Exercises to Help Healthy Posture Habits

Believe it or not, your posture affects your overall health. Poor spinal posture can cause chronic neck, back, and joint pains. However, you may not realize how often you neglect your posture. From hunching over a computer all day at work, to sleeping in odd positions or lifting improperly – everything you do affects your posture.

Posture Exercises

There are plenty of exercises you can do to help correct your posture. Core exercises, in general, are great. This is because your core muscles play a large role in how your spine is naturally held in place.

• Chin Tuck: If you tend to lean forward with your head, a chin tuck exercise may be helpful. Roll your shoulders back. Looking straight ahead and use two fingers to push your chin down and your head back. Hold this for five seconds and release.
• Wall Angel: A wall angel is another exercise you could try. Stand with your feet roughly four inches away from the base and your back, butt and head against the wall. Bending your arms at the elbow, squeeze your shoulders together and rotate your hands upward. Hold this position for three seconds. Smoothly straighten your arms while continuing to squeeze your shoulder together. Hold this for another three seconds. Repeat this sequence ten times.

• Hip Flexor: A hip flexor stretch can also help you to improve your posture. Kneel on the floor, keeping your toes flat on the floor. Leaving your right knee down, place your left foot in front of you. Placing both hands on your left thigh, push your hips forward. Hold this pose for twenty to thirty seconds before switching sides.
• Yoga. In general, yoga is a great way to correct posture issues. The cobra pose, for example, can help you strengthen your back muscles and flexibility. If your spine is constantly curving forward, you may find this exercise alone can help to immediately eliminate back pain.

Get a Posture Screening

Posture screenings are a great way to find out whether your back pain stems from poor posture. At Family Chiropractic Care, we work with you to help alleviate any pain you might suffer from. While our chiropractor may prescribe traditional chiropractic techniques, such as spinal manipulation, we also work with you to prevent future pain as well. This includes addressing your posture, helping you come up with a simple, effective posture routine, and other lifestyle suggestions.

If you would like to schedule a posture screening, please contact us today.