Did your mother ever tell you to sit up straight at the dinner table? Well, manners aside, poor posture can easily become a habit, causing neck and back tension. “Our necks and backs hurt, and poor posture is the number one culprit,” says Janice Novak, M.S., author of the book, Posture, Get it Straight!
Over time, poor posture may be caused by habits from everyday activities such as sitting in an office chair, driving, standing for long periods of time, watching TV or even sleeping. When you hunch forward, your body isn’t properly aligned. “Not only does poor posture look bad, but it forces some muscles to work incredibly hard all day long while others get weaker,” says Novak.
The good news is, it’s never too late to improve your posture. Bad habits can be incredibly hard to break, but unlike other bad habits, poor posture can be a relaxing fix. Massage therapy can improve your posture, and is a great way to help get your body back on track. Allowing the body to reinforce healthy and natural movements can be one of the most beneficial aspects of massage therapy.
Massage relaxes and loosens the overworked and sore muscles that result from bad posture and allows your body to properly position itself back into its natural alignment. Massage therapy can help free you from the pain associated with poor posture and can have you standing straight and walking tall, as your body was designed to do.
With ongoing massage, muscles become loosened and relaxed, joints have greater freedom and pressure points are relieved. This allows the body to position itself in a healthy and natural posture, therefore avoiding the movements and positions developed over time as a reaction to the pain.
Benefits of Improved Posture:
- Muscles are loosened and relaxed
- Joints enjoy greater freedom
- Pressure points are relieved
After learning about the positive effects massage therapy can have on your posture, perhaps it’s time to incorporate regular therapeutic massage into your wellness routine, and stand up straight!
To get started and improve your posture on a daily basis, follow these tips from the Mayo Clinic:
- When standing: Keep your shoulders back and your chest high. Keep your stomach and butt pulled in and stand with weight evenly distributed between both feet keeping both feet pointed straight ahead of you.
- When sitting: Rest both feet flat on the floor with your knees at hip height. Sit with your back up against the chair with your shoulders back, head high and your chin slightly tucked in. FBN
For additional information or to schedule an appointment with a massage therapist, visit massageenvy.com, call 928-526-ENVY (3689), or visit one of Arizona’s 36 Massage Envy locations including the new Massage Envy in Prescott. The Flagstaff location is at 1235 S. Plaza Way in the University Plaza Shopping Center off Milton Road next to Ross and Safeway.
Mark Love is co-owner of Massage Envy Spa Flagstaff and owner of Massage Envy Prescott. For more information on the benefits of massage, go to MassageEnvy.com.