Hi, I’ve had bad posture pretty much all my life (33 now). During my teen years my parents would constantly tell me to stop slouching, but I couldn’t help it. Any straightened out posture I would try would be impossible to maintain for more than a few minutes.
Recently I went to a chiropractor, having left it way too late, I know. He took x-rays, and told me that basically my lower spine was heavily curved, and that’s why my upper back had to curve (to compensate). He said that I had just grown this way and that there was nothing he could do for me.
Am I really a lost case? Anyone had anything similar?
I’m not a huge fan of chiropractors. If I were in that situation I would find a good physical therapist and then commit to the fact that it takes to fix. You could also find a good chiro since they do exist just be wary of someone who promises that adjustments alone will fix everything. Without seeing you/knowing details noone on the internet can say there is/isn’t hope.
The reality is that for most orthopedic complaints you have to put in a long term effort to find out how much of a fix there is.
[quote]JDK wrote:
Ok, I really just need direction on where to go next. A physical therapist sounds like the best option - thanks![/quote]
It would be worth your time to do research on different physical therapy clinics in your area and see what they do. Some tend to work in an assembly line type manner, whereas others are can be specialized.
your chiropractor sucked you into their sales and marketing strategy.
You’ve been told everything is wrong with you to demonstrate you need them to fix you.
Here’s the kicker, everyone has something wrong with them, from a structural/anatomical standpoint. Here’s the good news; it doesn’t cause pain.
You say you don’t have pain unless you spend too much time in front of a computer. Here is some free advice, get up and move (that’ll be $100, kidding). We are not meant to maintain stationary positions. Remember we are an animal meant to move.
I will caution you, as the others have. Many physical therapists will point out all your faults as just that, faults. Ask yourself a few question:
are they faults?
if so, can they be changed?
If you don’t have pain, why would you feel inclined to change something?
After asking yourself these questions, ask the PT this question:
I don’t have pain, so why am I doing these stretches, exercises, etc? Do you have research to demonstrate these will prevent me from getting injured?
your chiropractor sucked you into their sales and marketing strategy.
You’ve been told everything is wrong with you to demonstrate you need them to fix you.
Um…the chiropractor told him there was nothing he could do for him. You’re on such a crusade to discredit chiropractic that you either didn’t read or comprehend the post. Take a deep breath and relax!
[quote]JDK wrote:
Hi, I’ve had bad posture pretty much all my life (33 now). During my teen years my parents would constantly tell me to stop slouching, but I couldn’t help it. Any straightened out posture I would try would be impossible to maintain for more than a few minutes.
Recently I went to a chiropractor, having left it way too late, I know. He took x-rays, and told me that basically my lower spine was heavily curved, and that’s why my upper back had to curve (to compensate). He said that I had just grown this way and that there was nothing he could do for me.
Am I really a lost case? Anyone had anything similar?
Thanks
J[/quote]
Had really bad hip arthritis for years before getting it replaced. This caused spinal changes with the lumbar spine curving to the right to compensate. It did right itself post-op, but that was hard. Big thing was to realize that getting into correct spinal alignment is crucial and to treat it like a training problem. By that I mean you will need to strengthen the muscles and then work on endurance, just like any other set of muscles.
FWIW it took a couple of years before the issue started to resolve itself satisfactorily. The motivation was that being twisted made everything else hurt so darn much that the constant discomfort and aggravation of dealing with it was worth it.
Not much to say, but yeah, it is possible to at least improve the situation. The chiro is right in that he can’t do any manipulations that will fix it. It just takes a lot of time and patience. You will have to undergo what McGill calls “spinal remodelling.”