Posture Matters

We are all guilty of poor posture at some point, but being conscious of proper posture can have a miraculous effect on your neck, and low back pain. Poor posture is most commonly caused from stress but is also affected by obesity, and poor ergonomics. Just think about using any electronic device. Your looking down for a prolonged period of time stressing certain muscles through the neck region. The average human head weighs about 10 pounds. Now, imagine how much quickly your muscles would tire if you held a bowling ball close to your chest verse holding the weight with arms fully extended. With proper posture, the weight of the head is properly balanced through the spine.

Poor posture does not cause pain after one day but after many weeks or chronic use of the same activity. Holding a bowling ball with arms fully extended creates a lot of stress on certain muscles which begin to pull on the spine after a long time. As these muscles pull harder and harder on the spine, nerves can become pinched and spinal curves become straight. Maintaining natural spinal curves is important for properly distributing weight.

Developing proper posture does more than just decrease pain. Standing tall with your head up aids in awareness and self-worth. Having confidence affects your mood, outlook on life, and even the brain’s perception on pain. Stand tall and keep those shoulders back to live the life you want.

Remember that poor posture has been developed over years of use and abuse. Don’t get frustrated as postural muscles will take time to retrain and strengthen. Continue reading about postural changes on the upper/lower crossed syndrome pages.