Curves are beautiful…in the right places!
The spine curves normally. Lordosis is the inward curving of
the spine as seen in the cervical and lumbar spines. Kyphosis is the curving of
the upper spine that provides the look of being hunched over. Normal lordosis
is good. Too much kyphosis is bad! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic knows the difference and is
here to evaluate our McHenry clients’ spines for curvature, be it
painful or not.
One of the classic works on posture and its effect on the spine
was done by Nachemson. Why share his name? Because he is one of the foundational
researchers on the spine’s biomechanics. He published in the first ever edition
of Spine! What an amazing researcher. His study showed what a variety of
postures and changes did to spinal pressures (1):
from https://www.corporateseating.com.au/ergonomics
Just going from lying on your back to turning over to your
side triples the spinal pressure. How often on a sleepless McHenry
night do you find yourself re-arranging? Slouching in your chair instead of
sitting up straight inflates the spinal pressure. If you have a healthy spine,
that’s fine. If you have a degenerative spine, it may be aggravating. That’s
when you’ll want to contact OrthoIllinois Chiropractic for a chiropractic evaluation.
Further, more current research from Spine shares that a kyphosis
angle decreased significantly when research subjects changed from standing to
lying prone by an average of 13.4° and the lordosis angle reduced by 16.6°. (2)
Again, if the spine is healthy, no worry. If it’s unhealthy, it may hurt.
Like changing position affects spinal pressures, aging is
another factor that affects spinal curvature. Research shares that aging significantly
reduces lumbar spine lordosis by 8.2° and sacral position by 6.6° in standing
subjects. Further, lumbar spine range of flexion (ROF) decreased by 7.7° which
prompted the pelvic ROF to make up for this decrease by increasing 7.0°. (3)
For every action, there is a reaction! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic understands the spinal
reactions!
So where might all of this information come into play? Daily
life in McHenry. This information may make you think twice when you
are sitting in your chair at work or turning over in bed at home. The newest occupational research article
addresses back pain in dental hygienists. It points to their posture and
movement as risks for back pain. They combine spinal rotation and flexion while
working in their clients’ mouths which puts demand on the extensor muscles of
the low back, potentially setting them up for back pain. (4) What does your McHenry
job demand of your spine? Suggestions for how to avoid this risk haven’t been
made yet. (It’s new research!) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic will keep an eye out for those
though!
So contact OrthoIllinois Chiropractic for all your spinal concerns. It’s
not bad to be curvy, but it’s best to be curvy in the right places! Let your
McHenry chiropractor evaluate your spine.