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 gives the appearance of being hunched over. Normal lordosis is good. Too much kyphosis is bad! Johnson Chiropractic knows the difference and is here to evaluate our Richmond 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 Richmond night do you find yourself re-arranging? Slouching in your chair instead of sitting up straight increases 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 Johnson 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! Johnson Chiropractic understands the spinal reactions!
So where might all of this information come into play? Daily life in Richmond. 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 Richmond job demand of your spine? Suggestions for how to avoid this risk haven’t been made yet. (It’s new research!) Johnson Chiropractic will keep an eye out for those though!
So contact Johnson 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 Richmond chiropractor evaluate your spine.