It seems to be quite common that by the age of 13, 80% of adolescents have developed some type of hunch in the upper back!
Due to the ongoing changes in life, society is forcing us to become wired to a phone or computer. This is causing more and more of these “kyphotic” postures to occur.
Thankfully there are a few ways to help combat the hunch!
– Get Exercising! (Simple and effective way to get the body moving)
What Happens When It’s To Late?
Good news is kyphotic or hunch like postures are usually due to a functional issue! This means that our team of chiropractors are able to use specific adjustments to help make changes to the structure of the spine and alleviate the tension within the spinal segments. Of the hunch is due to a severe injury or structural abnormality it becomes very difficult to make those changes although catching things like this at an early stage can help manage the issue before it gets worse!
If you feel that your teen is suffering from hunch like symptoms our practitioners are here to help!
We have chiropractors that are available specifically for infants and children with the ability to run you through different treatment plans to fulfill your child’s needs!
To make an appointment call us on 9302 1023 or book online today!
This is when you are sitting with your head forward, away from its ‘neutral’ position. When our head is sitting in a forward position, it increases the load and compression on the neck. As a general rule, every 2.5cm that the head is in a forward posture, an additional 4-5kg of weight is felt on the neck!
Forward head posture
Rounding shoulders is exactly what it sounds like. You may often hear people refer to this as being in a slouched position. We can begin to develop rounding or rolled forward shoulders after being in this sustained, hunched position and adapting it as a postural habit.
Slouching in upper back
When the spine of the upper back curves at an increased angle. This can also be known as an increased kyphosis. This position is often adapted after continuously maintaining a slouched position, rounding shoulders and forward head carriage.
Increased curve in lower back
This is also known as increased lordosis or hyper lordosis. In this position, your pelvis tilts forward and creates an exaggerated curve in your mid to lower back region.
Good vs Poor Posture
What’s the cause of posture problems?
Desk Work
Long periods of driving
Incorrect sleeping positions or pillow
Weak stabilising muscles
Hypertonic muscles
Structural or functional changes such as scoliosis
Sedentary activity
Progression of the ageing process (degeneration)
What can be done to help prevent posture issues from occurring?
Awareness of your posture
Stretching and using things such as a posture pole
Keeping active!
Ergonomic working environments
Using the correct pillow
Correct Seating Posture vs Incorrect
Benefits of Having a Good Posture:
Reduction of muscle tension
Decreased stress on joints and ligaments
Increase in energy and mood
Decreases the risk of injury
Helps decrease episodes of pain and tension throughout the body
How Can Our Team Help?
Depending on the severity of the injury or area of concern our practitioners in our Broadmeadows, Westmeadows and Fawkner Clinics will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:
Spinal manipulation, Activator Methods, Drop Piece, SOT and other adjustive techniques can help alleviate joints that have restriction such as spinal segments and joints (LeFebvre, Peterson & Haas, 2012)
PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality of the wrist and hand also maintains strength and improves patients in both long and short-term outcomes.
Remedial Massage, Trigger point therapy or use of handheld massager – Have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility (Shah et al., 2015) (Imtiyaz, Veqar & Shareef, 2014)
Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term impact. (Gardner, Lally & Wardle, 2012)
Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores. (Fernandes, Pedrinelli & Hernandez, 2015)
Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area of the hand and forearm.
