Are You in Pain? How Your Body Movements Help or Hurt You

Did you know we bend forward in some way, shape, or form 3,000 to 5,000 times a day? A lifetime of this habit can make us lose the ability to look up because our bodies become molded in this flexed position.

We’re not meant to move this way! We are meant to be upright, on our feet, and in complete agreement with gravity.

Let’s take a look at some of the daily activities where you may be posturing yourself with a forward neck, rounded shoulders, and a rounded back:

• Slumped in a chair while eating.
• Driving and riding in the car with poor posture.
• Slouched in front of a computer.
• Looking down at your smartphone.

Now let’s multiply just these four activities with how many times you eat in a day, each time you’re in the car, the hours you’re sitting at a desk, and every time you look at your phone. This cycle continues day after day, month after month, and year after year until finally the occasional pain suddenly becomes chronic and unbearable.

Unfortunately, poor posture isn’t only causing us our aches and pains, it’s also affecting the overall efficiency in how our bodies develop.

 Here are a few examples:

• Kyphosis
• Most common in adolescence, this can happen when the spine and the surrounding muscles develop abnormally, due to poor posture.[1]
• Herniated Disc
• Once your postural muscles begin fatiguing and your shoulders start to round forward, your head will naturally drift forward as well. This puts too much tension on your discs, ligaments, and joints in your cervical spine. For every inch your head postures forward, an additional 10 pounds of pressure are added to your spine.[2]
• Incontinence
• Slumping over increases pressure in your abdomen, which inadvertently puts pressure on your bladder. This also decreases the ability of your pelvic floor muscles to hold against that pressure.
• Constipation
• Poor posture while on the toilet somewhat closes the anus, making it more difficult for your abdominal muscles to push the feces out.
• Heartburn
• Slouching after a meal can cause the acid in your stomach to go in the wrong direction, due to the abdominal pressure. This acid reflux can then trigger heartburn.[3]
•  Anxiety and Depression
• Continuous poor posture over time can make you feel heavy and achy, which leads to being tired and irritable. It’s also been proven in studies that carrying yourself in more of an upright position, with your shoulders back, projects a confident persona.[4]
•  Headaches
• When you lean forward or slouch, you often clinch your jaw without realizing it. This subsequently tightens the muscles in your face causing headaches and jaw pain.
•  Lung function
• Poor posture impacts how much air you are taking into your lungs when inhaling. This doesn’t only have a negative impact on your lungs, but the other vital organs you have, such as your heart and brain, that rely on proper oxygenation.[5]