Last time we talked about a 17 year old teenager who presented with a S-shaped scoliosis curve affecting the thoracic and lumbar spine.

This patient started postural correction care right away and a follow-up postural xray was taken 7 months later.

The thoracic curve which initially measured 28 degrees, now measured 19 degrees. This is a reduction (improvement) of 9 degrees.

The lumbar spine curve which initially measured 35 degrees, now measured 28 degrees. This is a reduction (improvement) of 7 degrees.

And another thing to note is that this patient became less reliant on the asthma puffer as the thoracic spine curve improved.

Why? Because better posture here allows better movement of the rib cage and thus improved lung capacity (more oxygen).

We are now in a holding pattern and even though a curve still remains, its impact on this patients overall health has been lessened.

Remember that all children should have a thorough posture check every year starting at 5 years of age.

Life Chiropractic Centre offers complimentary posture checks as a community service for all kids, and parents too.

The number to call to schedule your appointment is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

The parents of a 17 year old teenager noticed one day that their child’s rib cage was humping on one side.

They brought them in for a chiropractic and posture examination.

Postural xrays revealed an S –shaped scoliosis.

The thoracic spine curve measured 28 degrees and the lumbar spine curve measured 35 degrees.

There should be no curve in either of these parts of the spine; when looking at a spine from the back in the upright (standing position), it should be straight like a broomstick.

The only real health issue this teenager had was occasional asthma, but a curve of this degree is not beneficial for one’s overall health.

Remember that posture distortions in the thoracic spine can impair movement of the rib cage and thus impair lung capacity.

A scoliotic curve of this magnitude doesn’t take 2 months or even 2 years to develop.

A chiropractor who specializes in posture would have detected early indicators of this at the 5 to 7 years of age mark.

And if corrective care would have started at this age, it is highly unlikely the curve would have developed to the extent that it had.

This is an example of why all kids need a thorough posture examination every year starting at 5 years of age.

As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.

Life Chiropractic Centre offers complimentary posture checks as a community service for all children.

The number to call to make an appointment for your children is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

We have learned over the past few weeks how forward head posture (tech neck) and humpback (thoracic hyperkyphosis) can be contributory to carpal tunnel syndrome, upper back (shoulder) tension, headaches, lower back ache and fatigue (decreased lung capacity).

Some studies have even shown that this type of postural collapse has also been implicated in heart disease.

If you have not seen these posts yet, you can scroll down and check them out right here.I also gave you a few tips on how you can maintain an upright healthy posture especially when sitting and working at your computer, but if you habitual posture tends to slump forwards, this certainly warrants a further investigation.

The reason why is that for every inch of forward head posture that you have, this adds another 10 pounds of weight (stress) upon your neck and shoulders.

For example if you have 2 inches of forward head posture, this will add an extra 20 pounds of weight upon your neck and shoulders over and above the natural weight of your head.

The average head weighs about 12 pounds.

This kind of weight over the course of time can cause damage to your spine, especially the cervical spine (neck).

If you would like to have a more thorough investigation if you do have any concerns, I would like to invite you to come in for a complimentary posture check.

It is totally non-invasive, it only takes about 5 minutes and we can get some real head-weight numbers for you and then I can recommend a few options for you to correct this.

The number to call to reserve your appointment is 905 335 LIFE (5433) and feel free to bring in your kids as well and we can check your whole family at the same time.

And remember this appointment is of no charge to you.

We have learned over the past few weeks how forward head posture (tech neck) has been implicated in carpal tunnel syndrome, upper back tightness, headaches, lower back pain and fatigue.

And even you haven’t seen those videos yet, you can scroll down and check them out right here.

There is one other vital organ inside your chest cavity (thoracic cage) and that is your heart muscle.

So could postural collapse affect your heart in any way?

I am going to quote the summary of 2 studies and you can decide for yourself…

Kado (2005) evaluated the connection between posture and early mortality.
They evaluated the thoracic spine of 1353 elderly people and discovered that people with hyper-kyphotic posture (hump back) have a 144% greater rate of mortality.
In other words, as posture collapses, the percentage of dying before the normal lifespan greatly increases.

And a few years ago, the British Regional Health Study found that men who lost 3cm (1.2”) due to hyper-kyphotic posture (hump back) were 64% more likely to die of a heart attack.

Pay close attention to those numbers because they are more than significant.

So not only does postural collapse cause you to have musculoskeletal aches and pains, it can also impact internal organ function as well.

So if you are struggling with the aforementioned aches and pains, or your concerned about your heart and lung health, please be sure to watch our next video as I may have a solution for you.

We have learned how forward head posture (tech neck) can cause issues with your hands and wrists, upper back (shoulders), headaches and even lower back pain.

Have you ever noticed that after sitting at your computer for a while you feel tired and sluggish and you start yawning a lot?

There are a few reasons why this can happen but could one of the reasons why be your posture?

This is something that you can easily demonstrate on yourself.

Stand at attention and take in a great big deep breath. Pay attention to how freely your ribcage moves and how deep a breath you can take.

Now stand in a slouched forwards posture (head down looking at your feet) and do the same thing; paying attention to the movement of your ribcage and depth of breath.

There is no comparison right?

Your ribcage moves more freely (expands) and depth of breath is way deeper when in an upright posture.

Did you know that tech neck (postural collapse) can decrease your lung capacity by up to 30%?!

If you stand/sit with collapsed posture most of the day, not only is it unsightly but you are robbing yourself of vital oxygen which is needed by every single tissue cell in your body.

Another compelling reason to be mindful of your posture when interacting with technology.

