BayStatePT_How Posture Affects Your Neck and Back

BayStatePT_How Posture Affects Your Neck and Back

Happy Holidays FROM YOUR TEAM AT BAY STATE PHYSICAL THERAPY N E W S L E T T E R

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INSIDE : • Simple Tips for Shoveling Snow • Improve Your Posture HOW POSTURE AFFECTS YOUR NECK & BACK YOU CAN BE FREE FROM PAIN THIS HOLIDAY Backandneckpainhaveseveralunderlyingcauses.Poorposture isacommon culprit,and thiscancausenegativechanges in thespine’sanatomyover time. It can affect the muscles, joints, and ligaments of the spine. Poor posture can have a lasting impact on your neck and back. The worse your posture is, the more intense your back and neck pain can become. Poor posture isn’tanything tobeembarrassedabout.Very fewpeoplehaveperfect posture, and most people have bad posture habits in one way or another. We become so wrapped up in whatever tasks we are doing that we forget to think about the way our bodies are positioned. If you are experiencing back or neck pain, your posture could be the cause. Contact Bay State Physical Therapy today to find relief. How Can I Tell if My Back or Neck Pain is Caused by Posture? It is true that there are several factors that can lead to back or neck pain, and posture is just one of many possibilities.There are certain ways that you can tell if neck or back pain may be a result of poor posture, including:

• Tasty Recipe: Orange Cranberry Bread • Posture Affects Back & Neck Pain

• Pain that worsens at certain times of day. For example, after you’ve spent a day at the office or after a few hours on the couch. • Pain that frequently starts in your neck and moves into your upper and lower back. Pain that seems to travel from one area of the back to another is frequently an indication of posture strength or endurance issues. • Pain that subsides after switching positions, such as switching from sitting to standing or vice versa. • Pain that develops soon after a change in ergonomic structure, such as starting a new job with a new desk chair or getting a new car. If poor posture becomes a habit in your life, it is also likely that you will find standing or sitting with proper posture to be uncomfortable. This is because your muscles have grown accustomed to the slouching, and standing up straightwillrequiresomethoroughstretchingandstrengthening.However,that doesn’t mean it can’t be corrected – with physical therapy treatments, we can help improve your posture so you can sit and stand comfortably once again.

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HOW POSTURE AFFECTS YOUR NECK & BACK

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How Can Physical Therapy Help? Physical therapy is a great way to regain normal posture. Our physical therapists are experts in movement, and they are great resources to have when trying to achieve your physical performance goals.They will aid you improving your balance, stability, flexibility, and mobility, all of which will positively affect your posture.  Working with a physical therapist to improve your posture can also help you overcome your neck and back pain. During your treatments, you will be guided through a series of stretches and strength building exercises that can help you begin training your body to practice better posture, thereby reducing your back and neck pain.

There are a lot of benefits to having good posture. Aside from relieving your neck and back pain, improving yourposturewithaphysical therapist can also provide several unexpected benefits toyour lifestyleandpersonal well-being. These include: • Quality exercise for your core and back • Improved respiratory health • Added protection for your organs,

muscles and to stretch the tight ones! So, what does the most appropriate posture look like? Letus focusonsittingposturefirst.Whenseated,maintain thenaturalcurve of the spine, both cervical and lumbar. The ideal posture when sitting is to keep the neck in line with the shoulders. The shoulders should be pulled back and the back should not be slouched, with feet resting on the ground.  When working on a laptop or phone, the screen should be at eye level. This will avoid excess stress on the muscles leading to a faulty posture. These factors also apply to your standing posture. Exaggerated lumbar lordosis is a common condition adapted in the standing position and is most often seen in the gym while squatting. This type of posture is one of the causes of lower back pain.   Stretchingandstrengthening isvital; itcanhelpyoumaintaincorrectposture for a longer duration of time. Even the basic exercises such as chin tucks, scapular retractions, and core stabilization are used to avoid anterior pelvic tilt. In order to ensure good posture and avoid pain, maintain the optimum ergonomicprinciples, stretch to improveyour flexibility, andstrengthen your weak muscles. References: Posture Matters: Back and Neck Pain- Spine Care articles- Bert Bednar, DPT  How Posture Causes Neck Pain- Gavin Morrison, PT  SIMPLE TIPS FOR SHOVELING SNOW Snow shoveling can lead to a number of health risks for many people, from back injuries to heart attacks. The following tips can help keep you safer when you set out to shovel: Warm up. Warm your muscles before heading out to shovel by doing some light movements, such as bending side to side or walking in place. Push rather than lift. Pushing the snow with the shovel instead of lifting can help reduce the strain on your body. Lighten your load. Consider using a lighter-weight plastic shovel instead of a metal one to help decrease the weight being lifted. Consider multiple trips. Consider shoveling periodically throughout the storm to avoid having to move large amounts of snow at once. Keep up with snowfall. Try to shovel snow shortly after it falls, when it is lighter and fluffier. The longer snow stays on the ground, the wetter it can become. Wet snow is heavier and harder to move.

bones, joints, and muscles • Reduced risk of arthritis

If you are experiencing neck or back pain, there is a good chance that it could be related to your posture. Contact Bay State PhysicalTherapy to learn more about how you can take the necessary steps to start improving your posture today!

