We all remember the song growing up… "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!" It teaches our little ones about the body but also shows how everything is connected and moves together. There are several songs we recite growing up just like this but at what age do we forget that lesson?! So often we tell ourselves that pain in one area has nothing to with another, and that by addressing a single area we are taking care of the entire problem.

Why then does that pesky upper back pain keep coming back?

POSTURE! Our parents and grandparents had it right all along when they would tell us to sit up straight, stop slouching, and look up when walking. The more we shift our head forward and round our shoulders the more pressure is put on the back of the head, upper back and lower back, leading to pain and dysfunction with the movement of the shoulders and hips. Recently we have been seeing an alarming number of teens with reversed neck curves and rounded mid back spines due to the positions of looking down at phones, computers and studying. This leads to premature degeneration of the spine and hip joints. Altered movement patterns lead to changes in muscle tension leading to issues such as upper cross syndrome, lower cross syndrome, headaches, sciatica, IT band syndrome, and knee pain.

Let's break these down a little; Upper Cross syndrome is when the chest and front muscles are tighter, pulling the back muscles to the point of over stretching, leading to forward rounded shoulders. Lower cross syndrome is when the hamstrings are so tight that they pull on the pelvis causing the quads to be weaker and stretching the lower back muscles and tightening the hip flexors not allowing for a full range of motion of your gait and can cause sciatica which is pain down the legs or pain in the hips. The others are results of tight muscles and nerve pressure as well and can be quite debilitating when left unchecked. Good news! Below are some easy actions to do to avoid these pitfalls of modern life.

First, get checked regularly for subluxation and nerve pressure by a chiropractor. Second, get up and move! Stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weaker ones to help restore balance between the muscle groups. Third, make sure your ergonomics with work and play are proper. For work ergonomics watch our video on Home Workstation Ergonomics with Dr. Leah Meadows. For stretches and other videos check out Energize Chiropractic and Wellness Facebook page and YouTube Channel.