For the past fifteen years, I’ve been working with patients to improve their health by improving their posture. With the increasing popularity of smart phones and tablets, long hours at the computer, and a more sedentary modern lifestyle, poor posture is becoming a major health problem. The challenge that many people are starting to face is that poor posture can lead to cervical disc injuries, shoulder injuries, arthritis, breathing problems, hormonal imbalances, gastrointestinal problems, depression, and an impaired immune function.

Why does our posture affect our health so dramatically? The first thing to realize is that when we are standing up we have both the effects of gravity and the weight of our head pushing down on our bodies all day long. The thoracic cages’ job is to protect the vital organs, be an anchor for muscles, and a support system for the head and neck. If the head is directly over the thoracic cage, it will put the least amount of strain on the thoracic area and vital organs. The minute the head pulls forward you now have not only extra strain on the thoracic cage, organs inside of it, but your risk of neck and shoulder injury greatly increases. This type of posture is now being labeled Forward Head Syndrome. Unfortunately, this forward head posture is becoming the normal posture for most people, especially in our younger population.

What are the harmful effects of Forward Head Syndrome? Rene Cailliet, M.D., director of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Southern California, wrote about the effects of forward head syndrome in his book “Rejuvenation Strategy.” According to his book:

1. Incorrect head positioning leads to improper spinal function.
2. The head in forward posture can add up to 30 pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine.
3. Forward head posture results in loss of vital lung capacity. In fact, lung capacity is depleted by as much as 30 percent. Loss of lung capacity leads to heart and blood vascular problems.
4. The entire gastrointestinal system is affected, particularly the large intestine. Loss of good bowel peristaltic function and evacuation is a common condition that comes with forward head posture and loss of spinal lordotic curves.
5. Forward head posture causes an increase in discomfort and pain. Freedom of motion in the first four cervical vertebrae is a major source of stimuli that causes production of endorphins in production many otherwise non-painful sensations are experienced as pain.
6. Forward head posture causes loss of healthy spine-body motion. The entire body becomes rigid as the range of motion lessens. Soon, one becomes hunched.

Recently, Dr. Roger Sperry, a Nobel Prize recipient for brain research, demonstrated that 90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating the physical body to gravity. Only 10% of the brain’s energy is used for thinking, metabolism, and healing. If you want to improve your body and brain’s performance start with better posture.

What can you do to improve your posture?

1. Be aware

The very first step is to be aware of your posture. I recently had a teenager in my practice who went off to the Marines. When he left he had the slouched appearance that we see in many teenagers. Three months later, when he came back into my office, he was standing tall, shoulders back ,and his head held high. I asked him what he did to change his posture and he said that they were constantly on him to stand up straight. It was an incredible example of how quickly you can retrain your body by just being aware.

2. Stretch your front side and strengthen your back

What is happening to most people who sit at computers today, is that the chest muscles are shortening and the upper back muscles are lengthening. This causes the shoulders to round and the head to come forward. Start stretching your chest muscles by standing in a door way with your arms on either side and lean in. Similar to the picture to the right. Daily stretches to the chest muscles will stop them from pulling your shoulders forward. At the same time, doing upper back exercises, like seated rows, to strengthen your rhomboids will help hold those shoulders back.

3. Try a yoga class

Yoga is a great place to start if you are serious about changing your posture. What I love about yoga is that it stretches and strengthens the muscles at the same time. If you are going to yoga specifically for posture changes, let your instructor know. A good instructor will assist you throughout the class and make sure you are doing the poses correctly.

4. Go see your chiropractor

Nothing will change your posture as dramatically as a chiropractic adjustment. You can stretch and strengthen the muscles repetitively, but if the spine is not moving properly the muscles are more likely to fall back into their spasmed position. The spine has two jobs: protect the nervous system and be an anchor for muscles. Your nervous system is the mechanism in which your brain and body communicate. Just like Dr. Calliet noticed in his study, when your posture changes it damages the spine and nervous tissue the spine protects. Bad posture will ultimately lead to a poorly functioning nervous system. The key to great spinal health and great posture, starts with an evaluation from a chiropractor who specializes in posture retraining.

So stand tall, go see your chiropractor, try a yoga class, do your stretches and you will make sure your posture doesn’t take you down the path of bad health.

Since chiropractors do not use more force on the vertebra than is necessary, it is completely safe for a woman to see a chiropractor while she is pregnant. During pregnancy, women’s bones tend to soften as they prepare to give birth. With this being said, it is usually much easier for a chiropractor to make adjustments to her spine that will help alleviate back pain. There are also reported instances where the baby is in a breech position and the chiropractor was able to coax the baby into the proper position before birth.

