The Benefits Of Good Posture

The benefits of good posture prevent excessive strain on joints and muscles and reducing pain and injury risk. It can even boost your mood and self-esteem. Has anyone ever told you, “stand up straight”! or scolded you for slouching at a family dinner?

Comments like that might be annoying, but they are not wrong. Your posture and how you hold your body when sitting or standing are the foundation for every movement your body makes and determines how well your body adapts to its stresses. These stresses can be things like carrying weight or sitting in an awkward position. And the big one we experience all day, every day, is gravity. So if your posture is not optimal, your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright and balanced. As a result, some muscles will become inflexible and tight, and others will be inhibited.

Over time, these dysfunctional adaptations impair your body’s ability to deal with the forces on it. As a result, poor posture inflicts extra wear and tear on your joints and ligaments, increases the likelihood of accidents, and makes some organs less efficient. In addition, researchers have linked poor posture to scoliosis, tension headaches, and back pain.

Though it is not the sole cause of any of them, posture can influence your emotional state and pain sensitivity. So there are a lot of reasons to aim for good posture. But it’s getting more complicated these days. For example, sitting in an awkward position for a long time can promote poor posture, and using computers, laptops, and mobile devices encourages you to look downward. Many studies suggest that, on average, posture is getting worse.

So what does good posture look like?

When you look at the spine from the or the back, all 33 vertebrae should appear stacked in a straight line. The spine should have three curves from the side — the one cervical curvature at your neck. The second one is at your shoulder, which is a thoracic curvature. The last one is located at the small of your back, called sacral curvature. You are not born with this s-shaped spine. Babie’s spines have one curve like a “c.” The other curves usually develop by 12 to 18 months as the muscle strengthens. These curves help us stay upright and absorb some stress from activities like walking and jumping.

If they are correctly aligned, when you are standing up, you should be able to draw a straight line, from a point just in front of your shoulders behind your hip to the front of your knee to a few inches in front of your ankle. This keeps your center of gravity directly over your support base, allowing you to move efficiently with the least amount of fatigue and muscle strain.

Your neck should be vertical, not tilted forward if you’re sitting. Additionally, your shoulders should be relaxed with your arms close to your trunk. Finally, your knees should be at a right angle, with your feet flat on the floor.

But what if your posture isn’t that great?

Try redesigning your environment and adjusting your screen to be slightly below eye level. Make sure all body parts like your elbows and wrists are supported using ergonomic aids. If you need to try sleeping on your side with your neck supported and a pillow between your legs, wear shoes with low heels and good arch support and use a headset for phone calls. It’s also not enough to have good posture. Keeping your muscles and joints moving is extremely important. Being stationary for long periods with good posture can be worse than a regular movement.

With bad posture, when you move, move smartly, and keep anything you’re carrying close to your body, backpacks should be in contact with your back and carried symmetrically. If you sit a lot, get up and move around on occasion and be sure to exercise using your muscles will keep them strong enough to support you effectively on top of all the other benefits to your joints, bones, brain, and heart. If you’re concerned, physical therapists can help; you really should stand up straight.

REFERENCE:

- Wang, Charles. “Good Posture and its Wealth of Benefits to the Workplace.” Lumo Bodytech (2016).