Did your mother ever tell you to sit up tall when you were slouching as a child? As it turns out, your mother’s advice was probably spot on.
Bad posture can lead to an array of health issues that are easily preventable if you make a concerted effort to work on your postural awareness.
Let’s dive in to understand what bad posture is and why you should avoid it.
What is bad posture?
Bad posture is any posture in which you are not aligning your body parts on top of one another in a manner that leaves your spine in a neutral position.
Most of us assume a bad posture when we hunch over and our heads are jutted too far forward.
However, bad posture can also be the opposite position where your spine is excessively extended.
What are the symptoms of bad posture?
If you consistently maintain a poor posture, you may experience aching in your lower back or your neck.
People will also describe a tension and stiffness in their neck and upper back that just never seems to go away.
And if you are constantly fighting off a headache, you may want to take a closer look at your posture as this is often a symptom associated with poor posture.
What causes bad posture?
Bad posture can be caused by several factors.
If you lack adequate strength to sustain a good posture, you may not be able to hold a good posture throughout your day.
On the other hand, if the tissues in your body are too tight, they may not allow your body to have enough mobility to stay in a good posture.
And bad posture may simply be caused by lack of awareness. Often we could easily fix our posture if we simply became more aware of it.
Potential diagnoses associated with poor posture
If you don’t take the time to address your postural issues, you could end up with one of the following issues:
- Chronic headaches
- Mechanical neck pain
- Mechanical lower back pain
- Kyphosis (permanent hunched over position of upper back)
- Muscle strain in your neck or lower back
- Hip mobility limitations
Did you know?
Did you know posture is highly correlated with your mood?
If you are sad or upset, you are more likely to find yourself in a poor posture and experience greater pain.
This is why it’s important to not only address the physical impairments, but also your mental and emotional concerns when it comes to obtaining good posture and achieving optimal well-being.
