Posture
The New Age Physiotherapy approach to improve your posture
The day to day slouch over your laptop keyboard or rolling your shoulders forward whilst standing in a queue isn’t always obvious but poor posture has long-term consequences. Slouching, hunching or rounding your shoulders or back can be habit-forming and the impact on your body goes beyond minor stiffness or sore muscles.
Poor working conditions and non-ergonomic work areas, specifically during stressful times; the build-up of issues with our own anatomy and musculoskeletal system; injuries; and even gravity can put stress on our bodies and cause pain. Physiotherapy is effective in not only treating the pain but correcting bad posture.
Improve your health and increase your confidence with good posture. Ask us how
The negative effects of prolonged poor posture
Neck and back pain are the most common health issues that can stem from not sitting or standing properly. But there are other, less obvious pain triggers that come from slumping or rounding our back and shoulders. These include:
Fatigue
When you don’t sit or stand in the ideal position, your body has to work twice as hard to keep you in place. That’s because your nervous system, which helps keep you upright, works best when you are using the fewest muscles possible. The poor posture requires your body to activate more muscles in ways they aren’t intended to when you’re stationary and uses more energy. The increased pain that comes from holding your back, neck and shoulders in the wrong positions also takes a toll on your energy levels. Dealing with pain also takes more of your focus and mental energy to cope.
Sleep issues
Getting a good night’s sleep is harder than ever if you’re not using your muscles correctly. You might think that lying flat in bed would help reduce the impact of sitting or standing wrong throughout the day but, in reality, your muscles can’t properly relax after being cramped or strained. Without the right muscle alignment, you simply can’t find the right sleeping position for quality rest.
Poor digestion
As you sit hunched over, the resulting pressure can really cause issues with your digestive system, from your stomach through to your intestinal tract. You may experience more heartburn as stomach acids are pushed up into your oesophagus. You’ll also likely have a harder time digesting your food, which can lead to a lack of focus as well as physical discomfort. You could also have constipation from reduced movement and position of your intestines, and from sitting incorrectly on the toilet. Poor posture makes using your abdominal muscles to evacuate waste more difficult and can cause straining and reduced bowel movements.
Take that first step to long term change. Book an appointment today
How New Age Physiotherapy can improve your posture
Our skilled New Age Physiotherapists use established medical science to treat problems with the neuromusculoskeletal system that can result from regular, daily slouching and slumping.
We look at your entire body and alert you to problems with how you sit, stand and walk. Our assessment is an important first step to making long-term changes. You’ll learn about proper alignment and how to move with less stress on your muscles and joints. And we identify tight muscles and joint problems that have been created through poor posture and need to be fixed to help you achieve your goals.
Our tailored treatments will help stimulate your body to heal the damage, loosen spinal joints and improve the range of motion in larger muscle groups. This includes massage and manual techniques, exercises you can do at home and help with setting up ergonomically correct work environments to reduce muscle strain.
Be patient, change takes time
You did not create your posture problems overnight, and correcting them may take time and patience. Our experienced physiotherapists can create a customised program that addresses your individual concerns but remember that some changes will result in immediate improvements and others may take longer to pay off.
We encourage you to stick to your physiotherapy treatment to help you stay healthy through the long term, including having less pain, better sleep, more self-confidence and better performance at work and in your personal life.
Have you ever been diagnosed with posture or neck problems? Book an appointment today
