Minneapolis Chiropractor: Four Causes of Poor Posture

Causes of Poor Posture

As a chiropractor, I can’t help but notice everyone’s posture as I walk around my community in Minneapolis / St Paul. Uneven shoulders or hips, forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and a wide range of other postural distortions.

When friends and family share funny falls and blooper YouTube videos with me, the only thing I see as a chiropractor is how those mishaps can lead to a lifetime of health issues.

Most of my patients who walk into Minneapolis Chiropractic Center have no idea that a forgotten incident years ago is the cause of their pain and suffering. Here are the top four ways people can get their spines misaligned without even knowing.

Minor Auto Accidents

Have you ever found yourself inching forward at a snail’s pace on interstate 94 through Minneapolis only to pass a fender bender… and thinking to yourself “thank goodness no one is hurt”?

Too often victims of minor to moderate auto or motorcycle accidents think that they’re okay because their injuries didn’t warrant immediate emergency care, or that maybe adrenaline kicked in and their pain or discomfort got overshadowed by the stress of the situation.

Spinal misalignments and injuries can definitely occur during a minor to moderate automobile accident (and definitely in major wrecks) – and reach intolerable levels days, weeks, months, or even years after the initial impact. That’s because in due time, gravity and compensatory postural habits will start putting pressure on the already misaligned spine.

After a fender bender, pay close attention to kids or toddlers in your car. Just because they aren’t crying or holding their necks or heads, doesn’t mean their spine isn’t misaligned. Chiropractic care is for people of all ages, so my advice is to take your child to a chiropractor within 72 hours of the accident to make sure their spines aren’t misaligned.

Sports Injuries / Horseplay

We’ve all either played sports as kids, teens, or adults, or have been pushed in a pool, knocked down by an overzealous uncle during a family flag football game, tripped down a couple of stairs, fallen off the swings, or took a fall on our behind during ice skating lessons at age 7.

If you watch 5 minutes of America’s Funniest Home Videos, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. They may be amusing or funny for a split moment, and the “victim” could bounce right up and laugh it up with their friends, but 9 times out of 10 a slight misalignment of the spine has taken place. Again, if left untreated by a chiropractor, this slight misalignment can turn into a major pain in the back within weeks or months.

Poor Postural Habits

We all have a mobile phone nowadays (or tablets, or laptops…), and we all find ourselves hunching over them more and more every day. Whether you are texting your friends or family members, reading up on the latest gossip, updating your social media profiles, or getting work done, the strain placed on the neck and shoulders can lead to a lifetime of pain and discomfort.

Our bodies were designed to walk, run, and enjoy an active life. Sitting behind a computer all day at the office, or curling up with your laptop in bed to binge-watch the latest Netflix Original for hours at a time will definitely have an adverse effect on your health.
They say the posture you hold for 20 minutes, is the posture you will keep for a lifetime. My patients at the Minneapolis Chiropractic Center know far too well how poor postural habits can throw their postures off alignment. My advice as a chiropractor is to set a timer to remind yourself to get out of your seat or break your poor postural habit every 20 minutes. Put your phone down or laptop, pause your TV, and take a 5 minute walk. Drink a tall glass of water, and stretch your neck, back, and limbs in every which direction for a few minutes.

While this alone won’t help you realign your spine back to its normal shape, it will help you break poor postural habits.

Birth Trauma

Most people don’t realize, but the birthing process can cause your first subluxation or spinal misalignment. That’s because most doctors pull on the newborn’s head in order to get them out of the mom’s belly. That pulling on a neck that has never been subjected to trauma before will create the baby’s first postural issue.

At a Minneapolis chiropractor , I highly recommend new moms see a chiropractor – not just for themselves, but more importantly for their newborn. A gentle adjustment can be all that your baby needs to realign his or her young spine, and allow for a healthy life.

You think you may need a chiropractic checkup after reading this blog? I don’t blame you… so do I. This article took me 30 minutes to write, and my neck is feeling the effects of it!

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