Posture is so much more important than sitting wrong or right. Posture has real effects on your entire body.
Poor posture can potentially affect your:
Age- If your shoulders are forward
Range of motion- With a forward head and rounded shoulders, your ability to raise your arm above your head becomes significantly altered
Jaw pain- A forward head will protrude your lower jaw, which can cause clicking, popping, and pain.
Low back pain- We will go into this more in-depth, but a static positioning is very strenuous on your entire body, including your low back.
Nerve pain- A forward head can impinge on nerves of your neck and arm, which can manifest in carpal tunnel syndrome and other issues.
Lung function- If your resting position is hunched forward, your lungs cannot expand.
Nobody wants these issues, but let’s not forget. There is no such thing as good or bad posture because posture is more than right or wrong, but posture is you, posture is me, posture is unique to each and every person.
Good posture is not only pleasing to the eye, but good posture can also affect your mood, weight, and daily life. Poor posture has been found to lead to HEADACHES, CARPAL TUNNEL, STIFFNESS, FATIGUE, and more!
A good position ensures that you are protected from injury so that you can live pain-free.
What does good posture look like?
If your ears are over your shoulders and your shoulders are in line with your hips, knees, and ankles, then you are in proper postural alignment.
Proper posture enables your muscles to function in a way that can protect your back. For instance, if you are too far forward, your muscles of your abdominals are already in a shortened position. Click here to check out our blog on workplace habits for more information about posture and back pain!
Quick tips to improve your posture!
1. Keep your shoulder down and back
– This better aligns your body, but more importantly, it activates your muscles!
2. Stop slouching!
– We all know this! it is not good your you. Why? because it is a position where there are no muscles active, our muscles are made to be used!
3. Learn what positions are pain free for YOU!
– Some people might need to be more forward or backwards in their positioning. If it feels good, continue to do it!
4. Try to be a little bit better every single day!
– The journey of life is a marathon, not a sprint.
As you can see, posture is a very complicated process, so please schedule a free call with us to talk about how we can help you!
Tags: functional fitness, low back pain, neck pain, posture, shoulder pain
