Poor Posture Series Part 2: 9 Scary Symptoms of Abnormal Posture

Last week we discussed forward head posture and how having a misaligned posture can effect many other aspects of your body. Call or visit us today to get started with chiropractic care to keep your spine healthy and strong, and keep reading to learn more about our tips!

Your Grandma was right; you have to sit up straight or else… Or else what, you may ask? The second kind of poor posture is lateral shifting/ translation.

What is Lateral Shifting/Translation? In this posture when looking at someone from the front, either a part of or the entire posture may be shifted to one side. We see this posture a lot with patients that have an anatomically shorter leg.

This will cause the patient to carry more weight on that side and the spine will usually shift to that side as well. Once the spine shifts from side to side it will again cause tension on the spinal cord and the delicate spinal nerves. Depending on where in the spine the lateral translation occurs it can cause a number of symptoms.

The 9 symptoms

• Neck pain
• Mid back pain
• Low back pain
• Numbness/tingling in the arms or down the legs
• Sciatica
• Knee pain
• Hip pain
• Ankle pain
• Digestive issues such as constipation.

What we do about it:

Conduct a thorough chiropractic evaluation. This includes a postural assessment. If necessary, x-rays may be recommended to truly see how the spine is aligned.
Present every patient with an individualized treatment plan. The treatment plan will consist of postural exercises, adjustments, and traction (if necessary) all designed to improve and reverse the abnormal posture and spinal alignment. Patients are taught specifically how their posture is misaligned and are also sent home with exercises to reverse the posture.

Next time you’re looking in the mirror, look at your posture. Do you shift from one side to another? Are you experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above? If so, call our office immediately for an evaluation and postural assessment.