As technology’s reach expands, work-from-home jobs increase, and we slide into a more sedentary lifestyle, bad posture and its negative effects infiltrate our lives. Bad posture can affect people of all ages. A recent study in children and adolescents shows that of the 595,057 students screened, 65.3% of them had bad posture. A study of device usage during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that 70.5% of respondents complained of musculoskeletal pain that could be attributed to bad posture while using devices for work or personal use. Even with this explosion of potential for bad posture, there are effective ways to help combat it.
What is bad posture?
Bad posture is more than just a concern about appearance; it can also be a silent disruptor of your well-being. Bad posture is the improper alignment of your body, especially your spine. This improper alignment adds unneeded stress on your muscles and joints. A casual slouch, persistent hunch or even sitting unevenly are all bad postures and can quietly wreak havoc on your body.
Symptoms of bad posture to watch for
Continuing to have bad posture can lead to a chain reaction of issues that can end up causing chronic pain and discomfort. Symptoms of bad posture can include:
- Back and neck pain.
- Headaches.
- Muscle stiffness.
- Fatigue.
What can cause bad posture?
Bad posture can be caused by:
- Sedentary lifestyle — Having a sedentary lifestyle where you have limited physical activity can lead to you developing muscle imbalances.
- Improper ergonomics — Work-from-home life can be nice, but it still requires a well-laid-out workspace. Working while sitting incorrectly in chairs, sitting in a chair too low or not having computer monitors at optimal levels can all cause you to use bad posture.
- Muscle imbalances — If you have weakness or tightness in a specific muscle group, you can develop postural misalignments due to overcompensating.
- Weak core muscles — Strong core muscles are essential to help keep your spine in a neutral position. Weak core muscle strength can cause you to sit or stand improperly.
What are the negative effects of bad posture?
Having bad posture can cause several negative effects:
- Chronic pain — Continually having back and neck pain can impact your ability to do daily activities and overall quality of life.
- Reduced lung capacity — Sitting improperly can limit the space for your lungs to fully expand. This can have an effect on your breathing.
- Digestive issues — Sitting hunched over can cause your internal organs to become compressed. This compression can cause you to experience digestive discomfort or issues.
- Organ stress — Added pressure on your organs can potentially cause you long-term health issues.
What are the benefits of adopting good posture habits?
Taking care to adopt good posture habits can help negate the bad effects and also provide you with health benefits:
- Organ function — Sitting with good posture helps keep stress off your organs. This helps your internal organs to function efficiently.
- Breathing improvement — Allowing your lungs to expand fully can help you breathe more easily and help improve oxygenation.
- Circulation — Good posture habits can help improve your blood flow. Improved circulation can boost your overall cardiovascular health.
- Confidence boost — Maintaining good posture can help give you self-confidence about your body image.
- Stress reduction — Reducing stress on your spine and muscles can help you feel more relaxed and less stressed from being in discomfort.
Physical therapy can help improve your bad posture
Physical therapy can swoop in and save the day to help you with the negative effects of bad posture on your life. Using evidence-based techniques, a skilled physical therapist can help target the root causes of your bad posture and develop a personalized treatment plan. Physical therapy techniques your physical therapist may use include:
- Ergonomics — Your physical therapist may walk through an ergonomic evaluation with you. They can share the importance of keeping good posture and help you design the best ergonomics for your life. This can include improvements for daily activities and workspace layouts.
- Therapeutic exercises — Your physical therapist may recommend strengthening exercises or stretching exercises to target specific muscle groups and help with any imbalances. Strengthening exercises can help strengthen your core muscles. Strong core muscles can help stabilize your spine and make it easier for you to keep it in a neutral position. Stretching exercises can improve your flexibility, which can promote muscle relaxation and a better range of motion to ease discomfort.
- Manual therapy — Manual therapy is the go-to treatment for many musculoskeletal complaints. Hands-on techniques like soft tissue mobilization and joint mobilization are used to help alleviate pain, reduce muscle tension and restore your proper joint function. Manual therapy plays a crucial part in addressing the physical manifestations of bad posture.
- Electrical stimulation — Electrical stimulation uses low-level electrical currents to stimulate your nerves and muscles in a specific area. This stimulation can provide you with pain relief that can be caused by bad posture habits. It can also help reduce inflammation and boost circulation to help the healing process.
- Mulligan technique — The Mulligan technique can help address specific joint dysfunctions that can contribute to bad posture. It can help correct your position and improve your joint function.
- McKenzie Method® — Your physical therapist may recommend the McKenzie Method as exercises you can do on your own to help alleviate your pain and manage issues related to bad posture.
Let Panther Physical Therapy be your ally in overcoming bad posture
At Panther Physical Therapy, we understand the frustrations of dealing with muscle aches and pains. Bad posture habits can leave you in discomfort and facing potential long-term health issues. Our expert team can help guide you through exercises, hands-on techniques and ergonomic improvements to give you a posture upgrade that can make you feel better. We can work together to have you say goodbye to discomfort and hello to confidence, comfort and easier movement.
Call us or request an appointment today to transform your journey from bad posture to good posture.