Posture affects more than just the way you look. It can take a toll on your overall health, some of which are irreversible. When you repeat poor posture on a daily basis, your body’s structure gradually changes and adapts to it,bad posture leading to pain in the neck, shoulders, back, feet and legs, as well as pain in the head.

Improve posture to avoid these negative effects of poor posture or bad posture on your health

 

And in the long term, it can lead to serious musculoskeletal disorders. Practice good posture in every aspect of your life, from when you lift heavy objects to when you sit in the chair at work or in school. Let’s look at six ways bad posture is bad for your health.

 

Poor Posture and Back pain

Back and neck pain are the most common effects of bad sitting posture, and the most noticeable effects. When you intentionally or unintentionally sit in a slouched position at your desk for a long period of time, you are putting a great deal of stress on your upper body, particularly if your body is not well supported.

Over time, bad posture can also cause a misalignment in the spine and result in even more pain. When bad posture results in misalignment in the spine, you may suffer from chronic joint pain as well as restricted range of motion.

 

Shoulder injuries because of poor posture

Poor sitting posture is always linked to the back and neck pain, but the influence to the shoulders is always overlooked. Bad posture causes the upper-back to tip forward, eventually changing the position of shoulder blades as they stick forward and wrap outwards to adapt to the poor posture.

Sitting in a slouched position also affects the rigidity of the muscles around the shoulder. Most patients do nod in agreement whenever they are asked if they find their shoulders up close to their ears as the stresses of the day wear on.

 

Headaches & Jaw Pains

Damage from poor sitting posture may be either to the muscle or cartilage that protect joints. If you have poor posture, you slouch with your shoulders curved forward while sited, and lean forward with your head looking down and in front of the shoulders when you walk.

In time, this positioning of the head and upper torso can lead to excessive pressure on the shoulder and neck joints. A great deal of pressure on the shoulder and neck joints may trigger headaches and jaw pains.

 

Bad posture and poor digestion 

Poor posture has considerable effects on your digestive organs, according to studies. Poor posture compresses your digestive organs, leaving them unable to functioning optimally. Poor posture comes into this as a slouched posture constricts the flow of blood to your guts.

If something is impairing blood flow to your gut, then your digestion will be slow and you will get that brick-in-the-stomach feeling from time to time. Poor blood flow to the guts can also impair your body’s ability to eat and process different types of foods.

 

Restricted Breathing

The lungs function properly when both the diaphragm and rib cage can expand optimally. To see how poor posture affects your breathing, simply sit down in your chair with your shoulders and spine in a slouched position. Breathe out and then hold your breath for a moment.

Stand up and hold your breath for a few more seconds. That vacuum-like feeling that you are experiencing is an example of the breathing space you often lose whenever you sit in a slouched position.

 

Stress and Depression

The next time you are feeling depressed, pay attention to your sitting posture. According to cognitive experts, you will likely be depressed when sit in a slouched stance. Researchers studied what effect slouched or straightened posture had on the minds of 70 college students.

The upright students reported feeling more excited, enthusiastic and strong, while the slumped participants reported feelings depresses, fearful, nervous, quiet, still, passive, hostile sleepy, and sluggish.

There you have it, six ways poor posture is bad for your overall health. Our bodies aren’t adapted to sitting in the chair with our necks bending forward for an extended period of time.

Our muscle structures are not built for it. If you are overly concerned your posture isn’t as good as it should be, then it is not too late to rectify it and decrease potential health effects.

 

Author Bio

Brandon Cox is the founder of StayHunting, who is passionate about all things of hunting and fitness. Through his hunting website, he would like to share tips & tricks, finest tech that will excite all of the intricacies of hunting whether you be an amateur or a professional. Life is an experiment, pick up your backpack and go hunt!