Eyes up, chin up, breathe freely.

Everyone needs to be aware of the relation between neck posture and lower back pain.

Forward head posture or tech neck results from prolonged computer use.

Or using any form of technology for that matter.

As the head and neck collapse forwards, this will eventually cause humping of the upper back.

And if measures aren’t taken to correct this, postural collapse will progress.

This means increased forward head posture and increased humping of the upper back.

Now remember a thing called gravity?

Gravity acts upon our human frame all day every day.

And if your posture system is already collapsing forwards, the effect of gravity will further this collapse.

Now the way our posture system is designed, the pivot point of this collapse will be right across your waistline or lower back.

This is going to make your low back unhappy; the muscles will be continually stretched, the spinal joints and nerve roots will be continually irritated and chronic lower back ache will result.

Remember that this is a chain reaction affecting the entire posture system; starting with forward head posture (tech neck) – followed by humping of the upper back (thoracic hyper kyphosis) – resulting in collapse of the entire upper body (in the forward direction) with the pivot point being the lower back (lumbo-sacral junction).

Prevention all starts with being mindful of your posture … eyes up and chin up whenever you are interacting with technology.

Always!

Keep an eye on those precious children of yours until you know this is habitual with them.

Last time we talked about how forward head posture (tech neck) can cause those 2 hot spots in your upper back after sitting at your computer for prolonged periods.

You can check out that post by scrolling down if you haven’t seen it yet.

The same muscle that can cause those hot spots when it gets overstretched, can also cause headaches; especially along the base of the skull.These will typically be on your dominate side.

They may also travel around the side of your head to the temple, or up and over the top of your head and settle in your forehead/orbital area.What to do??

Always be mindful of your posture when sitting at your computer.

Eyes up and chin up always.

Poor posture is mind-less, good posture is mindful.

Take a posture break at least once an hour.Use your soft-gel icepack along the base of your skull for 10-15 minutes once or twice a day to soothe those tender spots.

Another uncomfortable symptom that can result from prolonged computer use is upper back tightness.

Specifically those 2 spots at the inner and upper tip of your shoulder blade (one on each side).

We have all had them; you often reach over your opposite shoulder and try to rub them out with your finger- tips.

In some people these can get nasty.

They can get real hard and start to burn.

How this happens is that there is a strip of muscle that travels from the base of your skull to that part of your shoulder blade.

Its job is to help elevate your shoulders.

Forward head posture or tech neck which happens with sitting a lot at the computer will stretch this muscle.

And after a while, the repetitive stretching will make the muscle angry where it attaches to boney tissue (shoulder blade) creating those tight and tender hot-spots.

What to do?

Three things…

Be mindful of posture when sitting at a computer.

Chin up and eyes up.

Be sure to take a posture break at least once every hour.

Place your soft-gel ice pack directly on those tender spots for 10 min once or twice a day.

The more comfortable you are when interacting with technology; the better your focus on your work or homework.

It seems that for the next few months, a lot of us will be homebound where we will inevitably find ourselves sitting in front of the computer more whether it is for school, work or entertainment.

Along with this can come some health issues such as eye strain, headaches, neck and shoulder tension, jaw tension, lower back ache, postural collapse and even weight gain.

Today we are going to talk about carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS.

CTS is a common problem in people who use their hands a lot; either on a computer or working with hand tools.

Sign and symptoms of CTS include pain, numbness and tingling in the fingers and thumbs, a burning sensation that seems to start in the hands and travel upwards into the arm, wrist pain at night especially when sleeping, swollen wrists and fingers in the morning with or without numbness and weakness of the forearm and hand muscles.

You would notice this as a loss of grip strength (you frequently drop things).
 
Two things that would predispose you to developing CTS; one is blockage of the nerves in the lower neck.

These nerves travel from your neck all the way down to your finger tips and control the entire upper limb. Secondly, the nerves can be blocked in the carpal tunnel which is in the wrist itself.

Here are a few tips for you on how to prevent CTS.

First of all, make sure to sit with an upright, healthy posture when at your computer. And make sure to take a 60 sec posture break at least once every hour. A stand-up desk is even better.

Secondly, be sure to stretch your hands and forearms frequently throughout the day.

For hands, open and close hands/fingers 10 to 15 times.

And for forearms, hold your arm straight out from your shoulder and with your other hand, gently pull your fingers back to stretch the bottom forearm muscles.

And then gently push your fingers down to stretch the top forearm muscles. (See video for demonstration.)

And be sure to hold these forearm stretches for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Here is another one of my favorite patient stories from the past year.

Patient testimonials are an excellent way to learn about the benefits of chiropractic care and what conditions it may help.

And this one is more for all the dads out there because we all know some men are stubborn and don’t like going to a doctor of any kind.

“I would like to thank Dr Brad for giving me my life back. You have given me pain-free days.

I had trouble going for walks. But now I can go on long walks with my family. I should have come to see him years ago. He has really helped me with my back problems.”

So how many “years ago” was it for this patient?

When his spouse started care with me, they had 2 young children. Now they have 3 grown kids and 4 grand-kids; all three generations of this family were under my care at one time or another.

So it took 25 years, constant coaxing from his spouse and a nasty episode of lower back pain before he decided to go to the chiropractor. And he really did dodge a bullet with his back because it was touch and go for a few weeks.

A couple of months ago he mentioned to me during his regular checkup that he had recently gone for a 40 minute bike ride.

Something he hadn’t been able to do for 20 years. So even though he is long through the crisis, he is still noticing improvement in his activities of daily living.

Prevention is always a far better approach, but sometimes it does hold true that it’s better late than never.