What is good posture?

Stand straight, chin up, shoulders back, chest out… right?

Well not necessarily.

These can be good cues for when we find ourselves slumped over, but are they really that beneficial in day to day living?

The short answer is that - while maintaining good posture is good practice, trying to sit and stand up straight all the time can also put too much strain on certain muscles leading to pain and restriction.

In order to maintain good posture for long periods of time without any pain or restriction, we need all of our muscles work together and work in the right balance. When they work together they hold us in the correct position.

However when our muscles go out of balance we get a combination of tight overused muscles and weak underactive muscles. In the upper body this normally presents in tight upper traps and pectorals, which cause rounded shoulders, in the lower body - tight hip flexors and low back muscles cause the pelvis to rotate forwards. Overtime these can lead to pain, joint restriction, poor posture and weakness in some of our key postural muscles.

I personally would always recommend to try and work on these muscle imbalances first and using aids like posture braces when required or depending on your individual circumstances i.e. 8 hours sat at a desk. We also recommend the Brueggers Technique that we shared on our blog a few weeks ago.

It all starts with knowing where these imbalances are and this is where we, as chiropractors & sports massage therapists, can help. Chiropractors can mobilise restricted joints helping to free up any restrictions throughout the spine, making movement easier. We can also functionally rehabilitate those muscular imbalances by giving you specific exercises. Our amazing sports massage therapists work on the muscular scar tissue, helping to relax those overly tight and active muscles.

We also use a posture program called PosturePro which can both measure changes and photograph before and after care - so you can see your physical changes for yourself!

Remember you can call us on 01202 604707 or email admin@wimbornewellnesscentre.co.uk if you are a new patient and want some help with your posture :-)