Spinal symmetry is a vital element of your body. It helps to ensure that no area in your body is receiving unnecessary stress and thereby resulting in severe pain and joint immobility. Since it is so important, it’s crucial for you to learn how to perform a self-symmetry check to and maintain good posture to ensure that you do not have any spinal misalignment issues.
How to Perform a Symmetry Check
Close your eyes and walk forward for a few seconds, before coming to a stop. Then, open your eyes and look at yourself in the mirror. When you’re reviewing your symmetry and balance, ask yourself these questions:
Are my eyes, shoulders, and hips level?
Are the resting angles of my palms similar on both sides?
Is my hip or head tilted to one side more than the other?
Do I have a visible shoulder or back hunch?
Are my ears in alignment with my hips and head?
Is the resting position of my pelvis squared or tilted in any direction?
You should also try positioning yourself in different postures and shifting your weight around on either leg to see if you experience any pain or notice poor function in any joint.
Range of Motion
Another crucial element that you will certainly have to check is your range of motion. An issue with your posture often leads to a joint being restricted in some way. For example, if there’s a misalignment in the vertebrae in the neck, it may cause your shoulder to lose some of its mobility as well. If you leave this issue untreated, it will exacerbate the condition, turning it into something more concerning.
// How to Check the Range of Motion in Your Neck
Tilt your head to the side in either direction while maintaining around a 45-degree angle. Slowly rotate your neck in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to see if you experience any stiffness or pain. Once you complete a full rotation, repeat the movement in the opposite direction. From there, try touching your chin to your neck, then point your chin towards the ceiling.
Additionally, try shrugging your shoulder as high as you can and hold the position for a second or two, then slowly push it down to see if you can engage the upper portion of your pectoral muscles.
All of these motions should be smooth and painless, so if you’re experiencing any pain, you will have to bring it up with your doctor or chiropractor.
// How to Check the Range of Motion in Your Back
The mid and lower back has numerous large muscles which prevent them from being too mobile, but the mobility and fluidity of these regions are still crucial to a healthy lifestyle. Your back is where the majority of your force is generated, meaning that if there’s an issue with the alignment and mobility of your back, it will prevent you from working out or even performing day-to-day tasks effectively. To check for spinal mobility, try thrusting your pelvis forward, backward, and side to side. Follow this up with a rotation. If you are unable to tilt your pelvis without involving the lumbar spine, there’s an issue with the mobility of your mid to lower back.
Misalignment in your mid-back area can lead to pain and asymmetries in the legs as well. If you’re experiencing leg pain or numbness, the underlying cause may be in the misalignment of your spine.
Additional Concerns About Spinal Alignment
Poor posture will have a significant long-term effect on your spinal alignment, which will have an effect on every physical activity that you do, be it exercise, sitting, lying down, or even standing up. When you have poor posture, more pressure will be put on your spine and muscles, causing your body to tense up in a way that it shouldn’t. Therefore, you need to learn how to properly position your body for all of your daily activities and be mindful about maintaining them throughout the day to ensure a high level of well-being.
In addition to poor posture, skeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis can affect your spinal alignment as well. The conditions are more prevalent in the older demographic, so if you’re at risk of these diseases, you will need to talk to your doctor about it.
How Chiropractic Care Help to Treat This Issue
Chiropractic adjustments are designed to alleviate the stress and pressure put on your joints, muscles, and spine. It can help to restore proper mobility and functionality to the inflicted areas of your body, allowing you to enjoy the same quality of life as you did before. When the joint is first relieved of the pressure it has accumulated, you will feel a sharp pain running up from that area and up the spine. This is the result of the fluids and electrical signals being released from the obstructed pathways. After the treatment, you will feel as if the joint has become lighter and smoother. You may feel strangely limber for a few hours afterwards, but comfortable mobility will return to the joint within a few days.
Tebby Chiropractic and Sports Medicine Clinic provides chiropractic services in Charlotte, NC. Get in touch today to see how we can help with your back pain.
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