Sciatica is the worst – period.

I’ve been there – that achy butt and leg pain is distracting at best, and downright disruptive at its worst…

If you’ve ever experienced sciatica you know that it zaps your energy, interferes with your work, and stops you from doing the sports and activities you love. Heck, it can even make sitting and standing unbearable…

Here’s the crazy thing: back problems including sciatica will affect 4 in 5 Canadian adults at some point in their life.

So if sciatica is so common, what is it?

Shoulders rounded, head forward, and eyes down.

Remind you of anyone you know?

It’s human nature to assume this Quasimodo-like trend is “no big deal,” but your Grandmother was wise when she told you to “stand up straight!”

The global technology boom may have improved our lives and connected the world, but it has also caused an epidemic of “Tech Neck” and contributed to some serious health problems.

New York spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Hansraj published research in 2014 measuring the effects of forward head posture (aka tech neck) on the cervical spine and found that a normal 12-pound head can weigh as much as 60 pounds when bent forward.

Imagine walking around all day with a child wrapped around your neck!

Forward head posture has been linked to conditions like spinal degeneration, disc disease, abnormal curvatures of the spine, headaches…even respiratory problems, depression, and reduced mortality.

Having a tough time solving your shoulder pain?

It could be the rotator cuff…

Maybe it’s the shoulder joint itself?

It could also have nothing to do with the shoulder at all. Hmmm.

Here’s how to know when shoulder pain is not a shoulder problem, what the real culprit could be, and how to start fixing it.