Seeking the advice of a chiropractor during pregnancy has other benefits too. Some examples include being advised on the proper support gear, and safe stretching exercises to alleviate back pain, as well as being able to massage her muscles and adjust joints back into place.

Although some might try to say otherwise, there is no reason that a woman cannot enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. It is safe and effective for both the baby and the expectant mother.

While it is important that a pregnant woman follow some simple rules to ensure minimal pregnancy back pain, it is equally important that they seek out the care of a qualified professional so that they can receive individualized treatments.

“Take an aspirin and call me in the morning.” Pain medication ads are everywhere touting relief for everything. This has resulted in an over-medicated society that is actually making us feel worse, rather than better. Many new patients at FLC tell the same story, “I used to take aspirin a couple times a day, now I never take it since being under chiropractic care.”

Pain is an amazing warning system that alerts us when our body is injured. Unfortunately, most of us have been “trained” to take OTC pain meds to disable this system so we can go on with our day, pain-free. They “hide” the pain, but do not address its cause. This action is quite similar to taking the batteries out of the smoke detector during a fire. Pain is carried, by our nervous system, from the injury site to our brains so that we can take action (e.g. removing your hand from a hot stove). Since the spine protects the central nervous system, often a subluxated spine is the cause of pain or the reason injuries aren’t healing. The most important thing you can do for yourself, or a loved one who takes OTC pain medication, is to get your spine checked.

Change your life for the better and visit a Chiropractor!

It has become a rare occasion to cross paths with someone who has never heard the chilling statement, “You’re going to need surgery.” With 500,000 surgical interventions per year, the rate of back surgery in the U.S. is 40% higher than any other country. Although this is a very alarming statistic, it’s more upsetting to think about the surgical candidates who CAN be helped with CHIROPRACTIC but never even consider it. The non-invasive approach to chiropractic makes it a logical alternative to the invasive and risky procedures associated with surgery. If you, or someone you know is suffering back pain and looking into surgical interventions, please consider giving chiropractic a try. Surgery is irreversible and should be a last resort. Many individuals, who were facing surgery, were able to avoid it by addressing the cause of their problems through chiropractic.

You have been in an accident

Trauma can cause spinal misalignments in the body which can in turn distort your structure and irritate your nerves, bones, ligaments and discs. Any accident, no matter how minor, can create nerve-damaging misalignments. We can give you a spinal check-up to ensure that your spine is free from these health-compromising changes and to prevent any long-term damage.

You have a sports- or work-related injury

When a subluxation has been caused by repetitive stress or overuse at work or play, spinal nerves may be impeded. This may in turn negatively affect one’s range of motion, strength, reflexes, endurance, and, ultimately, performance. Chiropractic can help your body restore normal nerve function and help you get back to your peak in both play and work.

You are simply in pain

Interruption of proper nerve flow, for whatever reason, can eventually lead to pain, disability, and an overall decrease in the quality of life. You don’t need to live with it— we can help you get to the root of the problem, set your body up to heal, and restore your health.

You are pregnant

The additional weight and stress on the framework of the body during pregnancy can cause pain in almost any part of the body. Because pregnant women are often reluctant to take any over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers, they often turn to chiropractic care to help alleviate pains associated with pregnancy. In addition, we can also offer lifestyle (especially nutrition and exercise) advice specific to the expectant mother.

You have a “little one”

Babies and children grow quickly, and their muscles, ligaments, and bones develop rapidly. A jump, tumble, or fall can jar the body, affect the spine (and possibly the nervous system), and then go undetected for years. Even simple factors, such as a heavy backpack or an ill-fitting car seat, can have negative effects on a child’s health.

With these things in mind, it’s evident that babies and children have much to gain from chiropractic care. Regular spinal exams can provide corrective and preventive care for “little ones,” as well as peace of mind for the parent.

Parents of small children also have much to gain. We can offer advice regarding how to pick up and carry a child and, for post-partum mothers, an assessment of any structural changes that may have occurred during pregnancy, labor, and/or delivery.

You have a “big one” (i.e., a teenager)

Teenagers’ bodies are also growing at a rapid rate. This, combined with the fact that teenagers often think they are invincible, sets them up for a wide range of physical problems.

Imagine your teenager hearing from someone other than you the benefits of proper diet, exercise, posture, and other good lifestyle habits! With regular visits to your doctor of chiropractic, your “big one” will have a body that is structurally and functionally sound, and head start on a life of good health.

You are in your “Golden Years”

There are numerous physical problems associated with aging, and drugs and surgery are often prescribed to treat these problems. There is little, if any, attention paid to actually fixing these problems— and little or no emphasis on preventing them.

