Greetings!
On a daily basis, myself and the staff at InnerMovement are educating patients on their posture imbalances and teaching them how to improve their spinal health. Posture is an integral part of alleviating neck and back pain and because of the nerve/spine connection good posture is important for mainting total body health.
Over the past 10 years we have seen a dramatic increase in Forward Head Posture, Dowager's Hump and overall slumped thoracic posture due to smart phone, laptop, tablet and computer use.
Last week a 23 year old law student presented with a Dowager's Hump as severe as our senior citizen patients. Aesthetically, this young patient wanted to "get rid of her hump" but as a doctor we know that this is much more than an aesthetic issue.
Forward Head Posture, Dowagers Hump, and slumped posture causes an increase in nerve pressure along the spine reducing vital nerve flow to every tissue and organ that nerve supplies.
If left uncorrected, this will cause spinal degeneration that will become permanent leading to invasive procedures, medication and chronic pain.
How does this happen? Let me explain...When the head is aligned properly - with the ears aligned atop of the shoulders & shoulder blades tucked back - the head weighs about 12 pounds. With prolonged use of technology, the shoulders begin to slump and the head tilts down and forward. The further the head tilts forward the heavier the head becomes.
With 30 degrees of forward head posture, the head weighs about 42 pounds.
The neck muscles struggle to counter the weight of the head creating chronic, burning pain in the neck and shoulder muscles. And in the case of the young law student who is studying, working on the computer and looking at her phone approximately 90% of her waking hours, the spine begins to compensate by putting a hump or "reverse curve" in the lower neck to try to counter the weight of her head.
If left uncorrected (without seeking gentle Chiropractic care) this abnormal position of the vertebrea will lead to degeneration in that area of the spine.
This newsletter is dedicated to helping you learn how to correct the "hump" and the "slump". So, I thank you for reading our newsletter and I ask that you to sit up straight while reading :)
Until your next visit,
Dr
Heidi Fennell DC, FICPA (clinic director at InnerMovement)
