What Our Patients Already Know

Importance of Posture

Good and Bad StarTrek Monitor

Just don’t cross your GoGo boots like Uhura!!

5 Reasons for Good Posture

Good digestion:
Because posture begins with your core, it directly affects digestion. Poor posture can contribute to acid reflux by weakening your esophagus. Siting in a hunched position or lying down directly after a meal places stress on the stomach that promotes heartburn and indigestion. If you’re looking to ease digestion and practice better posture after a meal, watch your posture and exercise regularly.

Better breathing:
Deep breathing can become second nature, not just a yoga luxury. Rather than compressing your abdomen and chest, prevent shallow chest breathing by standing up straight and sitting tall at your desk. Good posture allows the front of your body to open and your diaphragm to work at its best. Still in doubt? Test it for yourself — right now — and notice the difference.

Tightens your core:
Poor posture may be the one thing preventing you from getting that six-pack. When you slouch, you start to reverse the benefits all those planks. By practicing better posture, you’ll keep your entire core engaged, even when you’re not at the gym. Sitting on an exercise ball at work is a great way to enforce good posture and tighten your core while on the job.

Strengthens back muscles, reducing pain:
Slouching at your desk or while standing puts extra strain on the muscles that support your spine, ultimately leading to other aches and pains as well. Improving your posture by unlearning all your bad postural habits and standing with your feet hip-distance apart can be the key to relieving chronic pain.

Looking slimmer:
Ladies, it’s true, bad posture makes you look heavier than you are! Standing up straight can make you look five pounds slimmer without dieting. Good posture will help you stand tall (and rock your bikini) with confidence.

Benefits of Styrofoam Tubes

Styrofoam tubes are usually 36 inches in diameter and can be either 4 or 6 feet in length. There are many benefits of using a cylindrical tube for exercise. First, it provides a dense surface that can roll and provide support and massage to large areas of the body at one time. Second, it creates an unstable surface that challenges the subconscious mind to engage the postural muscles throughout the body and increase body awareness.

Self-Massage

According to the Physical Therapy website, the most common use of tubes is for self-massage. To massage your back, place the tube on the floor and sit on the tube. Slowly lie back, allowing the tube to roll under your body. With your hands behind your head and your feet flat on the floor, roll back and forth over the tube from your lower back to your upper back.

To massage your hips and legs, follow a similar routine. Place the area that you want to massage on the tube and roll back and forth over that area.

Two tubes can be used together to distribute your body weight more evenly if the pressure is too great with only one tube.

Stretching and Balance

Many rehabilitation exercises focus on improving flexibility and balance, which will also increase stability in joints. When your muscles are tight, they cannot move through a full range of motion, making it harder to perform regular daily activities, such as reaching a tall shelf, opening doors and looking over your shoulder. Massage can help to loosen up the muscles, but stretching will help them regain their range of motion.

A helpful stretch is to lie on the tube lengthwise on your back. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, you can slowly lower your arms to your sides and allow your chest and abdominal area to open up. This stretch is beneficial for reversing the movements that we do everyday, which are often with our arms in front of us.

Your core muscles (deep abdominal and back muscles) are used to keep you balanced. When you stand on an unstable surface, these core muscles are activated to make micro-adjustments to keep you from falling down. Tubes can be used to stand on and walk on to quicken your reaction time and strengthen the core muscles. This will improve your overall balance, which can be an issue as we age, and help tone the midsection of the body.