Let’s talk posture

Whether you are behind a desk, behind the wheel or just wake up in the fetal position, our posture is likely to suffer as we round through the shoulders and tighten through the chest. With poor posture often comes a myriad of other issues such as muscle imbalances, headaches, pain and acheyness, neural impingement, shallow breathing and disc degeneration just to name a few. Aesthetically a hunch back and forward head posture doesn’t do much for our physique so with a new year beginning why not stand up tall and put more energy into correcting our posture!

Myotherapy can address the muscle tissue that typically tightens with poor posture; this is usually seen through the front of the chest in the pectoral muscles. There are also lots of nerves that run through this space and down the arms, if you experience any numbness, tingling or loss of grip strength your posture may be contributing to your symptoms.

Similarly the muscles right at the base of the skull can become tight and tilt the chin upwards and forwards causing a forward head carriage position. The further your head comes forward from your C7/T1 vertebrae the more weight is placed on that joint. When more and more weight is placed on this joint the body responds by laying down extra layers of fascia (connective tissue) on top of the joint causing that hunch back look. Through using Myotherapy techniques it is possible to gradually break down this tissue as long as corrective strengthening exercises are done regularly to support a new and more sound posture.

Myotherapy can release the tightness in the muscles causing the issues mentioned above but it can also work to activate muscles that may not be functioning at their optimum level. Often active trigger points can prevent a muscle from functioning at its best particularly if the muscle is not switching on when it is supposed to. By releasing the tight muscles inhibiting good posture and deactivating active trigger points in muscles that are not switching on, the body is given its best chance to correct dysfunction found in poor posture.

There are posture braces on the market and although the may provide some benefit, unfortunately they can make the body lazy as we need not only to stretch but also to strengthen i.e. muscle engagement is imperative to improve posture.

If you are concerned about your posture and/or feel like you need some advice with some take home strengthening and stretching exercises, speak to one of our knowledgeable Myotherapists to get your back standing tall and feeling great!

By Claire Adamson- Myotherapist