Posture Supports are brace like devices that work to keep your back in a straight position. They can help assist posture whilst doing strenuous activities or long hours of bent over work/desk work.
What is considered poor posture?
Poor posture is becoming more common as the world becomes technologically advanced and more sedentary over time. Many of these “poor postures” that we see can be simply from desk work or from looking down at screens for prolonged periods.
Poor Posture Comparisons
What do posture supports do?
Posture supports aim to correct your posture by removing the pressure and the stress accompanied with poor posture. Great for short term but if you are looking for long term outcomes the posture brace may weaken your secondary muscles and overall weaken your upper back further. Also, even though your posture may look great with a posture support on it should only be worn for 3 hours at a time mean that the muscles that should be working to hold the shoulders back naturally no longer have to work to do this.
What can you do to improve your posture instead of posture braces?
The pelvis has several nerves and muscles that pass through the area and refer to each other depending on the issue at hand. Pelvic pain is a complaint that may be experienced typically at the base of the low back, the Sacro iliac joints (SIJ) or in the sides of the gluteus maximus muscles.
What are the causes of pelvic pain?
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Anterior pelvic tilts occur when the pelvis is moved towards the front of the pubis and the SIJ’s are lifted upwards. The feeling of this can be one of an extenuated low back curve which may be uncomfortable or even painful.
Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Posterior pelvic tilts occur when the pelvis tilts backwards lowering the SIJ’s and bringing the pubis up. The feeling can be that of stiffness and a loss of the lumbar curve which can cause increased pressure on the intervertebral discs which may lead to degeneration.
Lateral Pelvic Tilt
Lateral pelvic tilt causes changes to “leg length”. This can also be caused by scoliosis of the lumbar spine and can cause instability between both sides of the body. This can lead to one side of the body in more pain than the other side and cause discrepancies in muscle tone between both sides.
Pelvic Instability
Pelvic Instability can be caused by trauma such as dislocation of the pubic symphysis during childbirth or changes to the sacroiliac joints where they become affected.
Symptoms of an anterior pelvic tilt can include pain at the base of the low back, a feeling of having tight low back muscles, thighs or hamstrings, or feeling a lack of strength in the gluteus and core muscles.
Chiropractic Care helps with pelvic concerns as joint mobilization and muscle relaxation helps with changing overall biomechanics. Pelvic pain due to tilting or rotation can be alleviated with simple spinal adjusting which involves the chiropractor in using a force that moves the joints into a particular range back to its “regular” state. A chiropractor may also use low force techniques such as drop piece or pelvic blocks which help to encourage the pelvis to sit in a more comfortable position to alleviate pain. The main goal of our team of chiropractors at The Melbourne Chiropractor is to restore mobility, range of motion, decrease overall pain and reset the joints out of alignment to help correct posture in the affected region/s. BOOK NOW
The Melbourne Chiropractor has a team of Remedial Massage Therapists that have worked with Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Physiotherapists in the past and are able to give patients the ideal co-management needed for better long term care and progression throughout the healing process.
What Do Our Remedial Massage Therapists Offer?
Treatment that covers area of concern and referral pains.
Holistic treatment that is ideal for your body
Use of various therapeutic techniques aimed at decrease inflammation and pain.
Goal setting for optimal health and function for the whole body.
Promotion of healing, relaxation and muscle ease.
Our Remedial Massage Therapists provide 30, 45, 60, and 90 minute appointment slots.
Our Remedial Massage Therapist are claimable through Private Health
Our bodies work through allot of stress throughout the day and therefor we will tight and tender when things start to crumble. We may find when this happens, changes to our posture and poor habits begin to show causing a decline in our musculoskeletal health. One of the biggest causes can be desk work or poor sleeping habits which may irritate both the neck and lower back areas.
About Cupping
Cupping can be used for various musculoskeletal injuries or issues that may arise. This treatment modality works best on large areas meaning its great for people suffering with upper back pain or low back pain. Its also great for joint inflammation, areas of overuse and of course tight muscles. These can include conditions such as pelvic pain, buttock pain, leg pain (hamstrings or quadraceps), neck pain and shoulder pain.
What is Myofascial Cupping?
Myofascial Cupping is a remedial massage technique that gently lifts the muscle tissue using suction cups to help the fascia return to an ideal position whilst increasing blood circulation and the bodies’ ability to absorb nutrients within the area the cups are applied to, thus speeding up repair of the area and its surrounding tissues.
The TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) can become one those areas that makes an annoying clicking sounds to one that brings on excruciating headaches and face pain. It is the main joint that connect your jaw to your skull and has many ligaments, muscles and nerves associated with the region. Most common causes of Jaw pain are due to stress, trauma, arthritis, grinding your teeth, clenching or joint dysfunction.
Our Chiropractors may use adjustments on your jaw if we see there is a need to. Most of the times only 5 to 10% of cases need to be adjusted as muscles in the area are usually the main problem.
