How Poor Posture Can Cause Tension Headaches

With 50-75% of the world’s population experiencing at least one headache in the past year, it’s safe to say that headaches are one of the most common disorders of the nervous system. You may know that tension headaches are responsible for a large portion of the above statistic. However you probably didn’t know that these are frequently caused by poor posture. Poor posture creates tension in your upper back, neck, and shoulders, which leads to a throbbing pain at the base of your skull that propagates into your forehead and face. [cite]

Is Your Working Posture Giving You Headaches?

It’s generally accepted that we all spend nearly one-third of our lives working. So it’s not surprising that much of our pain is caused by poor posture and habits during the working hours. Below are a few common postures — particularly in the work-from-home era — that can lead to headaches:

• Slouching or hunching while sitting (this is particularly pronounced when staring at electronic devices)
• Sitting on a bed or any soft surface with no back support while working

How to Fix Your Posture While Sitting or Working

We all get lazy and default to whatever takes the least effort from time-to-time. We get it and are guilty of it too. However, it’s much easier to implement a few simple tricks to correct a bad posture than it is to spend thousands of dollars and months or years of time trying to fix the pain and side effects from chronically sitting in a way that wreaks havoc on your spine. Below are a few quick tips to improve your posture and reduce the recurrence of tension headaches while working and sitting [cite]:

• Avoid working in bed at all costs. We know it’s tempting, but you’ll come to regret spending all your Flex Fridays in bed hunched over your laptop
• Don’t work laying down — on any surface
• Sit at a desk on a chair that supports your back. You can support your back by properly adjusting your chair to the correct height, and by setting it to the right tilt. As a general rule, your knees should be slightly lower than your hips, and your butt should be pushed to the back of your chair
• Place your screen at eye level so you aren’t looking down, and your wrists and forearms straight and level with the floor. If you can’t do this with your current setup, consider purchasing an adjustable monitor stand
• Invest in a good chair that has back support, arm support, and allows for height and tilt adjustments to ensure proper body positioning and alignment

How Chiropractors Help Improve Posture

One of the key benefits of investing in chiropractic treatment is that it works wonders for improving posture and reducing associated pain and headaches. Chiropractors do this by making targeted adjustments to your shoulders, neck, and back that help increase movement in your joints, reduce tension in surrounding muscles, and align your spine. This is then paired with individualized in-clinic therapies that build muscle memory, allowing you to maintain the improved alignment from the adjustments so you can experience long-lasting enhancements to your posture.

Chiropractic care takes a holistic approach and contributes to total body wellness. At Chiro One, we specialize in correcting posture imbalances, misalignments, and treating pain. Our care approach includes a detailed exam, a unique treatment plan, an expert clinical care team, and a supportive patient community for your personal health and wellness journey.

Schedule your appointment with one of our Chiro One doctors today.