Posture – The way in which your body is positioned when you are sitting or standing.
Effects of Poor Posture
- Poor posture makes you look older than you are
- Hunched shoulders and sagging faces are signs of aging
- Poor posture limits your range of motion
- Muscles and ligaments adaptively shorten or lengthen which decreases your ability to move
- Poor posture can increase your pain or discomfort
- Headaches, extremity pain and nerve involvement are common
- Poor posture can create pain in the jaw and make it difficult to eat
- TMJ dysfunction is common
- Poor posture restricts the efficient functioning of the lungs
- Decrease in chest space and inhalation ability makes breathing more difficult
- Poor posture can cause low back pain
- Continuous strain on the muscle and other tissues in the back can cause pain
- Poor posture can cause nerve problems
- Nerve roots exiting the spine can be compressed
- Poor posture can inhibit the elimination of your bodies waste
- Bowel and bladder involvement occurs over time
As you can see, maintaining good posture can save you a lot of problems. Today is the day to correct your posture. It may seem difficult and bothersome at first, but with time and practice it will become as natural a position as the one you are in right now.
Common Presentations of Poor Posture
Correct postural alignment
One way to assume correct postural alignment is to use a mirror and imagine a plumb line that begins at your ear and extends down to the ground. This line should go straight down from your ear to your shoulder, to the middle of your hip, to the knee, and finally to the ankle.
Correct Posture