Exercises or Stretches
We recommend certain exercises or stretches to help alleviate tension within the region. Usually due to the extreme tightness within the jaw gentle stretches and exercises can help out allot, especially with preventing flareups of the region.
Chiropractors may use soft tissue release techniques especially trigger points in the area as muscle bundles tend to form. Surrounding musculature may also be involved and will be treated accordingly based on the examination findings.
Our Chiropractors will also look at your posture and check for any related issues to the problem. Sleeping habits and lifestyle changes such as standing desks or better sitting ergonomics can go a long way especially with upper body tension and tightness.
Tips To Help Reduce TMJ pain
Using Heat or Ice packs help to relax the facial muscles surrounding the TMJ area.
Gentle Stretches to the area can help improve joint mobility (Open, close and side to side movements)
Note* If you are currently suffering from any problematic concerns such as jaw pain, neck or back pain, are wondering what we do on your first chiropractic session or would like to make a booking, you can always contact us to find out more! Online bookings available 7 days a week Saturdays and Sundays @ https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now
Chiropractic care is recognized as being a way to help decrease pain and increase overall functional well-being. Chiropractor’s may help you achieve a healthier lifestyle by giving you strategies to overcome stress, injuries, pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions. This can all be done with various methods and not one person is treated the same to the other hence why many modalities are used to make the changes needed to make a difference!
Remedial Massage is the oldest form of physical therapy, this specific form is more than just a relaxation technique. What Remedial Massage aims to do is find the “knots” also known as trigger points and apply pressure to them. What this does is release the knots where the pressure is applied allowing the muscles to free up. Our select team of practitioners are qualified to practice remedial therapy meaning that you are in good hands when choosing our services at The Melbourne Chiropractor.
Increased strength and functionality of muscle tissues
Return of correct biomechanics
Provide instant muscle release
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas and groups
Who can be treated?
Massage and Myotherapy can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic muscles, muscular tension, overuse injury, painful tendons, tender ligaments and more.
Symptoms Treated
Muscle Pain
Joint Pain
Bone Pain
Neck Pain
Back Pain
Arm Pain
Leg Pain
Frozen Shoulder
Golfer’s Elbow
Carpal Tunnel
Tennis Elbow
Sciatica
Headaches
Migraines
Sinus Symptoms
TMJ & Jaw Pain
Tension-type Headaches
Dry Needling
Dry needling can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic and tender muscles, overuse injury, painful tendons, tender ligaments and more.
Many muscular related conditions are thought to be a primary contributing factor to pain and other related symptoms. These conditions include, but are not limited to neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, golfer’s elbow, headaches, migraines and tension-type headaches, jaw pain, buttock pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, sciatica, hamstrings strains, calf tightness/spasms.
Increased strength and functionality of muscle tissue
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas and groups (muscle strain, tendon injuries, TMJ)
Cupping
Cupping is a technique that can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic and tender muscles, overuse injury and more.
Many muscular related conditions are thought to be a primary contributing factor to pain and other related symptoms. These conditions include, but are not limited to headaches, migraines, tension-type headaches, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, tennis elbow, buttock pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, sciatica, hamstrings strains, calf tightness/spasms.
Increased strength and functionality of muscle tissue
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas and groups (muscle strain, hip/glute/hamstring/quadricep injuries)
Note* If you are currently suffering from any problematic concerns such as neck or back pain, are wondering what we do on your first chiropractic session or would like to make a booking, you can always contact us to find out more! Online bookings available 7 days a week Saturdays and Sundays @ https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now
How long you have had poor posture is not a reason to think it cannot be changed, the biggest issue, is how it was caused and what other underlying factors such as trauma or medical problems the patient is dealing with. Most times we find that posture can be improved within the first 8-12 weeks if it is a functional cause, although depending on the severity it may take up to 6 months to see changes in areas that are severely degenerated and affected by poor posture. Lifestyle factors and habits will also come in to play as forward posture at the desk from long hours can limit the amount of change from therapy.
Note* If you are currently suffering from postural issues the early you start the better off you will be. If you are wondering what we do on your first chiropractic session or would like to make a booking, you can always contact us to find out more! Online bookings also available 7 days a week @ https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now
Back pain is known as the most common cause of bodily pain in Australia. It affects up to 90% of the population at least once throughout their life. There are many different forms of back pain ranging from acute to chronic with various symptoms associated with it. They may include radiating pain down the legs or pins and needles in lower body regions.
Our Chiropractor will assess the areas that are restricted within the spine in both the upper and lower sections to ensure they correct the dysfunctions identified. This will help improve function in the area by reducing tension and alleviating the pain causing the issue. Surrounding areas will also be assessed to ensure that they are not pulling or twisting the area in an unnatural position causing what we think to be the “main” cause of back pain.
Low Back Stretches and Exercises
Low Back exercises and Low Back Stretches may be implemented to help assist with building strength and maintaining flexibility throughout the area of concern. The exercises will be tailored towards what areas of the body need exercise and stretches although general exercises will be given aswell to ensure that the patient has a variety to choose from to suit their needs.
