More often than not, we find ourselves slouching at SOME point during our daily lives. While it seems perfectly harmless at the time (especially during those painfully boring work days), the long term effects of poor posture are far worse than most of us realize.
The word “posture” (as a noun) refers to the alignment of your spine with all its adjoining structures. If you have good (neutral) posture, you’re going to have proper spinal alignment at all times. However, if you’ve developed bad posture over the years, it’s likely a result of slouching, hunching or slumping during your everyday routine. When your body is in any of the aforementioned three positions, the spinal column is disrupting nearly all major components of the musculoskeletal system.
When your spine is misaligned, weight and stress are redistributed throughout the body. This action causes short-term pain and potentially long-term structural damage. Spinal misalignment leads to bad posture, which most commonly impacts joints in the spine, knees and shoulders. Bad posture also places added stress on the vertebrae of the spine, causing connective disks to wear down more quickly and bones (of the spine) to compress. Strength throughout your entire body also begins to diminish, as each bone begins to see a gradually profound impact from your poor posture.
You may ask, “What happens when the bones of the spine begin to compress?” The answer is really quite short – you begin to lose height.
It’s truly incredible that issues that prove to be so critical are all the result of a poor habit. Slouching, hunching and slumping are all things that become second nature to so many people. Simple solutions like a corrective posture strap may be all you need to improve your general well-being in minimal time.