Poor Posture: An Unknown Threat

An Unknown Threat: What Poor Posture May Be Doing to Your Body

Sit Up Straight! Poor Posture Can Affect Your Body

Feeling tense and achy? It may be due to poor posture.

While the media is touting warnings about “tech neck” — the neck pain and damage sustained from hunching over smartphones and other devices for too long —

you’re actually risking harm to your overall health if any other body part becomes

misaligned.

That’s because, as the American Journal of Pain Management notes, a person’s

posture affects and moderates every physiological function from breathing to hormonal production.

Yes, every physiological function.

How, you may ask? “Our muscles and ligaments routinely work to balance us as

we sit, stand, bend, and sleep,” says Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president

For every additional degree of imbalance of the posture,
the body must work harder against the effects of gravity.

of the not-for-profit Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. “Over time, however, uneven stress causes the body to adapt and change — subsequently, causing aches and pains.”

Various factors can contribute to poor posture — including injury, stress, obesity,

pregnancy, and weak postural muscles. Chiropractors have been specifically trained, as part of their minimum seven years of higher education, to provide drug-free, hands-on care that helps to naturally align and strengthen the spine, as well as advise on healthy lifestyle habits.

And as far as habits go, in keeping with National Correct Posture Month, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is out with tips designed to help you develop smart ways to perfect your posture. Among them:

• Maintain a neutral spine. Meaning, chin up and shoulders pulled back.

• Avoid extended time spent with your head flexed forward.

• Don’t cross your legs while seated.

Check out our Facebook banner and see examples of what we can do for your posture with Advanced BioStructural CorrectionTM at David City Chiropractic