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The Pain of Poor Posture

Dr. Levi Merritt DC, NBC-HWC, CPT

Updated: Jul 19, 2024


Postural Pain Syndrome refers to the pain that results from mechanical stress when a person maintains poor posture for a prolonged period.  

 

The mechanical stress is brought on by sustained stretch to muscles, ligaments, and compression of the joints. This causes tension or compression of the nerves, which in turn causes pain. Poor sitting posture is the most common culprit.

 

Symptoms can occur in the neck, upper back, lower back, or all three. 

The pain is usually described as “burning” or “sharp”. It can be accompanied by muscle spasms, and/or headaches if the postural distortion is primarily in the upper torso. 

 

Poor posture left untreated creates muscular imbalances. Some muscle groups become overstretched while other muscle groups become shortened. If “setting up straight” causes pain or discomfort after a few minutes, you probably suffer from some of these imbalances.  

 

Muscle Imbalances and Pain

To help understand muscle imbalances, it’s important to be familiar with a concept called ‘reciprocal inhibition.’ Reciprocal inhibition is a fancy medical term for a simple concept.   

 

Reciprocal inhibition is when the muscles on one side of a joint relax to allow the contraction of the opposite muscle on the other side of that joint. 

 

For example, when you flex your biceps muscle, your triceps muscle has to relax to enable the movement to occur. (The biceps muscle is located on the anterior aspect of your upper arm, below the shoulder, and above the elbow. The triceps muscle is the muscle on the back of your upper arm).

 

This is an automatic process. Reciprocal inhibition occurs without us thinking about it. 

 

Muscle imbalances begin to occur when the inhibition of certain muscle groups becomes excessively prolonged because the opposing muscle groups are overworked. 

 

For example, you may experience upper back pain is when spending too much time in front of a computer. Over time, the chest and anterior shoulder muscles become shortened and tight, because your arms are constantly being held up in front of your body. On the other hand, the muscles of the upper back become chronically stretched and weak, allowing your shoulders to drift even further forward, compounding the muscle imbalance.  

 

Chronically tight or lengthened muscles have to ‘work’ harder than muscles that are properly toned and balanced.  This increase in muscular work requires an increased demand for oxygen in the muscle. Eventually, oxygen used to produce energy gets used up quicker than it can be replaced. A lack of oxygen increases carbon dioxide levels. Increased carbon dioxide lowers your muscle's pH. Muscle cells react to pain-generating chemicals released when pH is lowered. When your pH is low, it causes muscular fatigue, soreness, and pain.  

 

Until the muscular balances are corrected, this painful process can continue indefinitely.  

 

Correcting the imbalances is not difficult, but it does take consistency and time. The tight muscles can be released with manual therapy, or an at-home stretching program, and the muscles that are long and weak need to be strengthened through exercise. A qualified physician such as a chiropractor, osteopath, or physical therapist that is trained in bodywork can help you identify imbalances and develop an individualized rehabilitation program.  

 

Postural Pain Syndrome and its symptoms can generally be resolved when the imbalances are addressed.

 

Other forms of treatment may be used along with stretching and exercise. These modalities, such as moist heat, electrical stimulation, and deep tissue massage, help to relieve the symptoms until the muscle imbalances can be corrected. Education in basic ergonomic principles is important as well. 

           

If you would like more information, feel free to call (304-840-2820) or stop by the office. No appointments are necessary, and consultations are free. You can also email me at DocLeviChiropractic@yahoo.com.

 

Yours in Health,

Dr. Levi G. Merritt, D.C., CPT, CHC

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