Posture Insights

Postural dysfunction happens when unhealthy postures are practiced and maintained for prolonged periods. This can occur in any sitting, standing, or lying down position and is a major factor in musculoskeletal injuries. Injuries related to poor posture are normally caused by overuse that builds up over time. When the body starts to go out of alignment, the muscles must work harder to compensate, which further strains the body. This stress can lead to soft tissue injury and excess joint wear and tear. These injuries start as minor aches and pains in the short term. However, if left untreated, they can lead to chronic conditions. Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic can rehabilitate the body to optimal function and provide postural training.

Postural Dysfunction

Posture is how the skeleton and muscles hold the body in a healthy position while standing or sitting, affecting breathing, muscle growth, and mobility. Practicing healthy posture means:

• The bones are properly aligned.
• The muscles, joints, and ligaments function correctly.
• The organs, like the stomach, kidneys, and GI tract, are in the right position and can work efficiently.
• The nervous system can operate at its full potential.
• This allows the body to have:
• More energy.
• More room for the lungs to expand.
• Experience less stress.
• Alleviate muscle fatigue.
• Achieve physical fitness.

Imbalance Causes

Unhealthy body positioning causes imbalances in muscle strength that pull the body out of alignment. This leads to muscles becoming tight/shortened and others becoming weak/lengthened, and it can also cause internal organ problems. For example, individuals that slump excessively cause the abdomen to compress, crowding the stomach and intestines, which leads to digestive issues. Postural dysfunction can be caused by the following:

• Stress and strain from day-to-day activities.
• Job responsibilities that involve sitting/standing for long periods and/or repetitive tasks like bending, lifting, reaching, twisting, etc.
• Unhealthy driving position.
• Non-supportive footwear.
• Joint stiffness usually of the neck, upper and lower back, and hips.
• Sedentary habits.
• Lack of physical activity and exercise.
• Muscle tightness.
• Muscle weakness.
• Weakened core stability.
• Inadequate or failed post-surgical recovery.

Effects

• Decreased blood circulation resulting in fatigue.
• Overuse Injuries.
• Breathing difficulties.
• Balance issues.
• Knee pain.
• Joint misalignment.
• Increased strain on the spine.
• Compression of discs and joints.
• Neck pain.
• Lower back pain.
• Less space for nerves to move due to compression.
• Nerve problems.
• Piriformis syndrome.
• Shoulder impingement.

Chiropractic Rehabilitation

Chiropractic treatment for postural dysfunction provides adjustments, massage and decompression therapy, targeted stretching and exercises, retraining movement patterns, and nutritional and health coaching. Personalized treatment plans can include the following:

• Assessment and diagnosis of postural habits.
• Soft tissue massage.
• Joint mobilization.
• Spinal mobilization.
• Biomechanical correction
• Postural Taping.
• Postural bracing.
• Postural re-education and retraining.
• The use of lumbar support for sitting.
• Activity modification recommendations.
• Recommendations regarding ergonomic workstations.
• Targeted stretches and exercises to maintain posture correction.

Fix Posture

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please contact Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Korakakis, Vasileios, et al. “Physiotherapist perceptions of optimal sitting and standing posture.” Musculoskeletal science & practice vol. 39 (2019): 24-31. doi:10.1016/j.msksp.2018.11.004

Lee, Yongwoo, and Ki Bum Jung. “Effect of Physiotherapy to Correct Rounded Shoulder Posture in 30 Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea Using a Telerehabilitation Exercise Program to Improve Posture, Physical Function, and Reduced Pain, with Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction.” Medical science monitor: international medical journal of experimental and clinical research vol. 28 e938926. 27 Dec. 2022, doi:10.12659/MSM.938926

Shih, Hsu-Sheng, et al. “Effects of Kinesio taping and exercise on forward head posture.” Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation vol. 30,4 (2017): 725-733. doi:10.3233/BMR-150346

Snodgrass, Suzanne J et al. “Relationship between Posture and Non-Contact Lower Limb Injury in Young Male Amateur Football Players: A Prospective Cohort Study.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 18,12 6424. 14 Jun. 2021, doi:10.3390/ijerph18126424

Zhao, Mingming, et al. “Driver posture monitoring in highly automated vehicles using pressure measurement.” Traffic injury prevention vol. 22,4 (2021): 278-283. doi:10.1080/15389588.2021.1892087

Back pain for no reason that is non-specific is also known as idiopathic, meaning there is no definitive cause like a herniated disc, vehicle accident/crash, falling accident, work, school, or sports injury. An aching sore back that came out of nowhere can be baffling. However, there are reasons for pain, including age, unhealthy posture, work occupation, muscle spasms, lifestyle habits, family medical history, and viscerosomatic reflexes.

Back Pain No Reason

Individuals will trace back their steps and often find that there was no heavy lifting of packages, overdoing it working out, or bending, twisting awkwardly, but the pain is present. 

Age

• Age is a primary cause of back pain. After the age of 20, the discs in the spine begin to dehydrate, shrink, and compress/flatten out. This can cause everyday activities to generate back strain and pain as the discs begin to slip, slide, and rub against each other. This is known as degenerative disc disease and is a process that continues as the body gets older.

Back Muscle Spasms

• Muscle spasms are a common manifestation of back pain and occur when the muscles involuntarily contract. Spasms often happen from bending, heavy lifting, or other physical activities.

Lifestyle Factors

Lifestyle factors can be a causation factor for back pain that comes out of nowhere.

• Smoking increases the risk as nicotine increases the wear and tear on the discs as well as other organs.
• The smoke/nicotine causes the discs to age faster because it breaks down the collagen, an essential part of the discs.
• Individuals that are out of shape, overweight, and/or obese are more likely to have back pain from the added weight.

Unhealthy Posture/Mechanics

• Practicing unhealthy postures will no doubt begin to cause back or some type of pain from the strain and awkward positioning placed on the muscles being used. Strains, twists, pulls, or tears can occur if repeating the same motion.

Viscerosomatic Reflex

• Viscera means organ, and somatic refers to the body or musculoskeletal system. A viscerosomatic reaction happens when a pain signal from an organ is transmitted via the spinal cord, where neurons and motor structures like the muscles, blood vessels, and skin are interconnected. The body's organs can become distressed or suffer an infection/disease that causes signals to be sent that there is something wrong. However, the signal could be pain that materializes in the spine/back muscles but is not a spinal injury or condition.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The first step to successfully treating back pain is scheduling an appointment with a spine specialist or chiropractor. A series of specific questions will be asked to gain insight into the underlying cause of the pain. These include:

• Location of the pain
• The intensity of the pain
• Frequency of the pain
• Medical history
• Diet habits

A careful examination is necessary for the doctor to identify the reasons in any individual patient. Once the physician has learned about the symptoms and history, they can determine a possible cause and create a personalized treatment/rehabilitation plan to get the body back to optimal health.

Decompression Patient Testimonials

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, or licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Koes, B W et al. "Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain." BMJ (Clinical research ed.) vol. 332,7555 (2006): 1430-4. doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7555.1430

Lankhorst, G J et al. "The natural history of idiopathic low back pain. A three-year follow-up study of spinal motion, pain and functional capacity." Scandinavian journal of rehabilitation medicine vol. 17,1 (1985): 1-4.

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sports-injuries

Walker, Bruce F et al. "Combined chiropractic interventions for low-back pain." The Cochrane database of systematic reviews vol. 2010,4 CD005427. 14 Apr. 2010, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005427.pub2