3 steps to correcting posture
You notice that your posture is suffering. Maybe your shoulders are rounding forward and your head is hanging in front of you. You find yourself standing on one leg most of the time and the other sticks out to the side or one hip or shoulder is higher than the other. You see a lack of symmetry and you feel the imbalances in everyday activities. KNOWING that the deviation is there is the first step! Aesthetics is one aspect, but in most cases the painful side effects on your muscles and joints are the biggest reason to start your journey towards correcting these misalignments. So now how do you move forward? Many people think strengthening is the key to correcting but these do not always go hand-in-hand. Yes, typically there is an overactive muscle and a corresponding under-active muscle which can be strengthened but first we want to STRAIGHTEN.
The second step, straighten, involves reconnecting your load joints (shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.) Proper anatomical alignment suggests each are in line with each other and stacked above and below the other load joints. This involves a lot of strategic, gravity-based movements that let the muscles “figure it out themselves” rather than the “no pain, no gain” mentality of trying to strengthen a “weak” muscle. Exercises such as Static Back from PTX Therapy are an excellent example of this and is highly effective at resetting deep, structural muscles… and it’s so simple! This second step make take longer for some than others depending on the issues you are dealing with individually.
Stay in static back position for 5-10 minutes or until you feel your low back settle to the floor.
The third step is to STRENGTHEN AND MAINTAIN. Once the initial pain is gone you must continue the most critical exercises to keep from regressing back to pain. (Yes, you can spend much less time once the biggest adjustments are made and your pain subsides, making this totally customizable.) This is the key to long-lasting results. As you maintain, you can increase your workload while ensuring that you are balanced and not strengthening unnecessary compensations.
For the most effective and efficient recovery, it is recommended to find a posture alignment specialist who can guide you. Many resources you will see recommend general strengthening techniques but are not aware of what YOUR body is trying to tell you. A specialist can help you discover the answers and the pain-free lifestyle you have been searching for. Visit this link to see how easy it is to get started! Happy healing.