Back Pain starts with Poor Posture!

Question: I don't have back pain, but when I look at my self my Back and Shoulders look Rounded, is that just Bad Posture?

A:WellSue let me help you understand what you see�Everyone uses the verycommon term posture but I don't think people really understand whatposture truly means, you see your self as you are today but yourposture is the result of how your were in the past, I'm talking yearsago even decades ago.

What does that mean, well Good or BadPosture is the result of your lifestyle in other words the way I liketo put it is , your posture is the result of your Habits, Pattern,Positions and the things your do everyday, day in and day out.

Yousee our bodies are very good at adapting to the environment we place itin and if we look back on our life's, the first 18 years we sit inschool and if you go to collage you sit some more, and that if you workat a computer you sit even more, so by the time you are 40 your bodyhas gotten so used to sitting and your muscleare most comfortable in the sitting position but that sitting hascaused some physical changes that in turn can cause some posturaldysfunctions and if left alone will intern cause structural changesthat will be for the most part uncorrectable, so lets get started�

One of our subscribers said it best, "Our bones only go where our muscle put them" That is a great statement, and I hope you understand it�if not keep reading.

Wehave just talked about how our bodies adapt to what we give them andhow our bodies can be pulled into abnormal positions based on the manyfactors in our lives�I know what you are thinking just get to the partabout what to do�Hang in there, just a little longer you seeunderstanding this concept is more than half the battle, because youcan now work to prevent and also correct problems in your posture ifyou understand the equation.

Ok I will spill the beans now�your rounded back and rounded shoulders are the result of what are called Muscleimbalances that are causing this physical dysfunction you see in yourposture, you area not the only one with this problem and you are notthe first to have it, it has been know for years what it is and whatcaused it and even though your Doctor did not tell you how to addressit does not mean that it can't be done.

Here is are the nuts and bolts of the problem, if you are wondering how our muscles are responsible for the posture you have now, you must understand that our muscles can be either tight or flexible and/or also strong or weak and not to make the situation even more complex but our muscle can be in any combination of these four states from front to back and side to side.

If we look at your rounded back and rounded shoulders you will see that your head and shoulders are being pulled forward, that would indicate that the muscle in the front of your body are overly strong and/or overly tight compared to the muscle in your upper back which are weak and have more flexibility. That is how we describe the imbalance between your muscles and that's what we call the root of the problem�

Pleaserealize that your body is and has been undergoing these physicalchanges for a long time and there is no quick fix, it is a physicalproblem it will require a physical solution, there is not pill,injection or massage that can make yourmuscle come back to balance, it take work�

Nowjust because you know that there is an imbalance and you even know thedirection of the imbalances does not mean you can just start doing angeneral exercise program, that is not how you do, in order to correct aknow imbalance you will need to know very specific and very targetedstretches and exercises in order to correct the imbalances and if youchoose to do nothing your imbalances will over time start the processof developing into a condition that will cause youpain.

We strongly recommend that you start a proactive approach to your current situation, you are lucky that you do not have pain, it is a shame and I feel with all my heart the pain that the millions of people that are suffering from conditions that could have been prevented or corrected years ago if only more people understood the effects of muscle imbalances and how they effect our bodies.

Sue I hope I have shown you that it's more than just bad posture and I hope you seek a qualified expert in muscle imbalances and live to prevent any further progression of your condition.