Let's Talk About … your posture.
As a society we are leaning in, whether we are working at a desk, pouring over our phones or pounding it out on a bicycle and our shoulders and neck are suffering.
Spend a minute as Dr. Joanna describes the subtle cues that can help us checkin and re-center.
“Everything we do is ‘forward’"
Q: What to do about this?
A: You can spend money on a new ergonomic workstation, come in and see one of our practitioners, or you could try with a few small adjustments. Dr. Joanna says it’s hip to be square… “Everything we do is 'forward', and most people tend to have an increased rounded posture. I help people realize they are rounded forward and cue them by giving them tips on how to square up their shoulders and bring their head back. This allows you to take the strain and stress off your neck and shoulders, which is key to good postural alignment.”
Q: Is a standing desk the solution?
A: "Standing desks help, because it's changing that position (however, you can still lean on stand desks too). When we change our position, it gives us an opportunity to re-adjust and re-centre. It helps us think about little cues, like squaring up your shoulders and bringing your head back."
Perfecting your workstation helps but poor alignment can come from the time we spend relaxing or recreating too. Dr. Joanna says it is not uncommon for her to dig deeper and have patients reveal that they are spending four hours on the couch or in bed, on the computer or watching TV. Joanna encourages us to check in and re-centre when you're standing, washing the dishes, watching TV, looking at your phone or tablet or when you sit down at your desk, and ask yourself ‘are my shoulders open?’
“I grew up in Toronto and then I moved to Vancouver to go to UBC after I graduated from high school. I love skiing and I wanted to be on the UBC ski team. I studied kinesiology and that set me up for my career in chiropractic. After I finished UBC, like many students, I didn't know what to do with myself. I decided to move to Whistler to go skiing for a couple of years and figure it out.
“While in Whistler, I happened to meet a couple of chiropractors there who were working in town. They were really awesome and I had a really positive experience with them, and it motivated me to check out going to school for chiropractic.”
“I've always been fascinated in how the body works. And having been an athlete, understanding how to move your body, what's going on in your body, feeling your body has always been an important part of that. In chiropractic school, a core part of the curriculum is anatomy, physiology and, of course, biomechanical movement patterns. What I've taken into my practice is a real love for understanding functional movement patterns and how people work holistically.
“I like looking at how people hold themselves and try to examine their habitual movement patterns, as opposed to focusing on where their pain is coming from. I like discovering what are the little things that they do to feel better.”
Questions Dr. Joanna presents when treating patients:
Joanna treats a variety of conditions that often occur in combination with each other:
➞ Tendinitis/tendinosis
➞ Foot pain/poor mechanics
➞ Neurological pain
➞ Carpal tunnel
➞ Running injuries
➞ Lower and mid back pain
➞ Neck pain
➞ Headaches
➞ Concussion
➞ Whiplash
➞ Iliotibial band syndrome
➞ Rotator cuff injuries
➞ Poor posture
➞ And many more!