Maintaining good posture isn’t just something your mom and schoolteachers nagged you about, but rather it’s a critical component of good health and well-being throughout your life. If you suspect your posture needs some help, it’s wise to address the way you carry yourself before you experience problems. Here’s what you need to know about effectively improving your posture, along with how working with an Ahwatukee physical therapy expert (or another PT pro near you) is a great way to get positive results.
Why Proper Posture Matters
The way you sit and stand impacts almost every system in your body. Poor posture often leads to muscle tension, pain, and reduced mobility, while better posture not only helps you avoid those issues but also improves your breathing, circulation, and digestion. It even boosts your energy levels! Psychologically, good posture may increase your self-confidence and encourage you to be more active and outgoing. Simply put, there’s no downside to improving your posture!
Simple Ways To Improve Your Posture
Fortunately, there are several easy techniques for achieving better posture. Here are a few to get you started:
Stand up straight and avoid slouching. Keep your shoulders back and your stomach tucked in.
When sitting, don’t slump. Place a small cushion behind your mid-back to encourage your spine to curve naturally, and always keep your feet flat on the floor.
If you’re seated for several hours a day, stand up and move every 30 minutes to keep your spine supple.
Avoid wearing high heels or shoes with poor support.
Instead of looking down at your phone, hold it up at eye level.
Use mirrors to check your seated, standing, and walking posture and adjust as needed.
Each of these measures puts you on the path toward improving your posture. Yet perhaps the best advice is to seek expert help by doing an online search for “physical therapy Phoenix”, or whichever town is near to you.
How Physical Therapy Can Help
Whether it’s a friend who’ll point out when you’re slouching or a trained professional, enlisting a partner to help in your pursuit of perfect posture goes a long way toward achieving that goal. Since a physical therapist is trained to both identify posture problems and provide corrections, working with one is an excellent option for assessing your needs and getting personally tailored solutions. From providing therapeutic relief for issues resulting from poor posture to teaching you specific exercises and techniques to improve how you hold yourself, a physical therapist offers a multitude of treatments for posture problems.
Now that you know the importance of good posture, it’s time to begin improving yours. Contacting a physical therapist is an excellent starting point, and an online search for “physical therapy Surprise, AZ” or in an area that’s convenient for you is an easy way to get your efforts underway. By becoming more mindful of how you sit, stand, and move and working with a trained professional, you’ll be well on your way to achieving proper posture.
