Back Clinic Posture Team. Posture is the position in which an individual holds their body upright against gravity while standing, sitting, or lying down. A proper posture visually reflects an individual’s health, ensuring the joints and muscles, as well as other structures of the body, are working properly. Throughout a collection of articles, Dr. Alex Jimenez identifies the most common effects of improper posture as he specifies the recommended actions an individual should take to improve their stance as well as enhance their overall health and wellness. Sitting or standing incorrectly can happen unconsciously, but recognizing the issue and correcting it can ultimately help many individuals develop healthier lifestyles. For more information, please feel free to contact us at (915) 850-0900 or text to call Dr. Jimenez personally at (915) 850-0900.
El Paso TX. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez looks at some exercises that are help�posture.
Prone Shoudler Arcs Can Help Strengthen Upper Back Muscles Which Hold Your Shoulders In Better Posture
By lifting a dowl or light pole up off the floor and moving the shoulder can help strengthen the muscles between the spine and shoulder blade.
Shoulders and shoulder blades which are relaxed and sit back and down instead of hunched up and slouched forward are better for your posture. Good posture can prevent neck pain, shoulder pain and headaches in the future.
Prone Shoulder Arcs
Deep Neck Flexor Training
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For further hints and tips on postural care and general healthy living go to ccbrighton.co.uk/videos
You could do cartwheels down the centre of a bus or train in peak hour and no one would notice, thanks to our latest modern addiction that has us all continually looking down.
And apparently, because of this need to be glued to our smartphone screens, a new survey by the Chiropractors’ Association of Texas�suggests that it has created a brand new health disorder and, with no clear policy to help curb the issue, it threatens to put a strain on medical services.
According to Chiropractors, thousands across patients�are apparently lining up in droves out their doors complaining of chronic neck pain, headaches, poor posture and repetitive strain injuries in the wrist and hands � all blamed on the use of mobile technology.
Worryingly, according to their survey, 45 per cent of patients who visit chiropractic clinics on a weekly basis are teenagers. These bad habits are setting them up for a lifetime of complex back and neck issues.
President of El Paso Injury Medical Clinic points out, “These are patients who are constantly looking at their phone in a bent-forward position. Postural bad habits over time can develop into more serious health conditions such as spinal degenerative disease, osteoarthritis, hunchback and reduced mobility.”
But they aren�t the only ones suffering. The expectation from employers to be constantly contactable is also to blame. Dr Alex Jimenez, “It’s often the 25-45 age group I’m seeing now who have grown up using technology.
“I have one patient in his mid-40s who is experiencing onset of hand and arm pain and discomfort, he uses his mobile for work and regularly checks emails… Another patient who works in the finance industry experienced similar symptoms of chest and arm pain. Further investigation and x-rays revealed moderate degeneration of the lower cervical spine.”
Dr Jimenez hopes these findings will encourage policy makers to address the issue; “It’s estimated that by 2025, more than 5 billion people worldwide will be using smartphones. Already� 81% of smartphone users have their mobile phone switched on all of the time even when they are in bed or in bathrooms.
“We see smartphone addiction and text neck as a serious health risk and something that needs to be addressed.”
There is some advice you can follow to help avoid these issues:
1. Straighten your posture. Use a mirror to help align your neck and spine. The correct posture means your ear and shoulders should line-up.
2. Gentle exercises. If you struggle maintaining correct posture, do some exercises to help alleviate muscle stress and pain. Gently arch your neck and upper back backward, pulling your shoulders into alignment under your ears.
3. Look ahead. Instead of looking down, try raising your device to eye-level.
The McKenzie system is a way of evaluating and treating spinal disorders. It’s practiced commonly throughout the entire world. Physical therapists contain the bulk of McKenzie practitioners but physicians and chiropractors practice the process additionally.
Numerous exercise regimens have been recommended for treating spinal pain. Although the dependability of McKenzie’s classification and evaluation system was challenged in the literature, this method of spinal rehabilitation has provided considerable relief of pain for patients that were innumerable. Like all spinal exercise plans, the precise prescription of exercise should be customized to the individual ‘s physical examination findings.
