Many people struggle with poor posture nowadays. It’s seldom a sign of laziness and more often the result of unconscious habits as we strive to be more comfortable when working at low desks or looking down at books or phones. Unfortunately, what we do every so often can quickly become something we do all the time. It can be incredibly challenging to try to improve your posture, as it requires constant awareness and effort to change what has become unconscious.
Fortunately, physical therapy can improve your posture by providing you with the professional guidance you need in order to make a lasting change. It is important to do whatever you can to improve your posture, as poor posture can have negative effects on your health and wellness over time.
Here is what you need to know about why posture matters and how physical therapy can improve your posture.
Why Is Good Posture So Important?
All our lives, we get told to sit and stand up straight. This is because good posture is not just aesthetically pleasing, but also important for our overall health.
When you have poor posture, initially, you may not notice any adverse effects. However, over time, poor posture can result in some of the following issues:
- Shallow breathing
- Impaired balance
- Back, neck, and shoulder pain
- Headaches/migraines
- Increased risk of injury
- Digestive issues
- Struggling to move properly
- Poor circulation
- Poor sleep
- Pinched/constricted nerves
- Spinal misalignment
This is because the longer you have poor posture, the more strain there is on your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Over time, this can cause your spine to go out of alignment. The less often we have good posture, the weaker the muscles that allow us to maintain good posture get, which can make it challenging when you try to improve your posture. The worse your posture is, the more pain you’re likely to be in.
Why Do You Have Bad Posture?
Bad posture is often associated with laziness and boredom, but in truth, many cases of bad posture are the result of unconscious shifting to try to get more comfortable. As our lives have grown more sedentary, with office jobs, TVs, and more, so too has poor posture. Poor posture can also result from illness and injury.
People typically start to hunch forward to alleviate pressure on their body. Unfortunately, over time, poor posture can end up causing unnecessary stress and strain on your body, leading to some of the adverse effects mentioned above. Left untreated, poor posture can result in even more pain, raises the potential for injury, and puts you at risk for long-term damage.
How Can Physical Therapy Improve Your Posture?
If you struggle to improve your posture, you’re well aware of just how just conscious effort it can take to try to hold your body in alignment. It can even hurt or get achy as you use muscles that have grown accustomed to not being used. As such, it can be very hard to improve your posture on your own. Seeking the help of a professional, like a physical therapist, can provide you with the guidance you need in order to improve your posture in the long-term.
Physical therapy can help you with your posture by strengthening and stretching your muscles so that over time, you have the ability to maintain good posture without even having to think about it. Your physical therapist will help you know what to correct and how to do it. They can provide you with personalized treatment plans in order to help you achieve better posture.
When you start physical therapy, you can expect an evaluation in order to identify the weakened area of your body. From there, your time in physical therapy will be personalized to your specific needs. By increasing your strength and stretching out tense muscles, it will be easier to maintain good posture. Physical therapists can also help to alleviate the pain that poor posture can cause by treating the underlying issue.
The Benefits Of Improving Your Posture
When you see a physical therapist to work on your posture, you can enjoy not only a more confident stance, but also:
- Improved circulation
- Alleviated pain
- Improved physical function
- Prevention of damage to your spine
- Increased strength and flexibility
Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides professional physical therapy services. If you have pain as a result of poor posture, physical therapy may be able to help. Contact your doctor about your options, and they can refer you to us if physical therapy seems like a good treatment option for you. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
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