Research has proven that poor posture contributes to back, shoulder and neck pain, as well as other aspects of your health including eye strain, headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Painful, and potentially disabling, conditions can stem from a result of poor sitting or standing posture.

When you spend lengths of time from normal anatomic posture, unnecessary stress and strain are placed on the normal curves of your spine, causing these curves to slowly change over time. As the poor posture continues, these minor alterations make your spine more vulnerable to injury. To avoid serious injury, maintaining your best posture is critical to keeping stress off of your spine. Doing so will decrease your chances of injury to your spinal discs, reduce muscle strain, prevent muscular imbalances, and protect the small joints within your spine. Common side effects of prolonged poor posture are rounded shoulders, flat back, forward head positioning, muscular tension, and upper and lower back pain.

Imagine an invisible line running from your ear, to your shoulder, to your hip, to your ankle. If you have good posture, this imaginary line would align with these joints. Having proper standing posture also includes holding your head up, looking forward with your shoulders held back and your chest out. Standing like this equally distributes your weight on the spinal discs, allowing the muscles in the back to be balanced and reduce stress on the joints and ligaments of the spine. Reducing these stresses will decrease back pain as well as prevent injury. To maintain your best posture, it’s important to check yourself periodically. At first, it will seem awkward, but over time as your muscles get used to your new posture, it will be easier.

 

Did you know that you do not need a referrals for physical therapy? For more information call Advance Physical Therapy and The Physical Therapy Alliance (516) 568-4444 with locations in Massapequa, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Lindenhurst.