Is there a perfect posture for sitting?

Is there a perfect posture for sitting?

In a word… NO.

Over the years, you may have been encouraged to adopt a ‘perfect’ sitting posture.

This may have involved a very straight spine with the head pulled back.

But if you look at the evidence linking posture and pain - there is surprisingly little high quality research to support the idea of a perfect sitting posture.

On the contrary, the researchers warned that attempting to maintain a perfect posture would actually require a higher level of muscle activity and could cause greater tiredness and discomfort.

Rather than try to find the ‘perfect’ posture, here’s three things that will help you more:

1. Think about the time in the posture rather than trying to find the perfect posture

   Researchers found office based workers who experienced pain in the shoulder and neck muscles was more often caused by a lack of blood flow leading to a mild oxygen deficit in the muscle.

   Completely harmless, but with the potential to cause significant discomfort.

   Stop worrying about not having the perfect posture and instead take frequent stretching breaks.

   Try and maintain blood flow throughout the day by getting enough cardio-vascular exercise (30-60 mins per day).

   Sometimes short bursts of exercise works better if you’re in a sedentary job.

   Also try and incorporate ‘Movement Snacks’ into your day.

   You can download a free PDF with 20 exercise ideas below.

   
   FREE DOWNLOAD - 20 MOVEMENT SNACK IDEAS:

2. Don’t worry and stress over so called ‘bad’ postures such as slumping or looking down. Everything in moderation.

Some research actually showed sitting slumped in a relaxed posture could help decompress the lumbar discs.

It’s people with over-protection and underlying anxiety about injuring themselves that end up increasing the increased stress on their muscles and joints.

Listen to your body, be intuitive and curious about your body and the way it moves.

3. Perform body strength training exercises twice per week

General body strengthening exercises for 20-30 mins twice per week will provide a great foundation for your body.

You don’t need a gym, you can use your own body weight.

If you have some small weights at home, you can use them.

But even just body weight can be enough if you are doing a 7 minute workout.

For an individually tailored program, don’t be afraid to contact us to help achieve your goals.

How Cardio Helps Neck Pain

Chen's (2018) systematic review also found a positive effect of adding aerobic fitness to office workers with neck pain.

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With only about 1/2 of us meeting the World Health Organisation recommendations for weekly physical activity (150 mins of moderate intensity or 75 mins of vigorous intensity per week), there is some serious upside to increasing your daily dose of cardio as a first line treatment for neck pain.

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Neck pain is common, but rarely is it serious or caused by structural problems.

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More often it is related to holding sustained postures for long periods and reduced blood flow to the muscles...which can cause pretty intense pain 💥 but not tissue damage as such.

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3 key benefits of cardio exercise to neck pain:

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✅ Increases blood flow and oxygen 🌲 to the muscles around the neck (and rest of body)

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✅ Stimulates endorphins - our bodies natural pain relievers that are more effective than any synthetic medication 😻

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✅ Gets you out of your mind and into your body, activating the creativity response to help problem solve any issues that might be stressing you out 🌸

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As they say, Movement Is Medicine!

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Reference: Workplace-Based Interventions for Neck Pain in Office Workers: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Chen 2018)

#movementismedicine #neckpain #neckpaintreatment #cardiofitness #endorphin #motionislotion

#physio

Shoulder Theraband Exercises: Improve Posture And Reduce Neck Pain

Muscle imbalances are common in the upper body.

Stretching or addressing ergonomic setup alone doesn’t seem to be effective in giving much relief.

However, a systematic review (Chen 2018) showed that by strengthening the smaller stabiliser muscles around the shoulder can relieve pressure in your neck and help manage your symptoms effectively in the long run.

Here’s 5 Theraband exercises that can be done at home, gym or when you’re traveling that will help provide support for your neck and shoulder.

Aim for 2 to 3 sessions per week and it may take 8 to 12 weeks of training to adequately build your capacity and notice a positive difference.

Bonus tip, the research also showed general fitness training was effective in reducing neck pain in office workers. So make sure you’re getting your minimum of 150 mins per week, (as recommended by the Word Health Organisation).

