Is Your Poor Posture Hurting You?
By Sara Butler
There are many people who suffer from symptoms associated with poor posture and they don’t even realize it. With help from your chiropractor and a little self-observation, you can identify your poor posture pitfalls and try to fix them.
The Problem with Posture
Poor posture has a big impact on your entire body. It impacts your hips, spine, knees, and shoulders. It can also cause structural flaws that lead to joint restriction and dysfunction, which can then lead to back pain and joint pain, reduced flexibility, and compromised muscles.
If the structure of your body is compromised, then eventually it will lead to pressure on the spinal nerves, causing irritation and other issues to spring up over the entire body, not just the back.
The Most Common Poor Postures
The most common posture problems people make are:
- Rounded shoulders – When the shoulders are brought forward, then added stress and strain are placed on the shoulders in order to support the neck.
- Forward head – When you hang your head forward for any amount of time while reading a book or texting your friends, then you are placing pressure and strain on the neck, upper back, and shoulders. This can cause stiff muscles as well as headaches and other problems.
- Anterior pelvic tilt – If you don’t have enough support in your abdominal muscles, then the hips may tilt forward to try to maintain balance. This can cause lower back, hip, and leg pain.
- Elevated shoulder – If your chest muscles are weak, then it will cause your shoulders to hunch up, leading to neck and shoulder problems.
The Impact of Poor Posture on Your Health
Back pain is obviously the most common result of poor posture, but there are other health issues that can result from posture problems. Poor posture can also:
- Impact life expectancy – Who would have thought that hunching over your computer could shorten your life? Studies have shown it can! Every hour you spend sedentary with poor posture can have an impact on your health by increasing your chances of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
- Poor circulation – Sitting for a long time, especially with crossed legs, can increase the pressure in your veins and arteries, impacting circulation over your whole body.
- Impacting mood – The regulation of hormones in your body can be impacted by posture too. If you practice poor posture, then the levels of the stress hormone cortisol can increase your feelings of stress and anxiety.
To find out more about correcting your posture problems, talk to the chiropractors at The Joint!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.