POSTURE AFFECTS BACK & NECK PAIN By: Tejasvi Pawar, PTA of BSPT Randolph Do you remember your mom or your teacher telling you to sit straight? Well, moms arenever wrong! According toa recent survey, health risks arise from adaptingapoorposturewhenusingphonesand laptops.Mostof theyounger population suffers from neck and back pain. By adapting bad posture, you can increase the aging of your bones and joints. The faulty posture causes your muscles and joints to have to go an extra mile to support your posture. When looking at your computer screen, your neck is moving beyond your shoulders causing excessive stress on your cervical/lumbar spine and muscles.Thisdeviationfrom thephysiologicalpostureoverloads themuscles, which are active restraints to the joints. Over time, when the muscles and joints are overloaded, it causes alterations of your posture. A forward head position causes rounded shoulders, forward heading, tightness of anterior muscles, and weakness of scapular muscles leading to excessive strain on the joints and early degeneration.   It isvery important tounderstandhowwecanhelpourselvesandunderstand the changes we can make to improve our posture. What you need in order to achieve good posture is continuous self-correction to strengthen weak

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and most of all, strong teamwork. Fast forward a few years – when Daeyou was considering a career change from project management work, it was with the support of mentors and friends that he made the decision to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. Looking back, Daeyou sees a clear theme and remembers all those who have walked him through each life change and challenge. Recognizing the positive impact others have had on his life, Daeyou strives to provide the same kind of guidance and encouragement to his patients in helping them reach theirgoals.Heenjoysworkingwitha widevarietyofpatientpopulations. Drawing from his own experience, he believes that putting in the hard work,takingsmallsteps,andhaving some support and guidance along theway,canmakeallthedifference. AstheclinicmanageroftheNewton and Brookline clinics, Daeyou and his team are excited to serve and provide quality patient care to their local communities.

Rachel came to BSPT at our Beverly location after a referral from her doctor to try a combination of land and aquatic therapy to help with her back pain. "I am grateful that I found Bay State Physical Therapy in Beverly. I have CP and had spinal fusion surgery." She had a rod placement and fusion to correct scoliosis and two revisions, one following an extensive infection. Rachel's initial plan of care consisted of one land session and one pool session a week until we determined that she needed to complete her aquatic therapy in a much warmer

Daeyouwasbornandraised inSeoul, Korea. At the age of 17, he began his undergraduate studies at Kent State University. Despite the real challengesof learningacompletely new languageandculture,herecalls the strong sense of community he found with friends and classmates who helped ease the transition and makehisexperienceapositiveone. The summer after his junior year, Daeyou took a temporary leave to fulfill his mandatory service in the Korean military before returning to Kenttocompletehissenioryearand receive his bachelor’s degree. His timeofservice in themilitarywasn’t easy, but it taught him valuable lessons of discipline, leadership, Daeyou Choi PT, DPT

pool. On land, she works on core strengthening, stretching, balance activities, posture re-education, and a home program to help reinforce the gains made in the clinic, as well as and help her manage her increased muscle tone. "My physical therapist, Mollie, introduced me to the foam roller. This has helped to stretch out my muscles and relax them. I have learned a lot, and I notice that my muscles are getting stronger. I keep coming back because Mollie is a really good physical therapist who knows what I need to do to stretch out my muscles."

Tasty Recipe for the Holidays

Improve Your Posture Try this movement to become aware of your overall posture.

Wall Posture Stand with your heels up against a wall. Attempt to get your heels, buttock, shoulders and head to touch the wall at the same time. Posture Awareness

Orange Cranberry Bread

• 1 cup fresh cranberries • 1 teaspoon orange zest • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted • 3/4 cup fresh orange juice • 1 egg

INGREDIENTS • 2 cups white whole wheat flour • 1/2 cup sugar • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Exercisescopyrightof

DIRECTIONS Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, add white whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cranberries, and orange zest. Gently stir. In a separate medium-sized bowl, add coconut oil, fresh orange juice, and an egg. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir to combine everything together. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Re- move and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Always consultyourphysical therapistorphysician before startingexercisesyouareunsureofdoing.

www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/moist-orange-cranberry-bread