Chiropractors Can Help Posture Problems and Repetitive Motion Injuries

Chiropractors Can Help Posture Problems and Repetitive Motion Injuries

Author: Natalie Meiri, D.C.        Posted: 10/03/20

Are you experiencing pain due to poor posture or repetitive motion injury?  Chiropractors can help posture problems and repetitive motion injuries for you and your family.  The position in which we hold our bodies is our posture. If we don’t have good posture while standing, sitting, or lying down, it will eventually lead to pain and dysfunction. A repetitive motion injury is a term used to describe damage and pain caused by repetitive movement and overuse.  The following are 2 conditions due to incorrect posture and/or repetitive motion injury:

1.) Postural Syndrome

Postural syndrome causes constant aching pain in the cervical (neck) and thoracic (mid back) regions. Often, the pain is relieved by activity and made worse by working at a desk.  Because of working at a desk with a hunched forward head posture, an imbalance between the anterior (front) and posterior (back) muscles of the neck and upper mid back occurs.

The muscles such as the pectoralis (chest/ breast muscle) and upper trapezius (pair of triangular muscles extending over back and neck) become chronically shortened and tight in adapting to the position. As a consequence, your midscapular (between shoulder blades) muscles weaken due to the constant strain of holding this position. This includes your middle and lower trapezius and rhomboids (upper back muscles connecting between your spine and two shoulder blades). Your deep neck flexors (front neck muscles close to the spine that bend neck forward) also weaken due to this constant strain.  If left uncorrected, this causes an imbalance in your normal neck curve causing an abnormal lordosis (abnormal curve inward) in the upper neck and/or a kyphosis (roundneck) in the lower neck.

Furthermore, incorrect neck posture causes elevated, rounded shoulders.  And not being able to move your shoulders smoothly will eventually cause pain and dysfunction in your shoulders as well. All of this leads to the posture in your thoracic spine (mid back) becoming a hyperkyphosis (hunchback). So the combination of tight and weak muscles create changes in biomechanics (movements) in your joints leading to further osteoarthritis (wear and tear arthritis).

2.) T-4 Syndrome

With T-4 Syndrome you may have upper back stiffness and achiness with associated signs of extremity (upper arm) numbness and/or paresthesia (abnormal sensation such as tingling, burning) in a “stocking and glove” distribution. There may also be associated headaches with T-4 Syndrome.

The exact cause of T-4 Syndrome is unknown. You may have an occurrence during the night or upon rising and prolonged sitting. Repetitive motions such as sustained reaching and pulling activities, shoveling, and overhead cleaning have all been reported as a cause. However, there is a theory relating the sympathetic nervous system and the T2 – T7 nerves in the thoracic (mid back) spine. The sympathetic nervous system regulates the body’s involuntary processes related to the flight-or-fight response, such as increasing the heart rate, and releasing adrenaline.  The sympathetic nervous system may provide a pathway for referral from the thoracic spine (mid back) to the head and arms in T-4 Syndrome.

Meiri Chiropractic’s treatments:

Read below the treatments available for both conditions provided by the chiropractor at Meiri Chiropractic serving West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens and North Palm Beach :

                    -Chiropractic manipulation or mobilization of the cervical                              

                     (neck) and thoracic (mid back) spinal joints

                    -Soft tissue manipulation to the muscles involved

                    -Exercises focusing on stretching tight muscles and strengthening weak muscles

                    -Recommendation on redesign of work environment and ergonomics 

                    -Postural advice/ recommendation of frequent breaks with stretching

It is common to have a postural problem for individuals who work at desks. Prolonged sitting at a desk combined with the repetitive activity of typing or using the mouse for your computer causes postural problems and/or repetitive motion injuries. This sedentary lifestyle which eliminates a variety of movements cause pain and dysfunction. Kids and teenagers can also develop a slumped posture due to heavy back packs, hunching over homework or smart phones.   

Chiropractors can help posture problems and repetitive motion injuries for you and your family. Contact Meiri Chiropractic at 561-253-8984 for the best care in West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, and North Palm Beach today.