We have all been told to sit up straight some time in our lives. When people have pain in and around their neck and shoulder regions, they typically think this is because they have poor posture. They sit up straighter to try and fix the pain. Sometimes this works and is all that is required.

Unfortunately for many people when they sit up straight, they do so by elevating their rib cage which results in flattening of the spine between the shoulder blades. Flattening the spine then encourages the neck to poke forward and contributes to increased pain and tension in the area. The pain then encourages the person to sit up straighter to “do the right thing” and “assist” helping themselves. Massage, hot packs and medications won’t fix this scenario. This part of our spine is meant to be slightly rounded, not flat.

At Burns Bay Physiotherapy, we can assess whether your posture is contributing to the pain. If your posture is perpetuating your pain, we can teach you how to change your posture to reduce your pain and teach you how to help yourself for the long term.

Published in ” The Village Observer”, May 2016. Written by Burns Bay Physiotherapy