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Can bad posture effect how your nervous system works?

Is forward head posture relevant to autonomic nervous system function and cervical sensorimotor control?

Forward head posture can lead to many things! Besides looking bad it can cause such things as headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain as well as TMJ problems.

Highlights from the study show:

  • Forward head posture negatively affects cervical sensorimotor control.
  • Forward head posture negatively affects the autonomic nervous system.
  • There is strong correlation between the Craniovertebral angle (CVA) and cervical sensorimotor outcomes.
  • There is strong correlation between the Craniovertebral angle (CVA) and cervical sensorimotor outcomes.
  • There is strong correlation between the Craniovertebral angle(CVA) and skin sympathetic outcomes.

Here’s a picture of forward head posture or a poor CVA. The picture to the left is the worse CVA. The one on the right is very good posture.

CONCLUSION:

“We have identified a forward head posture is associated with abnormal autonomic nervous system function and disturbances of cervical sensorimotor control. This finding has important implications for the assessment and rehabilitation of these subjects.”

If you need help with your posture contact the office! We can help!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0966636220300059?via%3Dihub

When Is Standing Too Much?

The new craze in standing at your desk has many asking if standing is for them, and how long should they stand for? Does everyone need a standing desk?  Not everyone needs a standing desk.  If you do have pain with sitting and  you sit for your job, then a sit to stand opinion might be for you.  Below are some tips to make the transition from sitting all day, to using a sit to standing desk without hurting yourself.

  • Standing too much can cause low back pain and leg pain.
  • Body is designed to sit and stand throughout the day. There are many ways to get your standing throughout the day without the need for a sit-to-stand option.
  • Sit-to-stand options can be useful and make the ability to stand more readily available. If you do have this options, here is what you need to look out to ensure proper utilization.
    • Most start at 15-20 mins within the hour in the beginning then it grows.
    • 4-6 hours per day after 30 days.
    • Start off slowly- taking breaks.
    • Listen to your body.
    • Flat surface and flat shoes (no heels!)
    • Weight distribution right below hips and arms at a right angle looking straight ahead and slightly down.
    • Don’t do continuous 8 hours of standing.  

Why does my back hurt in the morning?

People that come into our chiropractic clinic for treatment after lumbar disc herniation or disc bulging frequently have a history of pain which is worse in the morning and then improves after they’ve been up moving around for a bit.

Often they have some questions about what exercises and stretches they can do in the morning to make them feel better. We learned more about morning back pain in a disc – injured patient after the research of Michael Adams in the 1980s.(1,2) Adams referred to the “diurnal behavior of the disc” which mostly refers to the tendency for the discs to absorb moisture from the tissues around them overnight.

The discs soak up the fluids from the tissues around them while a person is recumbent in bed overnight. So in the morning when they wake up the outer layers of the disc are under a bit more tension, which we refer to as hydrostatic pressure.

In turn, the disc becomes a bit more plump, adding pressure to nerves and surrounding structors.

So what should you do? Once you get out of bed you should not bend over right away. Try to keep your back straight or try stretching backward .

Next, use your hips to bend over the sink to brush your teeth.

A straight back using my hips to bend over.
Bending at the lumbar spine causing lots of pressure on the lumbar discs

The above picture is a great way to cause sharp shooting pain in the morning.

Try to sit up straight or use a back support in the small of your back like in the picture above.

Sitting with a more normal curve in the lumbar spine helps take the pressure off of the lumbar discs and helps decrease pain.

A wrong way to sit

Sitting like this cause more disc pressure causing disc irritation. It can cause the disc to bulge more.

Discs are fatter in the morning because the absorb fluid overnight. So think of a jelly doughnut if the doughnut has more jelly its more likely to shoot out if you put pressure on it.

So remember back straight, stomach tight will help prevent lower back pain and help you heal if you have pain.