Massage Therapy and Your Posture

Did you know that your posture can tell a lot about you?

Posture alone can indicate left or right handedness, what your physical habits may be, 

as well as your emotional and stress patterns.

A lot of the time, I can see what areas my clients are going to need work on simply by looking at them.

Good posture is a sign of physical health and emotional well-being - and we all want to be healthy.

Poor posture is easily recognizable:  rounded shoulders, slouching, forward or side tilted head carriage, forward stomach with increased lower back curvature, buckled knees, flat back, scoliosis or curved spine, upper back hunch, uneven hips, angled feet, and "knock knees" or "bow leggedness".

Poor posture can cause headaches, backaches, muscle strain, fatigue, painful joints, 

poor gait, limited range of motion, muscle tension, and even decreased sleep.  

Did you know a collapsed chest posture can interfere with breathing 

and that head forward posture can cause nerve pain in the arms and hands? 

Tension type headaches are also a result of poor posture. 

So, why do you need good posture?

Good posture can bring about many health benefits such as;  

easier and fuller breathing (think asthma and allergy suffers), easier physical movement 

(remember your golf game), less pain and tension, increased range of motion, 

and to top it all off - good posture makes you look better!

Regular massage therapy can help you bring about 

positive change in your posture, and therefore in your overall health. 

A massage therapy session releases muscle tension and establishes 

new patterns of movement in your joints and spine.  

It is always good BEFORE a massage to take note of how you feel; 

what muscles feel tight, how to your shoulders feel, do you feel pain - where?  

Equally important is after your session - notice how you feel in comparison to before treatment.  

What do your feet feel like when they hit the floor?  Feel how your arms swing more freely 

when you walk, how deeply you can breathe, and how you feel lighter and more balanced.

Improving your posture takes time.

Starting a regular massage therapy program is a good step.

Other things you can do to improve posture are yoga, Pilates, and deep breathing exercises.

Adding breaks (like a walk) to your regular routine, unchaining yourself from the desk/computer, 

can also be a huge step toward improving postural balance.

Overall, pay attention to your body.

Pain should not be ignored or masked - get to the root of the pain.

Fun Factoid

The human head weighs about 10lbs. 

For every inch that your heads moves forward out of alignment, 

gravity adds and extra 10 lbs. to the strain on your neck muscles!

(Massage Therapists Association of BC)