Upper back pain and posture

Last week we talked about back packs – good (and bad) use of backpacks definitely play right into upper back pain and posture over time so if you missed it click here for the link to it. This week more on posture.

I get asked all the time about the relationship between poor posture and upper back pain.  There is a direct relationship for sure. Poor posture and slouching puts pressure on lots of different spinal structures.  I know I keep saying this, but damage is cumulative and builds over time.  Eventually one day you wake up in pain and aren’t sure why. Or maybe you do something small like lift a glass and “ouch!”. Well, the glass wasn’t too heavy it was just the last thing.  The thing that broke the camel’s back. Yes, you are the camel in this example. 

What to do about bad posture and upper back pain

Best thing to do is prevention.  So, we need to help correct posture before it turns into upper back pain or any other pain.  I get moms of teens in the office all the time worried about their teenager’s posture. And for good reason! If we can help correct bad habits before they become too ingrained, it is better for everyone. So, what do we do. For most people we start with a series of adjustments because if the joints are just not moving you could do all the stretching and yoga you would like but you are basically running up against a brick wall.  That brick wall is your joints and if they aren’t moving through their normal range of motion, you need an adjustment or a series of them to get them moving again. 

Ok I got adjusted – now what

For posture correction one of the tools I use is something called the posture medic. I sell this product at the office and it is a stretchy tube with padding that you put on like a backpack and it helps serve as a reminder not to slouch and put your shoulders back as we are helping correct your posture.  While it wont fix anything it will help break habits and build new ones if you use it!  I usually suggest people wear it for 15 minutes every hour they are sitting at their computer to start. That adds up to a lot in an 8-hour workday!

the posture medic tool for postural retraining

Please share this newsletter with anyone you think it may be helpful for!  Here is the link to the blog post to make it easy to access: https://drkarenhudes.ca/index.php/2022/09/07/upper-back-pain-and-posture/