Poor Posture: The Long-Term Impact
By Sara Butler
You might think all those years of your mother or grandmother giving you grief about your posture was just their way to annoy you, but you might want to call them up and tell them you’re sorry because they were right! Poor posture in the long term can have a big impact on the health of your back. Good posture can actually help improve your energy level, help you to avoid fatigue and even help you to deal more effectively with stress. You need to face facts: Good posture is an important aspect of your overall health.
Your Spinal Curve
Your spine has curves that occur naturally in you lower back and upper back. One impact of poor posture your chiropractor sees more than his fair share of is a change in the natural curvature of the spine. If you spend years of your life sitting and standing with poor posture then you are putting pressure on your spine and its supporting structure. This pressure can cause long-term discomfort and pain, and prevent your spine from doing its job in supporting your body, absorbing shock and helping you to maintain balance.
Digestion Issues
Several studies have found that sitting in a position day after day with poor posture can have an impact on your organs that are responsible for digestion. They aren’t able to function the way they should; natural digestive processes are impeded as they slow down and even impact your metabolism.
In the long-term, if the digestive organs in your abdomen are compressed it can impact the ability of your body to process the food you consume and you may find yourself adrift in a sea of metabolic issues that can impact many aspects of your overall health.
Back Pain
Of course, a long period of time with poor posture can and often does result in back pain that becomes chronic. Disc degeneration can be accelerated by poor posture and cause pain that you may not realize came from years and years of sitting slumped over at your desk or in your car.
Poor posture impacts more than just how you look. You need to take the time to work with your chiropractor to correct your posture. They can give you practical advice on how you can practice better posture throughout the course of your day and that can save you from dealing with much bigger health issues brought on by poor posture down the road!