POSTURE
Our multidisciplinary team of Chiropractors, Chartered Physiotherapists & Sports Therapists can help relieve postural discomfort, improve mobility and build a stronger, more resilient body.
Spending hours at a desk? Constantly looking down at your phone? Experiencing neck stiffness, rounded shoulders or a persistent ache across your lower back?
Modern lifestyles can place repetitive demands on our muscles and joints. Prolonged sitting, reduced movement and repetitive working positions can all contribute to muscular discomfort and stiffness.
At Watt Health, we take a multidisciplinary approach to postural health, combining Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Sports Massage, rehabilitation exercises and specialist movement classes.
Whether you're experiencing tech neck, a visible hump at the base of your neck, rounded shoulders or persistent lower back soreness, our team can assess your symptoms and help you move more comfortably. With clinics in Sarisbury Green, Fareham and West End, Southampton, we help patients across Hampshire improve their mobility, strength and confidence in everyday movement.
THE ANATOMY
Understanding Your Spine, Muscles & Postural Health
Good posture isn’t about sitting perfectly straight all day. It’s about your body’s ability to move comfortably, tolerate different positions and adapt to everyday demands.
Your cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine work alongside a complex network of muscles, ligaments and joints to support your head, trunk and everyday movements.
Muscles around the neck, shoulders, upper back, abdominals and hips all contribute to maintaining comfortable positions and allowing movement.
Prolonged periods of sitting, limited movement variety or repetitive activities may contribute to stiffness, muscular fatigue and discomfort.
Over time, some people notice changes in their habitual posture, including forward head positioning, rounded shoulders or increased curvature through the upper back.
Our approach focuses on improving mobility, developing strength, relieving discomfort and helping your body become more resilient to daily demands.
CAUSES OF DIZZINESS & VERTIGO
Dizziness is a symptom rather than a single medical diagnosis. Several different conditions can produce similar sensations, making accurate clinical assessment particularly important.
1. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
BPPV is one of the most common causes of vertigo.
It occurs when tiny calcium carbonate crystals become displaced from their normal location in the inner ear and enter one of the semicircular canals.
This can cause brief but intense episodes of spinning vertigo, usually triggered by specific head movements such as turning over in bed, looking upwards or lying down.
BPPV frequently responds well to canalith repositioning techniques such as the Epley manoeuvre, which aim to return the displaced crystals to an area where they no longer trigger symptoms.
2. Cervicogenic Dizziness (Neck-Related Dizziness)
Cervicogenic dizziness describes dizziness or unsteadiness potentially associated with dysfunction of the cervical spine.
It may occur alongside neck pain, restricted movement, muscular tension, whiplash-associated disorders or altered cervical proprioception.
Unlike classical BPPV, patients often describe a sensation of imbalance, disorientation or unsteadiness rather than brief episodes of intense spinning.
Diagnosis requires careful examination and exclusion of other potential vestibular, neurological and medical causes.
Appropriate management may include Chiropractic assessment, gentle cervical manual therapy, neck rehabilitation and sensorimotor exercises.
3. Vestibular Dysfunction & Balance Disorders
Vestibular disorders can interfere with how the brain receives and processes information about movement and balance.
Conditions such as unilateral vestibular hypofunction, vestibular neuritis and other vestibular disorders may produce ongoing dizziness, imbalance, visual disturbance or sensitivity to head movement.
Where appropriate, vestibular rehabilitation physiotherapy uses targeted exercises to improve gaze stability, balance and tolerance to movement.
Other possible causes of dizziness include vestibular migraine, Ménière’s disease, medication effects, blood pressure changes and neurological conditions. These require appropriate assessment and, where necessary, medical referral.
WHAT CAUSES BAD POSTURE?
WHAT CAUSES POSTURAL PROBLEMS?
Postural discomfort rarely has one single cause. Work habits, physical activity, muscular endurance, joint mobility and previous injuries can all contribute.
1. Desk-Based Work & Prolonged Sitting
Hours spent sitting at a computer can leave the neck, shoulders and lower back feeling stiff, tired or uncomfortable.
Remaining in one position for extended periods can contribute to muscular fatigue and reduced movement variety.
Regular movement breaks, workstation adjustments and targeted exercises can help make desk-based working more comfortable.
2. Tech Neck & Forward Head Posture
Repeatedly looking down at smartphones, tablets and laptops can increase the demands placed on the muscles around your neck and shoulders.
Often described as tech neck, associated symptoms may include neck stiffness, headaches, shoulder tension and discomfort between the shoulder blades.
Chiropractic treatment, Physiotherapy, Sports Massage and targeted strengthening exercises may help manage associated symptoms and improve movement tolerance.
3. Rounded Shoulders & Upper Back Stiffness
Rounded shoulders and an increased upper-back curve are common postural presentations.
Some people experience associated muscle tightness, reduced thoracic mobility or discomfort when sitting and working.
Treatment may focus on thoracic mobility, shoulder strength, muscular endurance and improving confidence across different working positions.
4. Neck Hump / Dowager’s Hump
A visible prominence at the base of the neck or upper back is sometimes described as a neck hump or Dowager’s hump.
This may relate to upper thoracic curvature, normal bony anatomy or soft tissue accumulation. In some cases, it can reflect structural spinal changes.
Assessment is important to establish the underlying cause.
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5. Lower Back Pain From Sitting
Does your lower back ache after a long day at your desk?
Prolonged sitting can aggravate existing lower back symptoms, particularly when combined with limited movement and reduced physical activity.
Our Chiropractors and Physiotherapists can help identify contributing factors and develop a treatment and exercise programme to improve comfort and function.
6. Reduced Strength & Mobility
A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to reduced strength, physical conditioning and movement confidence.
Tight-feeling muscles, stiff joints or reduced exercise tolerance may make everyday activities feel more demanding.
Our WattWorks Back Care and Stretch & Mobility classes provide structured opportunities to improve movement, flexibility and physical confidence.
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COMMON POSTURAL ISSUES | WE CAN HELP
1) Tech Neck – neck stiffness and discomfort associated with prolonged screen use.
2) Rounded Shoulders – upper-back stiffness and associated muscular fatigue.
3) Neck Hump / Dowager’s Hump – assessment of upper-back curvature and associated symptoms.
4) Desk-Related Lower Back Pain – soreness, stiffness and discomfort following prolonged sitting.
5) Neck & Shoulder Tension – tight-feeling muscles, discomfort and restricted movement.
6) Reduced Spinal Mobility – stiffness affecting everyday activities and exercise.
OUR APPROACH TO IMPROVING YOUR POSTURE
CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Hands-on spinal treatment to help relieve neck and back discomfort, improve joint mobility and support comfortable movement.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
Targeted strengthening, mobility exercises and rehabilitation to improve muscular endurance, physical function and resilience.
SPORTS MASSAGE
Soft tissue treatment to help ease muscular tension, reduce soreness and improve comfort with movement.
STRETCH & MOBILITY CLASSES
Our WattWorks classes encourage flexibility, mobility and regular movement — ideal for anyone spending long periods sitting.
BACK CARE CLASSES
Structured exercises to develop spinal strength, improve mobility and build confidence in everyday activities.
Together, these services provide a comprehensive approach to managing postural discomfort and supporting long-term musculoskeletal health.
