Posture Clinic in Downtown Vancouver: Sitting Is The New Smoking!
Do you have headache or neck tension? We’ll help you correct your posture so that you can live a more fulfilling life by preventing future injuries and reducing existing pain.
Posture is complicated. According to the Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary, it is “the carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of the limbs (the arms and legs).” In other words, the constantly changing positions of our body requires the balanced action of postural muscles to hold and guide it against the force of gravity. Ideal (or good) posture:
- Keeps bones and joints in correct alignment, so when seen from the side, your ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle are in straight, vertical line.
- Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that can result in arthritis.
- Prevents the spine from becoming stressed or strained in abnormal positions.
- Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used efficiently, meaning you use less energy.
- Prevents strain or overuse injuries.
- Prevents backache and muscular pain.
- Contributes to a good appearance.
How Poor Posture Affects Health
Poor postural habits have been shown to impact many of our body’s systems. Some examples and explanations are listed on this page. Given it’s impact on health and therefore quality of life, instilling good postural habits in your kids is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
Poor posture can create permanent changes in spine alignment. It happens because weight bearing forces are shifted to structures and areas not suited for prolonged stress, leading to early disc degeneration and osteoarthritis. This stress can also lead to permanent deformity in form of scoliosis (when the spine curves sideways) or excessive kyphotic curve in thoracic spine (rounded shoulders). According to a recent study from the UK, this process starts young. They looked at 154 10-year-olds and found 9% already had problems with at least one of the discs in their back.
Poor posture can change muscle tissue and its ability to contract. In a typical slouched posture, your hamstrings, neck extensors and pectoral muscles become tight while your shoulder blade stabilizers, back extensors and deep neck flexors get overstretched. Muscles in either extreme (tight or stretched) do not work at their best, so progressive weakness occurs next.
Poor posture can trap or irritate nerves causing pain. But poor posture can also change how your brain receives information. Your muscles and joints are constantly sending input to your brain, but if your joints are stiff, your muscles are tight and your ligaments are stretched, this input becomes less reliable. When your brain starts to lose awareness and control of an area, movement patterns become less efficient and reaction time decreases, which is a dangerous recipe for injuries or chronic health problems.
Poor posture influences your ability to breath effectively. Slouching only allows for shallow breathing because your ribs and diaphragm can’t move properly. As a result, your accessory respiratory muscles (which connect from your neck to your upper ribs) have to work harder which leads to increased tension, muscle shortening and ribcage rigidity. On top of these physical changes, shallow breathing does not allow for enough oxygen to get into your body, which further compromises its function.
Poor Posture is an Epidemic
With obesity rates soaring, diabetes on the rise and injuries related to poor posture becoming more prevalent, we are witnessing an epidemic of bad physical health. As these issues shift into younger populations, the toll on our healthcare system deepens. We, as a society, need to change our attitudes towards physical activity, nutrition and prevention in order to reverse this unsettling trend.
As physiotherapists, we are particularly concerned about the impact of poor posture in youth because this is the time when life-long habits are formed. If good postural habits can be ingrained, many future health issues can be prevented or avoided altogether.
With the exception of a few underlying medical conditions, poor posture (and all its consequences) develops because of poor choices, bad habits and simply being lazy. In our posture clinic for youth, we work towards addressing these factors as well as others such as:
- A lack of structured physical education programs (particularly in elementary schools) for developing general motor skills, flexibility, balance and postural awareness.
- Not enough regular physical activity.
- Slouching (in front of the TV/computer or reading) for long periods of time.
- Excessive use of electronic devices.
- School and computer desks not set up correctly for children’s bodies.
- Heavy, unbalanced school bags.
- Weak and de-conditioned muscles.
- Obesity.
- Low self-esteem and depression.
How to Improve Your Child’s Posture
Here is a list of our good posture tips for children, but they are also applicable to adults. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us.
- Regular physical activities like swimming, soccer, gymnastic or dance are fantastic for whole body exercise, plus they improve body awareness, motor skills and self-confidence .
- Avoid lying down to watch TV or play video games. Instead, your child should sit in a good supportive chair.
- Limit TV, computer games or working at their desk to 20 minutes and then encourage “stretch breaks” to reduce the stress on their spine.
- Purchase a desk and chair that are sized for your child so they can sit properly.
- Adjust their monitor angle and install a keyboard tray. If a computer is shared with multiple family members, the screen and keyboard may be set at a convenient height for adults rather than children. Then, show your child how to adjust the monitor and chair height so they can use it comfortably.
- Use a backpack for school, and encourage them to use both straps to spread the weight evenly.
- Get their eyesight checked. Poor eyesight can contribute to bad posture if your child is forced to bend over his books to see clearly.
- If possible, walk with your child to school. This is a great way to start the habit of daily exercise.
- Set a good example. If you slouch, your kids will too.
- Remind them to stop slouching. Your child will get in the habit of standing up straight- at least when you’re around.
- Talk to your daughter about the changes that her body is going through. At puberty some girls become self-conscious about their height and their breasts; help her feel good about herself.
- Buy them comfortable and well-constructed footwear that supports their feet.
- Good posture is important, even while you sleep. Encourage your child to get into a habit of sleeping on their side or back, not on their stomach.
There are many advantages to helping your children to develop good posture habits such as less chance of experiencing body pain, fatigue and future bone growth problems. In addition, good posture sends a message of confidence and pride.
Bad Posture Warning Signs
Detection is the best prevention and this is particularly important in the case of children. The postural behavior your children learn will stay with them throughout their adult lives. It is important that you watch your children closely and act on anything that doesn’t seem right. Observe their movements or behaviour in different situations and listen to their complaints. Remember that not all pains are “growing pains”.
The early signs of postural problems can be subtle, especially to an untrained eye. To help you, here is a list of things that should alert you to seek the professional help of your doctor or physiotherapist:
- Scoliosis – the spine is not straight when you look at it from the back, bends sideways
- Facial asymmetry
- One shoulder appears higher than the other
- Scapula (shoulder blade) is winging or sticks out
- Pelvic bones not level
- The gap between the arms and torso is not the same on both sides
- Excessive kyphosis of mid-back (rounded shoulders)
- Excessive lordosis of low back (arched back)
- Valgus (knock) knees
- Collapsed longitudinal arc of the foot (flat feet)
- Uneven development of leg muscles
- Headaches
- Back ache
- Joint or muscle pain following activities
- Shoes worn out unevenly or deformed
We strive to...
Provide you with science-based, personalized physiotherapy care
Constantly advance our therapeutic skills by attending continuing education courses
Provide a comprehensive assessment before starting any treatment
Maintain ongoing communication with the medical community to optimize your recovery
Insurance & Billing
We direct bill all major insurance companies, ICBC, WorkSafe BC and MSP so that you can focus your time and energy on getting better.
The Bentall Physiotherapy Difference
Focus On The Source
We want you to get back to a normal and active life as quickly and safely as possible. Instead of treating your symptoms for temporary pain relief, we focus on identifying the source of the problem and treat that for long lasting results. Visit our Vancouver physiotherapy clinic today!
Focus On Education
We want you to see lasting results. Our team members will assess a variety of movement patterns and postures while empowering you with education and exercises so that you can reduce the risk of re-injury and prevent new injuries from occurring.
Holistic Approach
We understand that the human body is incredibly interconnected. We use a variety of technology and techniques to detect and treat not only the underlying cause of your problem but also other areas of your body that might be contributing to the problem.
Our Satisfied Patients
We love hearing from our patients! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to provide us with feedback. It means the world to us!
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