Bad posture doesn’t just LOOK bad, it’s bad for your health. However, many people think that because they are not in pain, it’s not a big deal. Well, it is a big deal because poor posture leads to a forward head carriage (see photo above), as well as slouching.
Forward head carriage results in an increased rate of degenerative change in your neck, therefore increasing pain AND decreasing your available range of motion. It contributes to tight muscles, headaches and even radiating pain and/or numbness into your arms and hands. The increased weight you are putting on your neck significantly increases the risk of losing your discs faster, as well!
Slouching, particularly throughout the mid back, causes all of your postural muscles to atrophy. This makes it harder and harder to sit up straight over time. This also puts more weight onto the discs in your midback, causing faster degenerative change and disc loss. Your ribs attach to your mid back. Slouching decreases the range of motion your ribs have to expand while you breath, making it more challenging for you to take nice deep breaths! When your spinal cord is compromised in this area, you can actually see symptoms in your lungs, heart, chest, stomach and more.
It is time to stop thinking in terms of just how we look and how our muscles feel. You MUST begin to understand that your spinal cord is in there, and putting tension where there shouldn’t be can cause MUCH more than minor aches and pains. Take it seriously, and start now.
