Lancaster Chiropractic Doctor Offers Postural Correction Therapy For Pain Relief

By Carmella Isenhour


The poor posture of an individual may correlate directly with headache and upper back pain. If someone holds his head in a forward position it can cause subluxations to the cervical vertebrae, which are the spinal bones in the neck. Turning to a Lancaster Chiropractic doctor for help in alleviating that pain will help the individual understand the effects of poor posture.

Consider the side view of a person with good posture. His ear is going to be aligned perfectly with the middle of his shoulder. Someone with poor posture will have the head in a forward position, which causes the vertebrae in the neck and upper back to be out of line. Undue pressure is exerted against nerves in that area causing the spine to be in an incorrect position.

The suboccipital muscles keep the chin from dropping forward to lie against the chest. If these muscles are contracted continuously, there will be pressure on the three suboccipital nerves. Headaches at the base of the skull or in the sinus cavities can result.

According to research, that forward head posture can add enough leverage on the cervical portion of the spine to force the entire spine out of the correct alignment. That can have a detrimental effect on breathing. It can also lead to the development of a hump in the upper back, between the shoulders.

The way to correct this misalignment is to realign the upper cervical vertebrae with the skull. A chiropractor uses manual adjustments to gradually ease these small bones into the optimal position. First an evaluation must be done to identify the exact location of the problem.

Your first office visit will be spent compiling a medical history. An examination will be done on the entire spine. An x-ray will be used to clarify your condition.

Following that, a care plan can be devised. It may begin with spinal adjustments administered over a series of office visits. There will be exercises to be used in conjunction with these. Your chiropractor will instruct you in how to stand, sit and walk in a way that will promote good posture. It is this training that will enable you to maintain the correct positioning of the spine.




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