The effects of poor posture are two-fold. The primary being the diminished ability to withstand the force of gravity. With the musculature, tendons and ligaments being under additional strain due to the ‘micro-tension’ effect, fatigue and loss of strength begins to occur.
Secondly, the muscles are not able to pump out metabolic waste such as inflammation as quickly as they would if they were in a healthy state. The breathe is the main contributor to forcefully flushing inflammation out of the body. Therefore poor breathing mechanics coupled with muscles impacted by micro-tension begin to create a dysfunctional feedback loop. The overall effect of this is aches, pains, strains and sprains.
The role of Osteopathy in postural awareness and correction is relatively well-known. There are however certain myths that float around that title, such as tales of Osteopaths ‘cracking’ people back into alignment. To put it simply, this is absolute garbage. No Osteopath is a wizard and therefore no Osteopath has the power to magically crack you back into perfect alignment. Osteopathy is an a system of primary contact healthcare that focuses on the diagnosis, management, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal and other related disorders without the use of drugs or surgery.
Osteopaths, in close collaboration with the patient, seek to identify the causes of impaired health and restore the optimum functioning of the body. Diagnosis involves the use of a combination of specific osteopathic methods and conventional medical examination procedures. During the examination and diagnosis procedure the osteopath will assess the integrity of all the soft tissue structures i.e muscles, tendons, ligaments etc and will determine which structures are causing the dysfunctional posture.
Treatment is based on the skilled application of osteopathic manipulative and manual techniques tailored to the individual person, and reinforced by other self-help measures, such as guidance on diet, lifestyle and exercise.