The Negative Effects Of Poor Posture
leon • February 14, 2019
Remember when your parents would scold you to sit or stand up straight? Turns out, like many things in life, they were right! Whether it’s the result of sitting in a static position all day, looking down at a smartphone or just lounging on a couch, poor posture is haunting people of all ages.
Though most of us probably don’t actively think about our posture throughout the day, we definitely should be more aware of it and the negative effects it can have on our health.
Negative Effects Of Poor Posture
- Shoulder pain. A rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons connecting your upper arm to your shoulder. Muscle tightness or weakness from poor posture can irritate these tendons, causing pain and discomfort. The slouching involved with poor posture can lead to pain in tension in your shoulders and upper back.
- Poor circulation. Our body was made to move fluids and gases and when you sit all day with poor posture, you’re preventing your body from getting the necessary circulation it needs. Prolonged sitting, especially with your legs crossed, can cut off the flow, increase pressure and even cause spider veins.
- Headaches. There are many types of headaches, but some headaches originate in the neck and can be fixed when working on posture. These headaches tend to start in the base of your neck and radiate up, often from a forward head position which places increased stress on the joints and muscles in your upper neck.
- Digestive issues. Slouched posture after a meal can trigger heartburn caused by acid reflux. When one assumes a slouched posture, the organs are compressed in the abdomen, this makes it harder for the body to digest food, and decreases metabolism.
- Nerve impingement. As the spine and other bones alter their position due to the long-term effects of poor posture, the skeletal system begins to come into contact with surrounding nerves and “pinch” them. These pinched nerves can cause neck and back pain, but they can also cause pain in what seems to be unrelated areas of the body.
- Poor body image and mood. Slouching or hunching your shoulders can give the illusion that you’re in worse shape than you are. If you work towards better posture, you’ll look and feel more confident in your own body. When you are slouched over, your internal organs have nowhere to go but down and out making you appear much heavier. People who sit upright report higher self-esteem, a higher level of alertness, a better mood and less fear than those who slouched.
- Breathing. Your ability to breathe optimally is boosted when your body is lengthened and in proper alignment. To breathe properly, your diaphragm needs to have enough space in the thoracic cavity to expand and properly release each breath. Good posture is a fantastic way to naturally improve breathing efficiency.
The Posture Takeaway
Most of us are guilty of slouching, hunching over our computer, or just not sitting or standing up straight. We know it’s not good for us, yet the majority of us don’t take any action to improve it.
Correct posture is a simple but very crucial way to keep the many intricate structures in the back and spine healthy. Sitting and standing with proper postural alignment will allow one to work more efficiently with less fatigue and strain on your body’s ligaments and muscles.
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