Our whole-body approach to health will have you standing tall
Do you notice yourself slouching throughout the workday? Do you struggle with little aches and pains in your back or neck? Your posture might be to blame. At Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery, we’ll help you improve your posture–so you can reap the benefits throughout your body.
Many people underestimate posture’s importance, assuming proper posture is simply a matter of appearance. In reality, posture is critical to overall health and wellness. Good posture helps you move better and can prevent pain, injuries, and other health problems.
Osteopathic therapy focuses on how the musculoskeletal system, particularly the spine and joints, affects the function and health of your entire body. By improving the alignment of your spine, we can reduce pain in areas of your body you might have thought unrelated. Headaches, neck pain, hip pain, knee pain–all could potentially have a root cause in your spine.
If you’re tired of dealing with everyday aches and pains, request an appointment at our Victoria BC, or Burnaby, BC clinic. We’ll work with you to improve your posture and spinal health.
What Does Good Posture Look Like?
There are two types of posture we need to consider:
- Static posture for when your body is at rest (whether standing, sitting, or lying down)
- Dynamic posture for when your body is on the move
Good posture is all about the alignment of the spine. While we often use the phrase “stand up straight” to describe good posture, the reality is that your spine is never actually perfectly straight. It contains three natural curves: one at your neck, one in your upper back, and a third in your lower back.
Your ideal posture when standing up should maintain these natural curves. The “straight” part of “stand up straight” refers to the alignment of your head, shoulder, hips, and legs. Doing so will ensure that your spine’s vertebrae are stacked on top of each other, which means they can absorb the everyday stress of movement.
When you move or change positions, your posture will change, too. However, you want to maintain those stacked vertebrae to protect yourself from injury or pain. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy for us to sink into slouched positions that misalign our spine.
How Poor Posture Can Affect Your Entire Body
At Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery, we understand the human body’s interconnectedness. We recognize that a headache in the back of your skull can be caused by poor alignment of the spine. Similarly, hip pain may not result from an injury to your hip but rather a dysfunction in your lower spine that radiates pain downward.
If you’re experiencing back, neck, or shoulder pain, improving your posture and spinal alignment might be the key to reducing it. But reducing pain isn’t the only reason to improve your posture. Poor posture can contribute to any of the following conditions:
- Increased pressure on your lower back, which can eventually lead to long-term pain and other issues
- Poor range of motion in your joints
- Balance and stability issues, which can increase your risk of falling
How Osteopathic Therapy Can Help Improve Your Posture
Our osteopathic therapists will first examine your current posture to assess where you’re in alignment and where you’re not. We’ll also take a full health history to learn more about your day-to-day activities and how they might affect your spine.
From there, we have several approaches we can take to help you improve your posture and get your spine back to its natural shape:
Education
- We’ll educate you on proper static and dynamic postures with gentle, hands-on adjustments to help you better understand what good spinal alignment feels like. We’ll also give you tips for ensuring proper posture throughout your day.
Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment
- This hands-on approach involves applying gentle pressure to manipulate your muscles and joints. Manipulating the spine through its natural range of motion can help reduce pain, making it easier to adjust your posture.
Therapeutic Exercise
- Strengthening your core muscles (the muscles that wrap around your torso) is an important part of good posture. Those muscles support the spine, and when they’re weak, it puts more pressure on your spine, leading to pain. We’ll help you find effective exercises that you enjoy doing.
Treatment at Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery is always customized to you and designed to meet your unique needs and goals. Improving your posture will benefit your entire body.
Request an Appointment to Improve Your Spinal Health
You don’t have to live with the aches, pains, and potential injuries that stem from poor posture. Request an appointment with Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery today to take the first steps toward a healthy, happy spine.
