Posture, The Window of Your Health

Being a Neuro-Spinal Chiropractor one of the first thing that I notice on people is their posture. Most people have heard the saying "the eyes are the windows to someone's soul", well, that may or may not be completely accurate, but what I know to be accurate is the saying "posture is a window to your health".  Research shows:

•  "All measures of health status showed significantly poorer scores as C7 plumb line deviation increased." Spine 2005

• "Older men and women with hyperkyphotic posture have higher mortality rates".Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2004

• "Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture". American Journal of Pain Management. 1994

• Bad posture could raise your blood pressure. Study finds neurolink between position of the neck muscles and high blood pressure. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2007

Your posture is derived from your spine and the muscles around your spine. Inside your spine is your central nervous system, this system is responsible for all communication between your brain and body. Poor posture is due to abnormal spinal alignment. The spaces between the bones of your spine are responsible for your mobility; being able to turn your head, bend down etc.If you have abnormal spinal alignment you are continuously putting pressure on these joints wearing them out at an alarming rate deteriorating your spine which reducing your mobility and often resulting in pain increased muscle tension and headaches. Abnormal spinal alignment can compress the rib cage and compromise your ability to take full breaths of air, which also has a myriad of side effects. Side note, in next weeks DYNAMIC CHIROPRACTIC NEWS" we will be addressing the importance and techniques of breathing properly.  

Can't I just stand up straighter?  This is a question I get quite a bit.  While it sounds good, if your spine's structure has been under abnormal alignment for years then it has molded into that position.  You can straighten up for a few minutes, but it will feel weird and even look "off" because you're using your muscles to bend your spine "straight" for a minute or two.  The only way to correct your posture is to correct the underlying structure of the spine and then strengthen the muscles to stay in that posture without you having to think about it. 

Not many people are aware that the "granny hump" or a "hunched back" is a result of an abnormal spinal alignment and not old age. The progressive destruction of an abnormal spine are at work long before a hump is visible to the untrained eye. One indicator of abnormal spinal alignment is the alignment of the ear with the shoulder. The ear should sit directly over the shoulder, take a look around today at the people that you see how are the lining up? How are you lining up? If the alignment is over 30mm you have Anterior Head Syndrome. A complete Neuro-Spinal Corrective Examination is the best way to see if your spinal alignment is normal or abnormal. Our office uses advanced technology such as; Digital Spinal Radiography, Digital Structural Photographs, Spinal Alignment Assessment, and Neuro-Spinal Infrared Thermography. Our unique Neuro-Spinal Corrective Examination will clearly identify a problem that we correct which is Anterior Head Syndrome and/or Neuro-Spinal Dysfunction. 

As a Neuro-Spinal Chiropractor I see a lot of secondary conditions such as headaches, neck pain, back pain, poor posture, chronic muscle tension, pinched nerve syndromes, etc. By correcting the primary condition, Neuro-Spinal Dysfunction, poor posture improves as well. This not only allows a person too feel better, but to look better too!