7 Tips by Chiropractor in London on Improving Your Posture at Home

7 Tips by Chiropractor in London on Improving Your Posture at Home
We all want to look and feel our very best, but with so many environmental stresses working against us, it is hard to keep our good posture. Work, exercise, sleeping the wrong way and even texting on our mobile devices all contribute to poor posture, and if left untreated, could lead to much more serious health issues.

So what can we do to help improve our posture, and in doing so, improve our health? London Chiropractor and back expert Dr. Luc Archambault has some great advice.

1- Don’t Slouch

Slouching is something we’ve been hearing about since we were young kids. Our mother’s always reminded us to sit up straight, and now we know she was absolutely right. Slouching puts unnecessary stress on our spines, deforming it from its optimal shape. This deformity not only interferes with the optimal communication of the nervous system, but it also smashes our inside organs such as our lungs, making it harder to breathe over time.

2- Stand Up Straight

By standing up tall as if we’re getting ready to have our height measured, we can be sure we are standing in our most ideal postural position. Make sure to tuck in your chin so that from the profile, your ears are in the same vertical line as your shoulders and hips. By maintaining this straight posture, you can be sure to not only look your tallest, but allow your spine to reform itself into a more optimal shape.

3- Pay Attention to Ergonomics

We mostly sit behind our desks while we work, spending hours in the same position. While we think we’re comfortable, our body may be in a completely unnatural position, poised to suffer from postural deformities. To ensure we’re not doing more harm than good, it is critical to follow certain ergonomic rules. Sit all the way back in your chair and make sure your middle back is supported by some sort of lumbar pillow. Sit up straight and adjust your monitor height to be perfectly center to your line of vision. Finally, make sure your knees and elbows are all at a 90-degree angle to the floor and desk.

4- Avoid “Text Neck”

Stop lowering your head to read your text messages as this position puts a tremendous amount of strain on your spine and neck muscles. Lift the mobile phone up to your eyes instead, making sure you’re not adjusting yourself to the mobile device, rather the mobile device is adjusted to the position of your head.

5- Sleep Properly

We spend close to 33% of our time on this earth sleeping, so it only makes sense to sleep properly to help our postures improve. Your mattress is very important, so make sure you pick a mattress that is a bit firm, allowing your body to stay straight, both when sleeping on your side and on your back. To ensure your head position is also perfectly horizontal and in line with the rest of your body, pick a pillow that lifts your head just enough to attain this perfectly linear posture. If you tend to sleep on your back, it may even be a good idea to get a neck pillow instead, giving your neck the firm support it needs to align itself to its optimal position.

6- Exercise Daily

A strong core is key to keeping a strong spine. Without muscles supporting your spine, your posture can become poor. Help your body by exercising daily, and focusing on strengthening your back and core to help in the endeavor. If weights aren’t your thing, then consider yoga, as it is a perfect complement to your spinal health.

7- See a Chiropractor

No matter what you do at home, you may never truly know what’s going on with your posture, and what parts of your spine need that extra help to correct itself. Chiropractic care, especially Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) is an ideal solution to pinpointing postural issues and getting them addressed in a way that is extremely effective and results-oriented.

Through taking digital x-rays and utilizing posture analysis technologies, a CBP chiropractor can better understand postural issues and develop a therapeutic and corrective treatment plan to correct the spine back into shape.

Dr. Luc warns that if left untreated, poor posture can begin to hinder proper nerve flow into our critical organs, resulting in much more than just an undesirable posture, but organ dysfunction.

“These tips are great to follow at home and at work, but nothing replaces the expert help of a professional chiropractor in resolving postural deformities on a much deeper level,” says Dr. Luc, whose clinic in Kennington has been met with tremendous success from Londoners who suffer from poor posture, back pain, and neck pain.

Dr. Luc has had many years of experience in correcting poor posture, and while almost all cases require chiropractic care to some degree, following certain tips at home can help improve the posture slowly in between chiropractic visits. Remember, your poor posture has taken a long time to develop into what it is today, so it will take a long time, as well as professional help, to correct.

If you or a loved one living in London is concerned about their posture and the negative impact caused by the poor shape of the spine, please contact SpineWorks Chiropractic for an appointment. Taking the first step is often the most difficult, but in time, the results of our care will make you wish you had started earlier.