Is Your Posture Causing You Pain?

Most of us are aware that our posture isn't perfect, but what we may not realize is that it could be contributing to our recurring or constant aches and pains.

Our daily lives have completely changed from what they had been 50 or 60 years ago. Today, the vast majority of people lead very sedentary lives, both at home and at the work place. We are working longer hours, a whopping 47 hours a week on average, and 80% of us have jobs that require us to sit all day long, according to the American Heart Association.

Most people will also agree that some form of technology, whether it be a computer, tablet, or smartphone, is a big part of both their home and work lives. While technology has made our lives easier in so many ways, it has also allowed us to work longer hours, hunched over in that uncomfortable office chair or spend hours lying in awkward positions on the couch while we binge-watch Netflix. The result? Our bodies like to adapt to our environment, meaning we take on these bad postures and they become a habit.

Think about yourself for a minute. Do you find yourself squeezing your shoulder blades together often throughout the day? How about having a tendency to stretch your neck or feel like it just needs to crack? Maybe you leave work most days with a headache or are finding your low back feels weak and achy. These small corrections you feel yourself wanting to make during the day are ways your body is trying to adapt to your poor posture. Now think about all of the people around you: your family, co-workers, even strangers on the bus or at a restaurant. How many of them sit with their heads jutting forward, shoulders rounded, hunched upper backs or protruding lower backs? This type of posture is the perfect example of what our society has adopted and constitutes signs of bad posture that can lead to plenty of other complications throughout your life.

Today, back pain is the second most common reason for doctor’s visits, according to news sources such as CBS, and one can’t help but think about the correlation between our sedentary lives, poor posture, and back pain. In fact, the CDC reports that almost 36% of Americans are obese and has linked the sedentary lives we lead not only to musculoskeletal pain, but to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, gallstones, and certain forms of cancer.

Great. So how can you work to correct and prevent posture-related issues?

Be active. Taking the stairs wherever you go or finding time to take a walk helps to remind your body that it likes to be active and can actually help reduce aches and pains.
Take breaks at work. Something as small as getting up to walk around for a few minutes or stretching your neck, back, shoulders, and legs can get you a long way. And it can help to break up a long day.
Get a better chair – or no chair at all. Although all of those fancy chairs can be a bit pricy, they are designed to keep your back in the proper position. Ergonomic desks that allow you to stand at your desk won’t cause you to slouch and keep you active. If you’re looking for a less expensive option, sitting on a stability ball instead of a chair allows you to maintain proper spinal curves and forces you to engage your core, which provides stability for your lower back. Either way, make sure you are keeping both feet flat on the floor.
If you can’t get a better chair, raise your computer monitor. Just by simply sitting your computer screen or laptop on a few books so that it is at eye-level makes you much less likely to slouch.
Get adjusted. Of course you saw that coming, but you also know that regular adjustments work to allow your body to function at its best and prevent old problems from re-occurring.
Do your homework. Those exercises you are asked to do after you leave the office aren’t meant to be forgotten; they are important in restoring proper motion, strengthening weak muscles, and overcoming bad habits.