List of exercises:

• T’s

• Shrugs

• External rotation

• Serratus punch

• Rowing

If you’d like a personalised assessment of your posture and management plan set up for you, please use our easy online booking system below to schedule an appointment.

5 Times When Stretching Is Not A Good Idea

“I can’t understand why I’m getting injured so often.

I always stretch before I exercise.

I’m confused!”

A phrase I hear in the clinic on a daily basis.

Just to clarify, in terms of ‘stretching’ we are talking about holding a static muscle stretch.

Optimising mobility, (especially around a joint) is another thing altogether and can be a very useful way to prepare the body for the demands of sport.

Knowing where and when to perform joint mobility exercises and foam rolling can be invaluable - but we’ll talk about that another time.

5 Times When Stretching Is Not A Good Idea

1. Right before a training session/race

There is a growing scientific argument that pre-exercise muscle stretching is generally unnecessary and may even be counterproductive, increasing the risk of injury and decreasing performance.

Researchers have shown that static stretching reduces strength by about 5 percent.

Certainly not an ideal way to start a race, where you will be placing big demands on your muscular system, and creating risk of overload and injury with a weaker muscles.

In terms of performance, a study of runners completing a 1 mile run - those who stretched before hand were slower at running the mile by a full thirteen seconds.

And this study found that runners had who stretched before had a higher rating of perceived exertion during their run.

Stretching aims to loosens muscles and their accompanying tendons.

But in the process, it makes them less able to store energy and spring into action, essentially creating a temporary reduction in available capacity.

Instead of static stretching, focus on a proper warm-up involving running at an easy pace for 10-15 mins (aim to break a sweat) and gradually layering in sport specific drills.

You can tune your body by activating the specific stabiliser muscles that may be required in your sport and create joint mobility where you need it.

Dedicating some time to stretching and mobility work (Yoga, Pilates e.t.c) during the week is a very good idea, just not right before you exercise.

If you need some help with your warm-up routine, just let us know.

2. When you have a painful and irritated tendon

For example if you have hip pain, (often when the hamstring and gluteal tendon have become irritated) - many people intuitively try and ‘stretch it out’ to get some relief.

Stretching can sometimes make you feel better temporarily.

But it’s not until later (often that night) that the pain is becomes a problem.

Aggressively stretching tendons irritates them by compressing them and this can delay the healing process.

The most important thing for tendons is to gradually increase their capacity and tolerance to load, via a graduated strengthening program under the supervision of a Physiotherapist.

3. Chronic lower back pain

Research shows people who focus exclusively on stretching their lower backs actually had a greater risk for developing back pain.

This comes back to a bigger picture view of the body and the role of each segment (see The Joint-by-Joint picture below).

We can see the main role of the the lower back is to provide stability - the core from which the rest of the body can move freely.

Stretching the lower back may feel good temporarily, and there is absolutely no issues with adding stretching to your overall program, especially if it makes you feel good.

But stretching doesn’t build capacity and if you have ongoing back pain, you will need to develop a program of building core strength and capacity to help in the long run.

Getting the balance right between mobility and stability is the trick for lower back pain.

To get you started, check out a 6 Minutes To A Supple Spine routine that you might find useful and you may want to try a KIN Foundation Class.

4. To try and improve your hamstring flexibility

The primary role of the hamstrings in walking and running is to eccentrically control the landing of the foot.

Eccentric refers to a type of contraction where a muscle lengthens while contracting.

Whilst it is important to have adequate flexibility, the actual more important job of the hamstring to have enough strength and capacity to walk and run properly.

If a muscle doesn't have much capacity to contract when needed, it will most likely get overloaded. 

When it gets overloaded, it's muscle fibers contract and knot up, limiting flexibility.

For a runner, strength and stability trumps flexibility everyday of the week.

Hang on a sec...I thought stretching was a good thing!?

Stretching the hamstring in this position, you are actually making the hamstring weaker and sending confusing mixed messages to the brain about what the function of the muscle is. 

Anytime your brain is confused, it's going straight into fight-flight mode and will want to tighten everything up to protect it.

Intuitively stretching feels good and it often does give some short term relief. 