If needed our chiropractors may refer you to our remedial massage therapists or even implement other modalities such as Dry Needling or Cupping to help decrease muscle tightness, especially for people suffering with low back pain.
Our Chiropractors at The Melbourne Chiropractor understand that different modalities should be used to help alleviate pain and discomfort. there is not one recipe that works for every patient hence why our clinic has various practitioners performing different types of chiropractic care. Posture for low back pain can be a big problem and this is why our chiropractors will check for instability within the hips, changes to toe in and toe out of the foot and changes to upper back and lower back curvature. It is common to find underlying postural related issues that can have an impact long term on recovering from back pain hence why our team take a holistic approach to chiropractic care to ensure everything gets done the right way from the beginning.
Our Broadmeadows Chiropractor especially has worked with patients of surgeons who have had spinal fusions or surgeries related to previous low back pain. What we find is patients who have had surgery before have a limitation in low back movement hence why we try to alleviate the tension associated with the area that has been fused. At times we also may refer patients out to surgeons to get a second set of eyes to look at the situation although most of the time we will refer to a doctor to get the right information to proceed. Most times our team of chiropractors will refer for an X-ray and create a report before sending a patient of to a GP for further testing.
On your first visit your chiropractor will do an examination and conduct an assessment which includes:
A collection of prior health history Our Chiropractors collect information that helps to find imbalances throughout your general health and wellbeing. Sometimes the cause of pain may be from certain movements at work, health or medical conditions or something as simple as bending over and hurting your back. By collating the information we need it allows us to understand what you are experiencing and also use this information to help create a personalised treatment plan.
Mobility and Flexibility Tests During this part of the examination we aim to move your joints though their range of motion to look out for any restrictions or pain throughout the joint. This can be done in 2 ways, either actively which is done on your own or passively where the chiropractor moves the joint for you.
Orthopaedic and neurological tests During orthopaedic and neurological examinations, your Chiropractor will go through the following tests: – Muscle strength tests and functional tests – Pain levels of the region of complaint – Nerve function – Joint stability and function
Posture Assessment Your Chiropractor will look out for discrepancies in posture such as scoliosis, kyphosis, rounding of shoulders (poor posture) and other variances throughout the body such as hip or shoulder drop. This enables our Chiropractors to find reasons indicating an issue with poor posture and alignment in regions such as the hips, lower limbs, ankles or feet.
Chiropractic Room in Broadmeadows
Spinal x-rays
When there is a reason for it, your Broadmeadows Chiropractor will refer you for Spinal X-rays to get an understanding of the underlying causes to your issue. Your Broadmeadows Chiropractor may also check spinal alignment and any other anomalies present that you were not aware of at the time.
Chiropractic Adjustments are used to help bring the body back to its natural balance. All adjustments are used to target areas of restriction and to decrease overall tension and alleviate pain within the area.
Progress examinations
Progress examinations are a visit created to evaluate your condition and progress throughout the time you have been visiting the clinic. At times if we see only minimal improvements have been made, other modalities such as dry needling or cupping may be implemented to help relieve the pain. Alternatively we may refer you to other health professionals to examine your complaint so that we can get you back on track as quick as we possibly can.
Long periods of sitting in an office chair is most likely going to cause issues with your back and neck. Slouching, hanging your head over and sliding down the chair can strain muscles and cause a muscle imbalance within the area. By doing this spinal structures can be damaged and back pain or neck pain may arise from the issue and at times headaches and migraines may become more prominent.
What Is Back Pain In Desk Workers?
It is common for desk workers to have back pain as muscles are working continuously to keep us upright in a chair. Especially now that people are working from home and not using an ergonomic setup we have found that our locals from our Westmeadows, Broadmedows and Fawkner clinics who are now working from home are suffering from this. From neck pain to back pain sedentary activities such as desk work put you at risk of restricting physical activity that could be doing you good.
At The Melbourne Chiropractor we use different treatment modalities for back pain depending on the issue. Not everyone’s back pain is the same hence why we try to offer as many things possible to the patient. The biggest thing you can be doing in the office is looking after your posture! Standing desks are a good step in the right direction but also ergonomic seating with head support is ideal. Taking breaks every 30 minutes for a quick stretch and moving your screen to eye level are some easy ways to help support your body.
If you are finding it hard to manage your back pain and it is to far gone, you can always contact us to see how we can help you today. If we feel that during our examination what we provide for you is not suitable, we can always refer you out to the best professional for your problem. We may like to implement things such as Manual Adjustments, Remedial Massage, Dry Needling and Cupping to help alleviate symptoms or even prescribe exercises and stretches for back pain to help the problem.
Book Online Today!
It is common for people to complain about back pain as it has a significant effect on someone’s family life, daily activities, work life and recreational activities. Our team at The Melbourne Chiropractor are able to help you with issues such as back pain.
If you want to know more about what we do or would like us to help with your back pain contact us today and visit one of our locations at Broadmeadows, Westmeadows or Fawkner.
