Massage and Posture by Kristi Foster

We are sitting more than ever before with long hours at the computer, driving, watching TV and it is affecting the way our body is aligned.  Our shoulders and neck are pulled forward due to tight, shortened pectoral muscles (chest), scalene’s and the sternocleidomastoid (front of neck).  Our pelvises are out of whack from weakened abdominal muscles, shortened hip flexors and more.

We’ve all heard that wonderful phrase in our childhood, “Sit up straight,” or, “Don’t slouch.” We’d roll our eyes and go right back to sitting how we wanted, not caring if we had proper posture or not. But we need to keep that in mind and take a break, pull our shoulders back and stand up straight! I’ve often come across people that don’t even try to fix their posture because pulling their shoulders back and standing up straight hurts too much. This is because the muscles of your back are elongated while the pectoral muscles are tight. This can cause discomfort but should not hinder you at all.

Luckily, Massage Therapy can help you! Massage therapy can help ease the tension in tight muscles. For instance, I mentioned above, the forward head posture is often caused by long hours at the computer which can cause arm, hand, neck and upper back pain. Targeting specific muscle groups such as the pectorals and the muscles on the front of the neck can help lengthen them, allowing the body to find the space to realign itself into the proper position. Before I start a massage session I always talk to my clients to figure out what their area of concern is. With that in mind, I know which muscle groups to focus on for optimal relaxation.

Massage relaxes you, improves your circulation, helps eradicate stress and is one of the best pain relievers out there.  Many of the unhealthy patterns our body creates are caused by stress tension and pain which means getting regular massage is a key ingredient to letting go of those things that are having ill effects on your posture.