This month at Healthy Choices Chiropractic our focus is on improving posture. If you want to improve your posture then you need to focus on the cause of the postural distortion, the function of your spine and nervous system, your mobility and your strength. And if you want to get the best results then you need to do them in the right order.
So what does that look like?
1. PREVENTION
Prevention is always better than the cure when it comes to your health and posture is certainly no exception. Have a look at how you sit, how you walk, how you run, how you set up your desk, watch TV, sleep, exercise… All of these things may be negatively impacting on your posture and setting you up for future problems.
2. SPINE AND NERVES
Before you jump right in with stretches and exercises, it might be a good idea to get your spine and nervous system checked by a Chiropractor. Think of it like a car with it’s wheels out of alignment. If you take it for a long drive, it may break down, but once it is aligned then the drive can be good for it. In the same way getting the underlying structure right and ensuring that the muscles are getting appropriate nerve supply is a good idea before embarking on mobility and strengthening work.
3. MOBILITY
Once your spine and nervous system is functioning better then you can start working on the ligamentous system. Ligaments deform over time and so they take longer stretches and mobility work to change (as opposed to the shorter duration muscles can contract for). This allows you to create a more pliable system for the muscles to work on. For a great run down on postural mobility work using a foam roller check out my previous webinar here.
4. STRENGTHENING
Finally you want to work on your muscular strength so that you can maintain the alignment of your spine both at rest and during activity and keep it in a safe structurally sound alignment to prevent future injuries.
To view Dr Brett’s full workshop on Exercises For Better posture click here
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