But you need not succumb. Chiropractors understand the effects of aging and have been helping folks deal with the aches and pains associated with aging for decades. As with other patients, we diagnose the ailment, determine what’s causing it, and then choose from a variety of gentle therapeutic techniques to alleviate it.

We can also guide you through simple changes in your lifestyle (e.g., diet, exercise, stress management) that can greatly improve the quality of your life. Old habits are hard to break, but it’s never too late to start healthy habits.

You feel fine

Even if you feel as though you’re operating at 110% or better, chiropractic can help you maintain your desired level of health and fitness. You may currently have spinal irregularities that exhibit no symptoms whatsoever. However, problems may arise in the future.

Just as regular maintenance visits are recommended for your car, and regular dental cleanings and check-ups are recommended for your teeth, regular chiropractic check-ups can help detect and prevent spinal stress or joint disorders.

In short, chiropractic health care is a smart choice for most everyone, at any time-you’ll stay healthier longer, and the time and energy (and money!) saved due to your preventive efforts can be spent on things that are fun to do. A better quality of life awaits you.

We look at the whole picture
Like other health-care providers, we follow a standard routine to gain information about the patient. We consult, review the case history, conduct a physical examination, and we may request laboratory analyses and/or x-rays.

Unlike other health-care providers, however, chiropractic physicians also conduct a careful analysis of the patient’s structure and pay particular attention to the spine. We also ask you about your life— Do you eat well? Exercise at all? How do you deal with stress? Do you have children? What do you do for work? And so on.

We seek the origin of the problem
Using this information, a diagnosis is made. Included in the diagnosis is the probable reason for your pain or discomfort. It is important to note that chiropractors seek the origin of the illness in order to eliminate it-we do not simply treat the symptoms.

If your roof is leaking, do you simply catch the drips in a bucket for years on end, or do you repair the roof to prevent it from leaking? Similarly, if the migraine headache you’ve had all week is being caused by misaligned vertebra and an irritated nerve, do you continue to take pain killers indefinitely, or do you realign the vertebra to prevent the pain? You get the picture.

Chiropractors have a term for misalignments: subluxations. A vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that protect the spinal cord. It’s a leak in the roof. Or a kink in the wiring of your nervous system.

The severity of the subluxation can vary, and there are a number of potential contributing factors that can be physical, emotional, mental, or chemical. The subluxation can be caused by any number of incidents, from birth trauma to an auto accident to simple repetition or over-use.

Then we help you fix it
When a subluxation occurs, a chiropractor can correct the misaligned bone and allow it to return to its proper position. This procedure is appropriately called an adjustment, and the adjustment enables the body to heal. The leak is fixed. The wiring is fixed. Information is flowing again.

To keep the wiring fixed and the information flowing, several adjustments over a course of time may be necessary, in addition to massage, physical therapy, stretching exercises, or strengthening exercises. In the chiropractic world, keeping the problem fixed and preventing its reoccurrence is just as important as the initial remedy.

Another important aspect of chiropractic care is this: the patient’s improvement is the responsibility of both the doctor and the patient. You will be active in your own care-this is essential in optimizing the care you receive.

Origins

The “founding father” of chiropractic, Dr. D.D. Palmer, developed a theory that spinal misalignment caused nerve pressure or irritation which in turn caused various ailments. He realized that the structure and condition of the body influenced how the body functioned and its ability to heal itself, without the use of drugs or surgery.

This simple philosophy has healed people and has prevented unwanted injury and illness for over a century! But to fully understand the chiropractic perspective, one must learn a bit about the nervous system, or how our bodies are “wired.”

Our wiring
The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. The brain is divided into sections and stores and receives an incredible amount of information. But this information needs a way to get in and out. Nerves provide a pathway for this information to travel, and the spinal cord is made up of bundles of these nerves. The spine both houses and protects the spinal cord.

Nerve dysfunction can result from any number of factors, such as falls, accidents, stress, tension, or over-use. These events can alter our “wiring” and create pain or discomfort in our bodies.

Getting to the source
Doctors of chiropractic are trained to locate the source of the pain or discomfort— it may actually be far from the actual location where the symptom is occurring— and then we correct or adjust the joints in the body and set it up to heal on its own.

Of course, the type of correction or adjustment employed by the chiropractor depends on the condition being treated, but you get the main idea. The important thing to remember is that chiropractic success occurs by addressing the source of the problem, not just masking the symptoms.

Holistic efficiency
Because helping the body heal itself involves many facets, chiropractors also provide lifestyle advice to help prevent illness and injury. Diet & nutrition, fitness, ergonomics, and other areas in your life contribute, or diminish, your overall health. By making the right choices, one can live a life full of wellness and vitality.