine, but you can help to prepare your spinal column for this seated stress by regularly performing a physical therapy routine. PT will make your muscles stronger and keep discomfort at bay so that it’s easier for you to keep a healthy posture if you need to sit for an extended period of time. Exercise, stretching and physical therapy can all condition your spine to handle the stress it will experience when seated.
- Body Awareness – As we mentioned in the introduction, you can consciously perform posture checks and correct your posture if you notice that you’re slouching, but oftentimes we don’t even realize that we’re out of alignment. One of the best things about working with a physical therapist is that you’ll become more in tune with your body and you’ll be able to more easily recognize when you’re shifting out of a healthy position. We can show you what healthy positioning feels like and how to make slight adjustments to shift your spine back into a correct position when seated or standing. You’ll have better posture after working with a PT because you’ll be more aware of when you’re out of alignment and how to get back to an ideal position.
Improving your posture is beneficial for people of all ages and walks of life. Whether you’re an athlete, an office worker or just trying to recover after a surgical procedure, improving your posture can make it easier for you to handle the stress you’ll experience on your spine every day. If you want to connect with a physical therapist to learn how to improve your posture, or to talk with a PT about a different issue you’re facing, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.