Training
Training includes a sequence of four courses over a specific amount of time culminating in a certification assessment. For many who pursue additional training, a diploma program (consisting of a 3 month residency) is offered. The McKenzie Institute is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the education and training of clinicians that are interested.
Spinal TechniqueIn the McKenzie system, clinicians perform a thorough history and evaluation. This consists of finding the patient’s response to duplicated, end-range spinal movements. The patient is then given a “mechanical analysis.” Most patients are diagnosed with derangement, dysfunction or postural syndromes. Patients are treated by a composite of postural alterations, specific exercises, and in a few instances, spinal mobilization or manipulation.
Common Analysis
The most common diagnosis is the derangement syndrome. It is believed to result from an alteration in the structure and mechanics of the intervertebral disc. In the derangement syndrome, positions and exercises that “centralize” the pain (move it closer to the back) are highlighted. Those movements and positions that peripheralize the pain (move it away from the back) are averted.
Patients Take An Active Role In Recovery
The patient must take an active part in their own healing. The process was created to accomplish favorable results in as few treatments as possible. It is hoped that continuance of appropriate positions of maintenance as well as exercises will prevent recurrence. Patients will probably have the capacity to treat themselves, without intervention, if pain does recur.
The process was examined extensively and is supported by research. For more information, get in touch with a certified professional. Patients are counseled to seek treatment from a certified or a diplomaed clinician although McKenzie techniques are used by many professionals. Credentialed practicioners will have the initials Cert. MDT, or Dip.
Ergonomics is a scientific discipline that’s been in existence for many years. Keeping their work environments safe and efficient and traditionally concerned with factory workers, ergonomic professionals have expanded their work to include all types of workers from laborers to seniors to office workers & students.
In addition, it looks for means to adjust our environment to lower the risks of illness and harm, enhance productivity, and improve the caliber of our work life.
The Goals of Ergonomics
The profession of ergonomics has two main concentrations (which frequently overlap):
1. Industrial ergonomics – occasionally called work-related biomechanics – is concerned with the physical aspects of work including force, position, and repetitive movements.
2. Human factors ergonomics looks as the psychological features of work like mental anxiety and decision-making.
The aims of ergonomics contain the following:
Reduce work-related injury and illness
Help include workers’ compensation costs for companies
Enhance the standard of work
Reduce absenteeism
Help companies comply with government regulations regarding work surroundings
Ergonomics professionals include:
Engineers
Security professionals
Industrial hygienists
Physical therapists
Occupational therapists
Nurse practitioners
Chiropractors
Occupational doctors
How Ergonomics Enhances Work & Safety
The association between work injury and illness is old. It is even believed that Ancient Man concerned himself with developing the right tools that allowed for the efficiency and least amount�of distress.
Now, we continue to look for ways to boost the relationship between our “tools” and�our jobs. One means to do that is to look at the risk factors in the workplace. These are able to be divided into 3 areas: physical characteristics, environmental features, and workplace hazards.
1. Physical Characteristics Of Work:
Bearing
Drive
Repetition
Duration
Recovery time
Velocity/acceleration
Heavy exertion that is dynamic
2. Segmental Vibration Environmental Characteristics Of Work:
�According to a new University of Iowa study, employees with desks that force them to stand at regular intervals stood 60 minutes more per work day than co-workers with regular desks.
Lucas Carr, an assistant professor and member of the Obesity Research and Education Initiative who worked on the study, says sitting 8 hours a day puts workers at risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes and becomes more of an issue with each passing year.
�The idea here is to really redesign the work environment, because most of us will be working for anywhere between 20 and 30 years,� says Carr. �So if somebody is sitting for 40 hours a week and for 30 years, you can imagine how those things would build up.�
Carr says doctors now recommend workers take a break from sitting at their desks to get their blood flowing at least once an hour.
He adds re-configuring work spaces could play a big role in fighting the obesity epidemic in the U.S. The study found employees with sit-stand desks burned up to 87 more calories a day and walked an additional six minutes at work than their sitting counterparts.
