Emotions influence the way the mind and body
react. Happy emotions make us
smile. Sad emotions produce frowns. These reactions are
the outer reactions we most commonly notice. What
about other emotional, inner reactions? Researchers are studying
these. A recent study regarding emotions and back muscle
reactions captured the eye of Minster Chiropractic Center who
cares for many Minster back pain sufferers. It is a
reminder to consider the whole person - mind and body! – and to
sit upright.
EMOTIONS AFFECT POSTURE
When someone is depressed or just in a down mood,
what does their body usually look like? Slumped forward,
eyes to the ground, tired? We’ve all seen this.
Upright posture does so much to improve positivity and decrease
fatigue and anxiety. (1) Body posture may well impact emotional
reactions! An interesting development regarding the the relationship between muscular states and emotions,
researchers discovered that upright seated postures are beneficial.
Upright seated posture in constrast to a slumped seated
posture was found to improve self-esteem, arousal, and
mood as well as reduce fear. Linguists noted that
slumped posture people used more negative emotion words and fewer words than upright posture
people. They therefore recommended in their study to sit
upright when facing a stressful situation as it can maintain
self-esteem, decrease self-focus, decrease negative mood and generate
a positive mood. Speech rate improved, too. Sitting
upright may be just the way to build
resilience to stress. (2) Minster Chiropractic Center notices firsthand how
emotions affect Minster chiropractic patients, particularly
Minster
back pain patients who are stressed and down.
NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AFFECT BACK MUSCLES
For back pain sufferers – who are certainly not
immune to a down mood! – physical responses like slumping
are not unusual. In an electromyographic study of back
muscles, it was found that
negative emotions increased differential back muscle activity
while positive emotions didn’t. The muscles were left
alone, not having to respond at all. (3) While healing, the back pain
sufferer’s spine does not
need any more stimuli. Minster Chiropractic Center offers gentle Minster
chiropractic spinal manipulation via Cox®
Technic to relax its muscles and reduce its pain.
CONTACT Minster Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the
benefits of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management benefits aback
pain patient’s spine, muscle, and system.
Make your Minster
chiropractic appointment soon. If stress or emotions compel you
to slump and aggravate your back pain,
Minster Chiropractic Center is here to ease the pain, prompt you
to sit up straight (like your parents used to tell you!), and find
a way to make you smile!