Can physical therapy improve posture?

Many common health conditions can be a result of poor posture. When you have poor posture, it can lead to issues like muscle imbalance and chronic pain. This is because posture plays a crucial role in maintaining musculoskeletal health. When you do not have good posture, your health can degrade as a result. This leads to an important question: How can you improve posture? Good posture is more than just standing up straight. Posture involves all the motions you make every day and the positions you put your body in. Learning how to maintain good posture can be essential to improving your health. Because of this, a good first step is finding ways to help make your posture better. Physical therapy can offer effective techniques for posture improvement.

How physical therapy for improving posture works

Posture refers to the alignment of the body in various positions. Posture does not only refer to standing. You have a posture when you are sitting, standing or moving. Good posture involves the correct positioning of joints and muscles to maintain optimal functioning. Poor posture, on the other hand, involves physical misalignments that can lead to further health complications. With physical therapy, a combination of techniques can be used to improve posture. Physical therapy utilizes a holistic approach to address postural issues.

• Postural assessment — A common first step for improving posture is assessing your current posture. This can allow a licensed clinician to pinpoint areas of concern. They may evaluate the alignment of the spine, hips and other key areas of the body. If you suffer from issues like back pain, these should be noted as well. A postural assessment is designed to determine any specific postural issues that can be addressed. From here, you can work with your physical therapy specialist to build a treatment plan. This initial assessment can also serve as a baseline for tracking later progress.

• Strengthening muscles — Weak muscles are often related to poor posture. They can contribute to poor posture, and poor posture can also contribute to muscle weakness. Physical therapy offers a way out of this cycle. Empowering weaker muscles with physical therapy is a good way to stabilize the spine. This can reduce strain on surrounding structures in the body. Physical therapy for posture often focuses on strengthening the muscles that are essential for maintaining proper posture. Exercises targeting the deep core muscles in your pelvis, abdomen and back can help improve muscle balance.

• Stretching muscles — Along with weak muscles, tight muscles are a common contributor to poor posture. Stretches are a great way to help reduce tension throughout the body. By targeting areas like the chest and hamstrings, physical therapy exercises can be great for improving posture. These stretches work to loosen tight muscles in key areas, allowing for better alignment. Stretching helps improve overall flexibility and range of motion. An added benefit of this is reducing the risk of future postural imbalances.

• Functional training — Physical therapy treatments for posture are designed for effectiveness in the real world. This means clinicians can help not only with exercises, but also with the motions that are part of your everyday life. Through a holistic approach, you can apply what you learn to many aspects of your life. Physical therapy works to integrate postural awareness into activities like bending and reaching. Whether you do manual labor or work at a desk job, functional training can improve your posture in the workplace as well. Ergonomic modifications may be suggested by a clinician to promote wellness on the job.

• Body awareness — Rote memorization is not an effective way to learn proper posture. Rather than just learning specific elements of good posture, physical therapy can promote an intuitive understanding of body awareness. An expert physical therapy specialist can teach you to recognize and correct poor postural habits. Virtual sessions are designed to make this physical therapy for posture improvement convenient and effective. Body awareness education can foster long-term change, empowering you to maintain good posture on your own.

Discover guidance for improving your posture with Agile Virtual Physical Therapy

Ready for posture improvement with physical therapy? At Agile Virtual Physical Therapy, you can get the care you need for a fraction of the average physical therapy cost. With a virtual network offering nationwide coverage, we prioritize making advanced physical therapy widely accessible. Our team of 400+ licensed clinicians is ready to help improve your posture with a treatment plan designed for you.

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.