The tension caused by poor posture leads to stiffness in your upper back, neck, and shoulders, which can further lead to a headache. Typically, the pain generated due to poor posture throbs in the base of the skull and sometimes flashes into the face, most commonly involving the forehead.
When you remained in a bad posture for a long time it will affect your muscles, nerves, joints, connective tissues, or spinal discs. Why it is so? Because when your posture becomes less neutral the muscle work will be less efficient. In this way, the muscles on the side you favor your posture will become stronger and shortened and the muscles on the opposite side will be elongated and weakened. This creates muscle imbalance which will further lead to reduced muscle efficiency.
When you use this type of less efficient muscle it will lead to frequent fatigability and injury. These types of injuries usually occur due to repetitive movements with poor posture and your body tries to compensate for the imbalance created by the less natural posture often leads to misalignment and instability.
Most of us know that symptoms like dullness, tightness, and pressure in the area of the forehead or squeezing at the neck and back of the head. These symptoms are usually seen in adults but can be prevented. Correcting the bad posture may help in relieving the frequency or severity of these symptoms.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy helps to strengthen weak muscles and improve mobility of stiffed joints. Different techniques are used to lessen the pain created by nerves, joints, or muscles in the neck. The physical therapy approaches may include
- Massage therapy
- Spinal manipulation through chiropractic care
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Acupuncture
- Muscle relaxation techniques
- Muscle energy techniques
Precautions:
- Avoid activities that worsen pain
- Apply ice or heat for 10 to 15 minutes in case of severe pain
- Use a neck brace if you are suspecting neck injury and contact your doctor.
- Practice good posture when sitting, standing, or driving.
Prevention:
- Don’t sleep with your head propped too high on a pillow.
- Postural headache can be prevented by correcting the posture.
- Practicing the good posture regularly can prevent the chances of injury over the back of neck.
- Routine physical therapy assessment and early treatment can prevent the complications due to poor posture.
- Avoid head and neck collisions when playing sports to prevent the injury to the cervical spine.
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