Carr notes the study focused on workers who had been using sit-stand desks for an average of one-point-eight years. He says, unlike an exercise bike that ends up collecting dust in the garage, workers continued using the new desks even after they had lost their novelty. Carr says if you can�t convince your boss to buy everyone a newfangled desk, there are still ways you can short circuit the negative impacts of sitting all day.
�One thing that I even recommend is for people just to drink more water,� says Carr. �By doing that it�s a natural reminder for you to get up and get away from your desk every 45 or 50 minutes and go to the restroom.�
Carr points out sedentary jobs have risen 83 percent since 1960 and now account for 43 percent of all jobs in the U.S. He says on average office workers sit more than 80 percent of the work day. So the next time your boss asks why you�re not sitting at your desk? �Sorry, doctor�s orders.�
You can get away with slouching at your desk. But looking hunched in your best friend�s wedding photos? That�s a no-no. We tapped fitness expert Lauren Williams for a series of exercises that will perfect your posture, so you can rock a strapless and stand tall at any social event this season. Watch this video for six moves that will sculpt your shoulders and elongate your torso so your wedding-day posture is as polished as possible.
1. YTW stretch:
Lay on your stomach with your hands reaching overhead �so your body forms the shape of the letter Y. Lift your chest slightly off the ground, then lower back down. Next, bring your arms out to your sides to form the shape of the letter T as you lift chest slightly off the ground. Lower back down. From here, bend arms at the elbows to form the shape of the letter W as you lift chest slightly off the ground. Return upper body to the ground and repeat sequence.
2. Renegade row:
Start in a high plank position with hands resting on dumbbells. From plank, lift your right arm into a row movement, lifting the dumbbell off the ground and bending the elbow to form a 90-degree angle. Return hand to mat and complete row movement on opposite side.
3. Best chest opener:
Starting on all fours, reach right hand to the ceiling, twisting the upper body open and looking up at your hand. Return to center and repeat reach and twist on the left side.
From standing, lean your upper body forward so you�re slightly bent over with a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended long. Lift both arms out to shoulder height on each side with elbows slightly bent, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Return arms to starting position and repeat the fly movement.
5. Single-leg dumbbell balance with row:
Start from a standing position with a dumbbell in each hand. Carefully lower the upper body, creasing at the hips, while simultaneously lifting the right leg to hip height behind you. As you do this, lift weights one at a time toward your chest with the arm bending deeply at the elbow. Lower the leg to the floor as you lift your upper body back to standing upright and repeat movement with the left leg extended behind you.
6. All four shoulder opener:
Starting on all fours, reach the right arm out straight to the side, walking the hand along the floor as you twist the upper body toward the left. Return to center and repeat movement with the left arm extended.
6 Tweaks For Posture & See What Happens To Back Pain
Your Guide for Getting Rid of Pain With Super-Easy Posture-Tweaking Moves
A lot of us have aches and pains that have become so much a part of our daily lives that we�ve learned to live with them (if not accept them). The problem is that all these small aches and pains, such as lower back and neck issues, are derived from posture mistakes.
We�re NOT pointing any fingers here; we all make posture mistakes on a daily basis without even realizing it. Sure, an Epsom Salt Bath Soak might clear up the problem temporarily, but if you keep on making the same posture mistake, guess who�ll be knocking on your door again soon?
In this post, we�ll be highlighting some common posture mistakes, and then we�ll be giving you tips on how to fix those mistakes. We�ll even throw in some advice on how to posture-check yourself, just to help keep you on the right track. All of our recommendations take 30 seconds or less, and we�re kind of sure that you�ll find them as useful as we do.
6 Common Posture Problems (& How To Fix Them!)
1. Not Sitting Up in a Chair
Most of us slouch in our chairs, which is why most of us experience some form of lower back pain during one stage or another of our lives.
How to Fix It
Make sure you sit up properly in your chair. Make sure you do exercises that strengthen the back and core muscles, which will further support your posture while sitting in a chair.