But in the long run, with continued stretching, the hamstring becomes weaker and more likely to become overloaded and tight.  Then you've got yourself into a real pickle. 

The hamstring, once locked down, becomes an inefficient blob that hampers everything you try and do.

Our first step in making friends with the hamstring is to stop making it angry, so no more stretching. 

For more info on how to become friends with your hamstring - please click here.

5. Your sore neck

If you have neck pain, a first line of treatment that many people try is stretching.

But being over-zealous with your neck stretches could potentially do more harm than good.

With too much stretching, we can run the risk of irritating the vertebrae, compressing the discs and pinching nerves.

A general rule of thumb is that your neck stretches should be gentle, never feel painful and avoid pushing to the extreme ends of motion.

If you have any uncertainty in regards to cervical stretches you are currently performing, schedule an appointment to ensure that your neck does not become a pain in the neck.

In the long term, performing exercises to improve your neck and shoulder strength can be more useful than only stretching.

Maintaining good cardio-vascular fitness is extremely important, as well practicing appropriate stress reduction techniques and having a good ergonomic set-up (and not always looking down at your phone!).

Have you any questions about stretching?

Please leave any comments below…

And if you have any ongoing niggles, please schedule an appointment to come in and see us.

We can get to the root cause of your problem and get you back on the fast track to doing what you love.

Get To Know Your Muscles: Upper Trapezius

Get To Know Your Muscles: Upper Trapezius

Upper trapezius trigger points are the primary muscles responsible for neck pain and headaches. The upper traps are also the most reactive muscles in your body to emotional stress.

This blog post discusses:

• how the traps gets overloaded

• symptoms of an overloaded upper traps

• self-care tips

• how Physio can help

QUICK ANATOMY REVIEW:

The traps is the most superficial muscle of the upper back and runs from the base of your skull, along to the tip of your shoulder, all the way down to the middle of your back, (see image below).

FUNCTION OF THE TRAPS:

The trapezius muscle consists of three parts that all have different functions:

• upper part helps raise the shoulder

• middle fibers retracts the scapula

• lower fibers lower the scapula

This blog post will focus on the upper traps.

HOW TRAPS BECOMES OVERLOADED:

The traps can become overloaded from the following situations:

• excessive sitting / computer use

• whiplash (car accident, falling on your head, or any sudden jerk of the head)

• tensing your shoulders

• constantly pulling the shoulders down attempting to have a ‘good posture’

• carrying small children around a lot

• sitting with a chair without armrests, or the armrests are too high

• extended car trips

• looking down constantly at your phone

• any profession or activity that requires you to look down for extended periods (i.e.. dentists/hygienists, architects/draftsmen, and secretaries/computer users)

• bra straps that are too tight (either the shoulder straps or the torso strap)

• a hand-bag or backpack that is too heavy

• anxiety

• recent surgery

• unresolved emotional trauma e.g. PTSD

SYMPTOMS:

The upper traps has an interesting referral pattern, as shown in red in the diagram below.

The upper traps is often the ‘key’ muscle that can trigger other areas such as jaw pain and headaches.

Symptoms of upper traps over-load include:

Upper Traps Referral Pattern (areas marked in red).

• severe neck pain

• a stiff neck

• facial, temple, or jaw pain

• pain behind the eye

• headaches on the temples / "tension" headaches

• dizziness or vertigo (in conjunction with the sternocleidomastoid muscle)

• intolerance to weight on your shoulders

• sinus pain
  
  
  
  

TREATMENT APPROACH:

Physiotherapy assessment will involve a comprehensive movement assessment to determine the cause of your traps issue.

