Belfast Chiropractor explains postures effect on neck pain

While it is common for most people to look in the mirror once a day, few of us look at ourselves from different angles, such as from the side. However, the view from the side help explain why you may be suffering from neck pain.

Firstly, you need to take note of the position of your head in relation to your shoulders. Is your ear right above your shoulders or does it lean forwards over your chest? This is known as forward head posture and it can lead to pain developing in your neck. Problems originating in your lower back can also lead to forward head posture. It’s common to gain weight around the waistline as you age. When this occurs, the body must counter-balance the added weight by forcing the lumbar spine to “sway back.”

While this “sway back” posture can lead to pain developing in the lower back, it can also have a knock-on effect on the neck’s posture. Usually, Patient's with a protruding waistline and "sway back" will have rounded shoulders and a noticeable forward head posture. If treatment is only focused at the neck pain without considering how other areas of the spine may affect the stability of the neck, then the results may be slower than expected.

Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to look at the whole patient, not just their primary complaint. They know that dysfunction in other parts of the spine can result in neck pain by referral or they can slow complete recovery as the body is compensating elsewhere for abnormal posture or movement.

X-ray analysis of the full spine can show this abnormal posture.

So, do you like what you see when you view your posture from the side? If you’re wondering whether your neck pain could be improved by addressing poor posture in another part of your spine, then it's important to be thoroughly checked by a Chiropractor in Belfast as soon as possible.

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