2. Standing With Your Butt Outwards
People that have a pronounced curve in their lower backs and folks that tend to stand with their bottom stuck out may develop (or already suffer from) hyper-lordosis.
This posture problem looks like a classic picture of Donald Duck. Conditions such as pregnancy and carrying too much belly fat exacerbate this problem.
How to Fix It
Make sure you do thigh stretches and hip flexor exercises � you can also do some core training, as well as exercises that strengthen the buttocks.
It�s crucial that you learn to stand upright, almost as if having a string tied to your head which pulls you upward. This will help get rid of your back pain.
3. Having Your Back Flat While Standing
Folks that tuck their pelvises in and straighten out their lower backs (instead of having a naturally curved posture) tend to stoop forward while standing.
This increases their chances of developing back pains that extend all the way from their upper to their lower backs. They�ll also have a hard time standing around for extended periods of time.
How to Fix It
Core strengthening exercises along with those that focus on strengthening the buttocks, neck, back, and shoulder muscles should be done to help correct this very common posture problem.
4. Leaning on the Right or Left Leg
While it might feel super comfy, leaning on either one of your legs while standing is a habit that could be causing you a lot of pain.
That�s because instead of using your buttocks or core muscle groups to keep you up, you�re relying on your hip and your lower back, and putting too much strain on this area causes pain.
How to Fix It
The best way to fix this common problem is to focus on the idea of distributing your weight on both of your legs as you stand. You can try exercises such as bridges and plank poses to help strengthen your muscles and get rid of any posture-related pains which you may be experiencing.
5. The Common Hunchback
Most of us know this posture problem as �the phone pose.� It�s the pose we all seem to adopt when we�re glued to our smartphones, putting a strain on our necks and backs while we check what�s new.
This leads to problems such as a rounded upper back, causing severe pain in the upper back and the shoulders.
How to Fix It
Make sure you�re doing a lot of exercises that�ll strengthen your shoulders, neck, and, of course, your upper back.
6. The Chin-Out Pose
Another name for this posture problem is the �PC screen stare.� You�ve all seen it, heck you may even be doing it right this moment! We�re talking about the people who sit too low beneath their PC screens and stick their chins out to compensate.
How to Fix It
Your sitting habits will have to be addressed and corrected if you want to get rid of the back pain that comes paired with the chin-out posture problem. Make sure you�re adjusting your seat height, and focus on keeping your head straight and upright while using the computer.
Final Thoughts
In our modern world, it�s pretty hard not to fall victim to one of these common posture pitfalls and the pain associated with them. The good news is that now you know what these common mistakes are, and how they can quickly and easily be corrected.
We hope that this post has been helpful in guiding you through the process of alleviating the pains that derive from poor posture, and that you�re a little more aware of where, why, and how to avoid these innocent yet painful mistakes.
Tips for Improving Posture and Ergonomics
Over time, poor posture may be caused by habits from everyday activities such as sitting in office chairs, staring at the computer, cradling a cell phone, carrying a purse over same shoulder, driving, prolonged standing, caring for small children, or even sleeping.
Poor posture can easily become second nature, causing and aggravating episodes of back and neck pain and damaging spinal structures. Fortunately, the main factors affecting posture and ergonomics are completely within one’s ability to control and are not difficult to change.
The following guidelines suggest several ways to improve posture and ergonomics, especially for people who work sitting in an office chair for most of the day.
Identify The Warning Signs Of Back Pain Caused by Poor Ergonomics & Posture
Back pain may be the result of poor ergonomics and posture if the back pain is worse at certain times of day or week (such as after a long day of sitting in an office chair in front of a computer, but not during the weekends); pain that starts in the neck and moves downwards into the upper back, lower back, and extremities; pain that goes away after switching positions; sudden back pain that is experienced with a new job, a new office chair, or a new car; and/or back pain that comes and goes for months.