Some common manual therapy treatment approaches can include:

• joint mobilisation to the neck and upper back

• dry needling and massage to the traps to stimulate deep blood flow and release the tightness

• addressing any biomechanical issues with stretching, strengthening and foam rolling

SELF-CARE TIPS

• avoid extended periods of sitting

• Think about ‘time in the posture’ vs trying to find a perfect posture e.g. have a short break every 20 minutes

• consider a standing desk

• avoid constantly looking down at your phone

• apply heat to the traps 10 minutes each day to encourage blood flow

• ensure you are getting enough cardio-vascular exercise each day (30 mins minimum)

• take regular breaks on long car trips and consider using a pillow or support under your arm to take the strain off the traps

• learn to breathe through your diaphragm and manage your stress

• Wear bras that fit properly

• If you suffer with anxiety, seek help through your GP or a take a free online course

Some of the following exercises you may find useful:

Pecs stretch - feel the stretch at the front of the shoulder and hold 30 secs

Thoracic foam roller - release your upper back with a few rolls up and down

Upper traps stretch - hold gently 10-15 secs

Diaphragm breathing with legs at 90/90 - helps calm your nervous system

Building capacity in the upper body

Constantly focusing on relaxing and releasing the upper traps can be counter-productive because it isn’t always getting to the root cause.

Focusing on the pain and tightness can keep your body stuck in the ‘zone of stress’ (see picture below).

The only way to get better in the long term, is to gradually start building your physical capacity with a personalised program, so you can create a ‘zone of relaxation’ where you have the capacity to handle all of your daily life without the muscles becoming overloaded.

The trick is to build up gradually - step by step. As soon as you push too far you risk re-activating the tightness by over-loading the muscle.

In the beginning it is best to be conservative.

As your work with your body more, you will get to know and respect your bodies limits.

Some of the exercises you could include would be:

• push-ups

• bicep curls

• triceps

• bent over row

• lat pull downs

• core work

• increasing cardio fitness

Acknowledging underlying emotional issues in chronic pain

When your neck symptoms are chronic, one of the most concerning things is the ongoing pain, which can sometimes go on for months or years, despite seeing multiple health care practitioners and trying different medications.

Understandably, this can create a lot of fear and anxiety about the underlying cause of the symptoms which can keep you in a state of fight or flight (see picture below).

For some people, when they experience pain or injury it may be associated with anxiety and catastrophizing about the pain, like for example whether or not it will ever go away and if it will get worse if they move too much.

Some people become fearful of exercising and being active (known as ‘fear avoidance behaviour' and 'kinesiophobia') and might rely solely on passive treatment and resting, which can have some adverse effects and may lead to decreased function and a lower load threshold which could result in more pain.

As you can imagine, a downward spiral of fear, lack of movement, weakness and de-conditioning can result (see picture below) and become very difficult to break.

Examples of factors that may contribute to dysfunction in the upper trapezius Reference

You are not your scan !

Often there have been some scans showing some damage to a structure such as a disc or nerve issue.

Injuries and structural issues certainly do cause pain initially.

Unfortunately, sometimes the patient is not given a broader context in which to interpret the significance of the results.

The body has a tremendous capacity to heal, and generally tissue damage takes no more than six to twelve months to occur.

If you are still getting pain after this time (and you have been thoroughly investigated by your health care team), your pain is more likely to be coming from a sensitized nervous system (see picture below) than an damaged structural fault.

Maybe the most important picture to understand if you’ve had pain lasting more than six months.

Pain that lasts more than six months is generally related to an overly sensitive nervous system rather than a specific issue in the tissues

(Picture credit: Explain Pain - Butler & Mosely)

One thing is very clear with the recent research is that you can have structural abnormality and have no pain whatsoever (see picture below).

Degeneration, disc issues and arthritis are very common in asymptomatic individuals (i.e. who have no pain - see picture below).

Reference: Nakashima H, Yukawa Y, Suda K, Yamagata M, Ueta T, Kato F. Abnormal findings on magnetic resonance images of the cervical spines in 1211 asymptomatic subjects. Spine. 2015 Mar 15;40(6):392–8

The ongoing nature of the pain is more often to do with tight muscles with restricted and oxygen blood flow.

Just understanding this process can go along way to resolving your ongoing pain issues, but you will need an experienced GP and Physio to work with to help you diagnose and get you back on the fast track.

Get relief from your neck pain or headaches

We have a special interest in helping people overcome their neck pain / headaches and get back to what they love.

If you think we are the right fit for you and you wish to get relief right away, use our simple online booking system to make an appointment.  If you would prefer to speak to us directly,  call us 1300 657 813