The Effects of Poor Posture on the Body - Part One
What can you do to avoid pain?
Most people associate posture with standing or sitting up straight.
Yet the curvature of your spine and the relationship it has with surrounding muscles can have a rippling effect on your body and health.
Neck and back pain tend to be the first signs of poor posture, but it can also contribute to other problems
Defining Poor Posture
Sitting for hours each day places a good deal of stress on the body. Most people sit with their shoulders, head and pelvis angled forward. Day in and day out, this positioning places strain on certain muscle groups, causing them to contract and feel tight. Other muscles are engaged less frequently and begin to weaken or atrophy. This mismatch ultimately creates a physical imbalance that influences how much energy you use and the stress placed on ligaments.
Along with sitting all day, poor posture can also stem from:
- Insufficient ergonomics
- Looking down at a phone or computer
- Weakened or fatigued muscles
- Being overweight
- Poor form during exercise
- Repetitive motions
- Regularly carrying a heavy bag or object on one side of the body