Poor posture
Poor posture probably affects the large majority of the population. You only have to look around to see people stooping as they walk or sitting in a slouched position. It seems that we are becoming unable to deal with the force of gravity!

It is true that we have evolved well to stand and move on two feet but modern living means that we do less and less of this and rely more and more on machines such as cars. We are becoming more and more sedentary in our lives and this is now starting at an early age with children more likely to be playing football on a computer than on a football pitch.

Our bodies are not designed to spend long periods of time in sedentary postures and joints become pulled or pushed out of their aligned ‘centred’ positions that they are designed to be in. This alters the pattern of weight-bearing through the joints, very often shifting the strain away from the bony part of the spine, which is well adapted to take a large percentage of the mechanical loading, placing it more on the soft tissues and in particular muscles. However this incorrect loading pattern is not balanced leading to some muscles becoming very strong and others weakening and becoming fatigued to the extent that they may fail in their ability to support and give symptoms of pain, stiffness and disability.

Poor posture is implicated in most mechanical conditions from low back pain to migraine headaches. Although there may be more serious health risks associated with poor posture such as respiratory problems, difficulty with swallowing, vascular problems, digestive problems and depression, it is often the more cosmetic reasons that bring patients to see us, as they are worried about getting ‘round-shouldered’ or ‘hollow-backed’.

Osteopaths are well trained not only to properly assess posture but also to identify these areas of functional instability and muscular overload. At the Sussex Back Pain Clinic, we have invested in state-of-the-art scanning equipment, called a Spinal Mouse, to show you where your problems are.

We are armed with gentle and effective treatment techniques which, along with proper education and exercise advice, can restore the balance once again, reduce the load on soft tissues and place it firmly back on the stronger and less fatigable bony structures, reducing the risk of incapacitating deformity or severe pain.