National Chiropractic Care Week – May 24 to 30, 2010

Up to 90% of people have poor

posture

Bad posture increases pressure on your spine and can compress your internal organs.

This can lead to issues including: Tension Soreness Headaches Back pain Fatigue

Bad posture can also diminish our breathing capacity by as much as 30%.

Respiratory problems Chest tightness High blood pressure Poor digestion

Good posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity.

Proper posture keeps muscles, ligaments, bones and internal organs in their natural position.

Good posture can help you to breathe better and reduce fatigue. Good posture can also increase self-confidence.

Correcting bad posture takes discipline, but the benefits are worth it.

The first step is understanding the bad posture habits of our.

So which posture are you?

As we tend to our daily activities as a Mum, posture is the last thing on our minds.

70% of women will, at some time in their lives, report low back pain.

1/3 of pregnant women claim low back pain is a significant problem.

Common posture problems Uneven hips Forward Head Posture Dowager’s Hump (or increased

kyphosis) Pelvis forward (or increased lordosis)

Long-term computer use can lead to shoulder, arm, hand and neck problems, and issues with balance and coordination.

Over 45% of office workers experience neck pain. Back pain is the third most common reason for taking

time off work. Lifting heavy weights, bending and twisting, and, of

course, working in the same position for extended periods are related to the onset of low back symptoms.

Common posture problems Forward Head Posture Round Shoulders Rotated Hips

It’s not uncommon for prolonged poor posture to occur in the garden.

Bending over seeding, weeding and watering, digging, carrying buckets, pushing wheelbarrows and lifting if done the way can place stress on our body.

In Australia 75% of DIY injuries presented at an Emergency department occur in a residential setting, particularly the garden.

Common posture problems Dowager’s Hump (or increased

kyphosis) Round Shoulders Uneven or rotated Hips

Common posture problems Forward Head Posture Slouching (or increased kyphosis) Uneven Hips

79.1% of children report school backpacks to feel heavy, 65.7% report them causing fatigue, and 46.1% to cause back pain.

School bags should be no heavier than 10% of your child’s body weight.

Posture deteriorates with fatigue, and it can take less than 20 minutes of carrying a load for this fatigue to start.

Spinal issues during adolescence can impact on the correct development of your child’s spine as they grow into an adult.

In the morning When getting out of bed in the morning, use your hands and

arms to support you into a sitting position. Then swing your legs to the floor and stand straight up.

During the day Avoid slouching by imagining a headlight in your breastbone

which should always shine forward, not down in your lap or on the floor.

Avoid sitting for long periods of time. Take brief walks during the day, or stand and stretch as much as possible.

When standing, balance your weight equally on both legs and feet, being sure to put weight on the four corners of each foot.

At night Sleep on your side or back, not on your stomach. You can help

reduce strain by popping a pillow under knees when sleeping on your back, or between your knees when sleeping on your side.

Make an appointment with your Chiropractor, or visitwww.whatsyourposture.com.au

Make an appointment with your Chiropractor, or visitwww.whatsyourposture.com.au

A Chiropractor searches for the problems that are at the root of poor posture, analysing spinal curvatures, movement and alignment.

Some of the postural analyses a Chiropractor undertakes includes assessing a patient for: alignment of the knees levelling of the hips or pelvis height differences across the shoulders tilting of the head and neck forward head translation increase in the spinal curvatures changes to gait (walking)

For more information about posture,

talk to your CAA Chiropractoror visit

www.whatsyourposture.com.au

24 to 30 May, 201024 to 30 May, 2010

© 2010 Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (National) Limited