Keep The Body In Alignment While Sitting & While Standing
When standing, distribute body weight evenly to the front, back, and sides of the feet. While sitting in an office chair, take advantage of the chair’s features. Sit up straight and align the ears, shoulders, and hips in one vertical line. Any prolonged sitting position, even a good one, can be tiring. Shifting forward to the edge of the seat with a straight back can alternate with sitting back against the support of the office chair to ease the work of back muscles.
Some people benefit from a naturally balanced posture that is achieved by sitting on a balance ball; in this posture the pelvis is rocked gently forward increasing the lumbar curve which naturally shifts the shoulders back (similar to sitting on the edge of a chair seat).
Also be aware of and avoid unbalanced postures such as crossing legs unevenly while sitting, leaning to one side, hunching the shoulders forward, or tilting the head.
Get Up & Move
As muscles tire, slouching, slumping, and other poor postures become more likely; this in turn puts extra pressure on the neck and back. In order to maintain a relaxed yet supported posture, change positions frequently. One way is to take a break from sitting in an office chair every half hour for two minutes in order to stretch, stand, or walk.
Use Posture-Friendly Props & Ergonomic Office Chairs When Sitting
Supportive ergonomic “props” can help to take the strain and load off of the spine.�Ergonomic office chairs or chairs with an adjustable back support can be used at work.
Footrests, portable lumbar back supports, or even a towel or small pillow can be used while sitting in an office chair, on soft furniture and while driving.
Using purses, bags, and backpacks that are designed to minimize back strain can also influence good posture.
Proper corrective eyewear, positioning computer screens to your natural, resting eye position can also help to avoid leaning or straining the neck with the head tilted forward.
Increase Awareness Of Posture & Ergonomics In Everyday Settings
Becoming aware of posture and ergonomics at work, at home, and at play is a vital step towards instilling good posture and ergonomic techniques. This includes making conscious connections between episodes of back pain and specific situations where poor posture or ergonomics may be the root cause of the pain.
Building on the prior page, the following five points highlight important ways to improve posture in the workplace, helping to reduce back and neck pain and stiffness.
Exercise To Help Prevent Injury & Promote Good Posture
Regular exercise such as walking, swimming, or bicycling will help the body stay aerobically conditioned, while specific strengthening exercises will help the muscles surrounding the back to stay strong. These benefits of exercise promote good posture, which will, in turn, further help to condition muscles and prevent injury.
There are also specific exercises that will help maintain good posture. In particular, a balance of core muscle and back muscle strength is essential to help support the upper body and maintain good posture.
Avoid regularly wearing high-heeled shoes, which can affect the body�s center of gravity and induce compensatory alignment of the entire body, thus negatively affecting back support and posture.
When standing for long periods of time, propping a leg up on a foot rest, wearing supportive shoe orthotics, or placing a rubber mat on the floor can improve comfort.
Simply walking, lifting heavy materials, holding a telephone, and typing are all moving activities that require attention to ergonomics and posture. It is important to maintain good posture even while moving to avoid injury, walking tall with shoulders back for example.
Back injuries are especially common while twisting and/or lifting and often occur because of awkward movement and control of the upper body weight alone.
Create A Ergonomic Physical Environment & Workspace
It does require a small investment of time to personalize the workspace, home, and car, but the payoff will be well worth it. Undue strain will be placed on the structures of the spine unless the office chair, desk, keyboard, and computer screen, etc. are correctly positioned.
It’s much easier and less time consuming to correct everyday ergonomics and minimize back or neck pain than to add doctor visits and corrective therapies for debilitating pain conditions.
Remember that it is important to maintain an overall relaxed posture. Avoid restricting movements by clenching muscles or adopting an unnatural, stiff posture. For individuals who already have some back or neck pain, it’s a natural tendency to limit movements to avoid provoking increased pain.
However, unless there is a fracture or other serious problem, the structures in the spine are designed for movement and any limitation in motion over a long period of time creates more pain and a downward cycle of less motion and more pain.
Aches and pains have become a part of our daily lives that we�ve learned to live with them (if not accept them). The problem is that all these small aches and pains, such as lower back and neck issues, are derived from posture mistakes.�For Answers to any questions you may have please call Dr. Jimenez at�915-850-0900
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