Posture in Louisville KY

Hey, your Louisville KY Chiropractor Dr. Randall Wheeler DC here to talk to you about Posture.

Why is Posture so Important in Louisville KY

I'm asked multiple time a week in practice why is posture is so important? There are several things that affected your posture. Before getting into that let's define what is good /bad posture. Proper posture /biomechanics is broken down into two planes of motion AP and Lateral. AP stands for anterior to posterior (front to back). Let's start at the bottom both feet present straight front to back. There should be no rotation in the feet. The knees should be in straight line above the feet. If the knees lean in ward out outward (bow legged) these presentations are called valgus or zargus stress. This can come from injury but typically from fallen arches in the feet. Next the hips should be level. Followed by the shoulders they should also be level. Lastly the head should be straight no head tilt should be present. These deviations can lead to neck, mid back and low back pain. Other issues like TMJ and migraines can be caused by these issues. The strange part of deviations in the AP plane are typically from the top down. What I mean by this is a thing called the righting reflex. The body must always keep the eyes level, so we can stay balanced. Think about it you can't walk with your head tilted, you will walk into walls or eventually fall. Next time you watch the news or look at a group photo notice how many people have a head tilt. To keep the head level the body will tilt the shoulders to bring the head upright. The hips will compensate for the shoulders. This postural deviation is corrected by correcting the head tilt. The body will sacrifice the biomechanics of the body below the head to keep the head in a balance position.

The second plane is the lateral (side) position. The typical problem patients present with is anterior head carriage (forward head posture). Along with this issue the shoulders roll forward and the body compensate by rolling the pelvis under to help with balance. The reason this typically occurs due to improper ergonomics and excessive cell phone and laptop use. This can lead to low back pain and other issues such as abdominal pain and digestive issues. The greater issue that I see in practice is that forward carriage of the shoulders and head can produce excessive pressure on the lungs. Decreasing the amount of oxygen that gets to the lungs. That in turn puts pressure on the diaphragm keeping it from moving freely which can affect the function of the intestines.

This is a basic description of posture and how it can affect you. To have this issue properly addressed and treated contact your local Chiropractor. Correcting posture includes adjustments, traction, and exercises.