Think your posture is causing you pain?
Posture-related injuries
Hours at a desk, on your phone or behind the wheel can leave your neck, shoulders and back stiff and sore. We find what is driving your pain and give you a plan to move and feel better.
Posture-related injuries are increasingly common. Work and screens keep us sitting for longer, often stooped over a laptop or hunched on a long commute. With more people now working from home, the problem is only growing.
Many people think pain and stiffness are normal and will go away on their own. Sadly, if poor posture continues, the pain usually builds until it has to be dealt with. Postural injuries are now one of the most common causes of pain we see in clinic.
Why is good posture important?
Good posture helps you move with more energy and less strain and fatigue. It is a key part of being physically fit.
With good posture, your bones are well aligned, so your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as they should. It also supports your organs and the normal working of your nervous system.
Common causes of poor posture include:
- Spending a lot of time sitting
- Lack of exercise
- A poor driving position
- Poor technique when training
- High heels
What causes these pains?
Look around any waiting room and you will see it: someone with a phone wedged between ear and shoulder, someone else bent over a laptop. It is little wonder neck, shoulder and back pain are so common.
A bent-forward neck, rounded shoulders and a hunched upper back are a poor combination. We usually link them with neck, shoulder or back ache, but they can cause pain in places you might not expect.
Your brain is the command centre for your body, linked to it by your nerves. The spinal cord runs from the brain down through your spine. At each level, nerves branch off to give your limbs feeling and movement. Because nerves control your muscles, putting them under stress can affect how muscles work throughout your body.
Over time, poor posture tends to lengthen the muscles in your back and shorten the tissues at the front of your body, leaving you stiff and less mobile. It also puts a stretch on the spinal cord itself.
The spinal cord does not like sustained stress, so it tells the surrounding muscles to tighten to protect it. If you spend enough time in these positions, this nerve tension can lead to headaches, ongoing hamstring tightness and calf cramps, as well as the familiar neck, shoulder and back pain.
The key is to limit this stress and keep your tissues mobile before problems start. The best way to do that is to move regularly. Exercise, and move little and often with purpose, and you may avoid needing physiotherapy at all.
It isn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. It is the camel that sat still for so long it could no longer carry any straw at all.
Years of poor posture and weakness eventually take their toll.
What injuries occur due to poor posture?
Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff-related pain
The space in the shoulder joint narrows and squeezes one or more tendons. This happens when tight chest muscles and long, weak upper back muscles pull the shoulder forwards.
Lower back pain
A wide range of problems can cause a general, spread-out ache in the lower back.
Neck pain
A spread-out ache that can travel into your shoulders, usually from working at a desk or computer. It is easy to slump during the working day, with your back rounding and your neck poking forward.
Knee pain
A general ache around the front of the knee, usually caused by the way you walk (your gait). It tends to get worse going downstairs or after sitting for a long time. Gait analysis can help pinpoint the cause.
Piriformis syndrome
The piriformis muscle, deep in the buttock, can press on the sciatic nerve. This causes sciatica-type pain that travels down the back of the leg. Crossing your legs or imbalanced hip muscles can make the muscle tight.
Regular exercise and stretching are the best ways to help yourself, making overuse injuries less likely.
Want to know how Recover Physio can help with posture-related pain? Arrange a free, no-obligation telephone consultation with one of our chartered physiotherapists. We will talk through your symptoms and explain if, and how, physiotherapy can help. Use the link below to book, or call us on 01424 444005.
We treat a wide range of posture problems. Do any of these look familiar?
How do I book a physiotherapy assessment?
If you think your posture is causing your pain, book using a link below, email us at Reception@recoverphysio.co.uk or call us on 01424 444005.
Posture can have a big impact on your quality of life. Physiotherapy can help you move better and get back to doing what you need to do.
