Why
is Good Posture Important?
Posture is
important for many reasons. My top
reasons for having good posture are:
- It
affects your health and fitness
- It
sends a message to others about how you feel about yourself
- Good posture can make you appear taller,
thinner and more at ease
Identifying
Poor Posture
Before you
can correct bad posture, you must first identify it. Some of the causes of poor
posture include poor sitting and standing postures, inflexibility or weakness
in joints and muscles and sitting or standing incorrectly in a workplace such
as cradling a phone receiver between your shoulder and neck.
Signs of
poor posture include holding your head and neck too far forward or down,
slouching and rolling (or hunching) your shoulders, slouching forward while
sitting, arching your lower back too much.
If you are sitting
on your wallet in your hip pants pocket, place your purse on one shoulder or if
you sit at a computer hunched over you most likely have a posture problem.
The best
way to identify bad posture is through a detailed posture evaluation. A posture
evaluation will take pictures of you standing in front of a grid as well as
doing different muscle tests. With this evaluation you will know exactly your
posture issues are. You will be surprised
on how your posture looks.
Benefits of
Good Posture
By having
good posture, you can prevent or eliminate low back pain, neck strain and
carpal tunnel syndrome. These conditions and more result from constant muscle
strain caused by holding your body in an unnatural position. Poor posture also
can quickly put wear and tear on your joints, which can then lead to arthritis
and other problems.
Good posture allows you to use your muscles more efficiently because they are
in correct alignment. Correct use of the muscles not only relieves pain but it can also give you an energy boost because
your muscles don't have to strain themselves.
Complications
of Poor Posture
When you
achieve good posture, you will prevent your spine from becoming fixed. One
example of this is seen in people who must bend forward for long periods of
time at work. Not only are these people at risk for developing a permanent
spinal problems, but their postural muscles become imbalanced making it
progressively more difficult for them to stand up straight.
Some of the
problems from a fixed spine include constricted nerves and blood vessels,
muscle pain as well as sore discs and joints. With good posture you can prevent
the headaches, breathing problems, fatigue and damage to internal organs that
can result from spinal maladjustment.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF GOOD POSTURE
Other
benefits of good posture include improvement in breathing as well as better
circulation and digestion that result from relieving the bodily stress on the
torso and allowing your lungs, digestive system and other organs more room to
function. As an added benefit, better posture also will improve the quality of
your voice if you do not allow your chest to totally deflate when you exhale.
Tips for
Good Posture
When
seated, place both feet on the floor or on a foot rest if they do not reach the
floor, keep your knees level with your hips and sit with your back firmly
against the chair. If necessary, adjust the chair so it supports your mid and
lower back; or place a small cushion or rolled towel behind the curve of your
lower back. Don't lean forward or slouch in your chair.
Do not
cross your legs, and keep your ankles in front of your knees; keep your
shoulders straight and relaxed, with your forearms parallel to the floor.
Maintain a slight gap between the back of your knees and the front edge of your
seat. Don't sit in the same position for long periods; stand up and stretch
often. Remember to stretch your head upwards with chin pulled in slightly.
The key to
good standing posture is the same as sitting: maintain a neutral spine, or one
that is not stressed by twists or turns that fatigue spinal muscles and put
extra pressure on spinal disks. Hold your chest high, with your shoulders back
and relaxed; support your weight on the balls of your feet instead of your
heels. Keep your feet parallel and spaced at about shoulder-width apart, with
knees slightly bent.
Fitworks
Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients improve their posture
because of musculoskeletal imbalances. By building and stretching the muscles
the imbalances go away and posture improves. Give Fitworks Corrective
Therapy a call today to get a free posture evaluation and discover how your
posture is doing. 801-703-8503
Gary
Rumel, Corrective Therapist
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