How can we fix posture with exercise?

We’re so glad you asked! Exercise, along with stretching and chiropractic care, is the most effective way to go about addressing postural problems. At our office in Fremont, we are seeing a startling rise in the number of people who come in with poor posture. It is evident from the moment they walk in the door- even their walking and standing posture is suffering as a result of too much sitting! People always focus on diet, exercise and sleep as the main methods for exerting control over their wellbeing, but we would argue that posture forms an equally important fourth dimension to this group! Below we look at a few of the most common postural shortcomings and how exercise can help you overcome them. 

Common postural problems and how exercise helps

1. Forward hip tilt: also known as anterior pelvic tilt, this posture is ultra-indicative of a sedentary lifestyle- one in which you sit all the time. When we analyze APT, we see a mosaic of misalignment and imbalance caused by tight hip flexors and hamstrings. Tight hip flexors = inactive glutes = overcompensation by the hamstrings. The goals is to unwind this tightness by stretching the hip flexors with lunges, activating the glutes, and stretching out the tension in the hamstrings. 
2. Hunchback and round shoulders: ah! So you are an office worker after all. Rounded shoulders result from sitting with poor posture in front of a computer. In this position your chest muscles become tight and pull your shoulders inward while the postural muscles in your upper back weaken from lack of use. We use exercise and stretching to relieve tightness in the chest which helps you breathe better, and then focus on strengthening the muscles of the upper back to make maintaining good posture easier.
3. Forward Head: Now this one is a syndrome, caused by our overuse of devices. Originally called reader’s neck, this posture puts a lot of downward pressure on the spine due to the imbalance of the weight of the head. Our goal is to use awareness to help you reset the position of your head when it creeps forward. Then we use exercise and stretching to relieve tightness in the neck and strengthen the postural muscles in the upper back. 

Chiropractic also helps address posture problems

At Scorca Chiropractic, our office is your posture resource. If you are interested in using our services to improve your posture and help you live a more balanced, pain-free life, give us a call to schedule an appointment today.