At Waterloo Chiropractic, we see spines and postures from all walks of life. Here are some postures we see in the upper extremity within the clinic.
Read up on the following postures in the upper extremity, these can contribute to your pain, aches and headaches.
Text Neck:
Hello Generation Z, Millennials, Generation iPhone. This posture is well documented and there are plenty of gimmicks out there to help you solve this one. Treatment involves strengthening the posterior chain muscles with specific exercises, by addressing the stiffness in the joints of the neck joints, thoracic joints and modifying use of technology.
The ideal posture is aligned from the vertex (top of the skull), a point just behind the ear to the shoulder that runs through the mid thoracic spine, hip joint and knee.
Rounded Shoulders:
This often exists in the avid gym user, sculpting the front the chest and arms. It can also occur over time with slouching and desk work. The culprit is the tightness in the pec major and weakness in the shoulder blade stabilisers.
Hiked Upper Traps:
We hold our stress in certain muscle groups including the upper trapezius. This causes the shoulder blades to sit high and our shoulders to sit high (sometimes around the ear lobes). It can cause a number of bio-mechanical inefficiencies related to movement, common headaches and neck pain.
Upper Crossed Syndrome:
Upper Cross Syndrome is a combination of rounding of the shoulders, slouched upper back, forward head carriage head and time. Over time poorly developed muscle strength/postural habits cause upper cross syndrome.
Poor posture can cause lower cervical spine and upper back aches, tension, headaches, shoulder impingement and in severe cases, disc injury to the neck.
Scoliosis:
Is either functional (muscle imbalance) or anatomical (structural deformity in weight bearing structure) or often, both at the same time. This is a field of expertise at Waterloo Chiropractic and is categorised as a 3D corkscrewing of the spine.
The rib cage can hump on one side, unleveling of the shoulders can occur and asymmetries can develop on the front of the body. Scoliosis should be diagnosed and monitored if present in children and adolescence. As an Adult, you should have your scoliosis managed with treatment and active therapies such as exercise, yoga, stretching.
Feel free to reach out if your posture is a concern to you. P| 9690 0911 or book online.
Check out further resources from this trusted advisor: https://www.sydneyscoliosisclinic.com.au/about-us/
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