Fix your posture: Why does it matter?

BY DR. VIKAS PURI

Good posture is good health, we hear this so often. But have you ever thought, why? Is it going to lower your muscle pain and discomforts? Yes, you are guessing it right. Bad posture and “poor” postural control are the major contributors to pain, particularly neck and back pain. Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, or lying down. The key to good posture is to maintain a proper position of your spine. Your spine has three natural curvatures, your neck, mid back and low back. Correct posture should maintain these curves, but not increase them.

Slumping or slouching regularly, as in hunching over laptops and cellphones, or engaging in other forms of bad posture-can lead to slew of issues over time. Poor posture can lead to muscle fatigue, spasms and increased pain. This leads to degeneration of your spine which in turn can make your spine more prone to injury like a herniated disc. Many of us perceived “poor posture” as a result of biological adaption of faulty, comfortable positions being practiced over weeks by humans, which is unlikely to change without an actual effort. Correcting your posture may feel awkward at first because you have become so used to sitting and standing in a particular way.  It is about breaking the postural habits you have developed.  So, get into the habit of sitting correctly. It may not feel comfortable initially because of your muscles which have not been conditioned to support you in the correct position. But there are many exercises to strengthen your core and back muscles and will help you correct your slouching posture. With a bit of practice, good posture will become  second nature and one step closer to helping your back in the long term.

The best thing you can do for yourself is get a complete postural assessment from a licensed chiropractor.  Subsequently having the chiropractor develop a specific exercise program for you in conjunction with a program of chiropractic adjustments to restore proper spinal alignment and function, will ensure the best results.

But now the question is what a good posture looks like? Here’s a quick posture check-in: When sitting, your feet should rest on the floor or footrest, if they don’t reach the floor. Relax your shoulders and keep your forearm parallel to the ground. Don’t cross your legs, and your ankles should be in front of your knees. Keep your knees at or below the level of your hips. Your shoulders should be back but relaxed and your ears should line up over your collarbones. Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time. When standing, bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees slightly bent and shoulder-width apart. Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backwards and stomach tucked in. Do not push your head forward, backward or to the side unnecessarily.  All of this becomes important when considering your ergonomics at work.  What is your workstation set up?  Do you stand for long periods of time?  Then you may need proper footwear with custom orthotics to maximize your posture.  A footrest to stand on will also off load your spine.  This is especially important in assembly line workers.  For office workers, ensuring our chair is adjustable so our forearms are parallel to the ground when using our computers or writing is important.  Have a footrest to place your feet on and a comfortable lumbar support on your chair so your lower back curves are maintained.  Top of monitors should be set to eye level.  When your workstation is set correctly, you will tend to be a lot more productive when you are not in pain.

Research has shown that improved posture improves our nervous system health, reduces risk of injury, decreases stress levels and improves our health overall.  In fact, posture is currently a predictor of Alzheimer’s disease.  With poor posture, abnormal proprioception (sense of where we are in space) input into the brain begins to decay our gray matter in the brain and can lead to things like Alzheimer’s disease down the road.

So, sit up straight, correct that posture and take your health to the next level!