Try These Exercises to Improve Posture

If you’re looking for long-term back pain relief, fixing bad posture is a down payment toward a pain-free future. Chiropractic care is vital for eliminating back pain, but it’s just part of the puzzle. Between appointments, you can take time to perform some exercises to improve posture. Before long, you’ll notice a difference not just in terms of less pain, but also in terms of positive effects like more energy and better performance in the gym. 

Exercises to Improve Posture

Chest Stretch

You may already do this stretch pretty regularly and not even think about it. The chest stretch can be done sitting or standing, but it always involves clasping your fingers behind your back and gradually raising your arms. By keeping your back straight and head up and forward, you’ll feel a nice stretch in your chest, shoulders, and neck. With more flexibility in your upper torso, you’ll have less upper back pain.

Planks

It’s difficult to keep your back strong if you don’t have a solid core to match. Planks are a great way to tighten up your abdominal muscles ahead of beach season, but more importantly, they help strengthen your core and back so that you can fix bad posture easier. You can start with a high plank—start with the same position you’d be in at the beginning of a push-up, but hold there with your back and core flat and tight. Once you get comfortable with this exercise, you can hold yourself lower to the ground, which engages your core even more. You can also work in side planks, which also help tighten your obliques. 

Thoracic Rotation

A healthy thoracic spine, or middle spine, is critical to fixing bad posture and avoiding back pain. One of the best exercises to improve posture is thoracic rotation, which targets this area and offers effective back pain relief. You can perform this stretch in different ways, including by lying on your back and rotating your legs or by pulling your arms across your chest while sitting up. 

Get Natural Back Pain Relief with Shields Chiropractic 

Back pain can be debilitating and take you away from the things you love. That’s why fixing bad posture proactively is imperative—especially if you spend a lot of your weekdays sitting at a desk for work. In addition to these exercises to improve posture, you can rely on the natural effectiveness of chiropractic care for better spine health. Schedule an appointment at Shields Chiropractic in Saginaw, MI, and we’ll help you get back in the game.