Do you always find yourself suffering from neck or back pain? That could be a sign of having poor posture since poor one puts a lot of strain on the affected muscle, ligaments, and joints. Being in a bad position all the time forces body parts like the back, neck, and shoulders to carry more unnecessary weight that they wouldn’t have to if you just fix your posture. This habit causes pain all the time.
Moreover, poor posture doesn’t just bring pain but it can also have a major impact to our health, how we live and how we feel every day. Here are the common reasons why we develop poor posture and some tips that you can follow to fix them.
1. Sitting And Working At A Computer
This chains you to the chair for long periods of time which isn’t good because our body is designed for movement.
2. Talking On The Phone Or Texting
Any activity that makes your head tilt in an unnatural angle or position is causing the muscles at the back of your neck to tighten and hurt.
3. Slouching In A Chair
It may not be painful when you sit this way, but it strains the already sensitized muscles and soft tissues in the long run.
4. Wearing Too Heavy Backpack Or Purse
It may not seem like it at first but if your carry heavy bags on the same shoulder all time it will lead to posture problems in the future.
5. Leaning On One Leg
This helps when you’ve been standing for hours but it can also lead to posture problems if you’re doing it wrong.
6. Bending Forward From Your Back
This always happens when you brush your teeth or when trying to lift things from the floor.
7. Poking Your Chin
This can happen when you have a hunched back, or you’re sitting too low with a screen set too high.
8. Wearing High Heels All The Time
For most women, wearing heels is probably a normal part of their everyday life but it has some seriously troubling effects on our body, especially when it comes to posture.
9. Accidents/Injuries
If you play sports, you probably understand how prone you can be to injuries which can cause poor posture. Even accidents like car crash or falling from a tree can put you in a state that requires you to be in a bad position all day.
Ways To Improve Your Posture
Exercise Proper Sitting Position
Sit with your head straight, knees slightly lower than your hips, feet flat on the floor, and keep your shoulders back.
Practice Standing Properly
Align your shoulder to your body, maintain a straight by using your core muscles, lessen pressure on the hips by bending your knees slightly, and use supportive footwear.
Mind How You Walk
Your chin should be parallel to the ground, keep your stomach and butt in line with the rest of the body and make sure your heel hits the ground first as you roll onto your toe.
Pay Attention To You Sleeping Condition
You probably know by now that it is highly vetoed by spine specialist as this position twists the neck. Sleeping on your back is much more ideal, but if you can only sleep on your side, put a pillow between your legs and under either of your arms.
Adjust Your Working Area
When you’re sitting in front of the computer with your head straight, you should be looking at the middle of the screen. Your forearms should have support while typing as well. Use footstool to step on if necessary too.
Seek Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic adjustment can’t make your posture problem disappear but, it can help treat the reason why you developed bad posture. It can correct the misalignment by using manual adjustment to take the pressure off some nerves that are being compressed due to the unnatural position your body is always in. This then helps relieve pain in the area. And with your spine back in proper alignment, you’ll eventually lose the odd posture, provided that you keep your posture in check all the time. Otherwise you’ll develop subluxations again and revert back to the same condition.