A bad posture is one of the bad habits that you form as you grow older. The once perfect and graceful S curve in your back when you were younger is a sign of a good posture. But prolonged slouching and lack of activity will eventually cause your muscles to strain and lead to poor posture over the years. Poor posture can lead to a frozen muscle on your back, discomfort on your neck and shoulders, and even neck pain. However, poor or bad posture effects are not just simple and easy to endure muscle discomfort and pain. It can also lead to joint degeneration, spinal dysfunction, potbelly, and rounded shoulders.
The effects of bad posture can be treated, which is a good thing. But you don’t have to wait for the effects of bad posture and treat the pain if you can avoid pain, to begin with. And how are you going to do it? It is as simple as keeping a good posture than suffering the pain and discomfort from its effects. If you don’t know how to do it, visit a chiropractor or a therapist to teach you proper posture that could help you avoid back, shoulder, and neck muscle pain.
So how would you know if you have bad posture? There are tell-tale signs that you are not sitting correctly, reclining for long periods, and continuously having pain on your back, shoulder, and neck.
What are the symptoms of a bad posture?
You may have two or three of these symptoms, which you often ignore. Some signs are tolerable, while others can give you a notch higher in terms of the level of discomfort, which includes pain in the neck, back, and shoulder. So, here are some symptoms to watch out for.
- Rounded shoulders and tight pectoral muscles are signs or symptoms that you have a bad posture. Spending so much time sitting and working on your computer can lead to the shortening or tightening your shoulder muscles or pectorals. Your back muscles are also lengthened and shortened that it could cause muscle imbalance.
You can fix rounded shoulders and tight pectoral muscles. A simple stretching of the front of your head and neck and back muscle strengthening exercises can help you avoid getting a rounded shoulder. You can ask the help of your trainer, a therapist, or you can even seek the advice of your chiropractor for the proper back and shoulder exercises.
- Forward head carriage is the slanting of the neck forward, caused by prolonged or excessive slouching over your computer. Using your tablets or mobile phones will also slouch your head slant forward, putting stress on your cervical spine and strain your muscles. Aside from experiencing neck pain, a forward head carriage will also lead to muscle imbalances as your body adjusts and finds ways to support the weight of your head correctly.
Just like how stretching, exercise can help you avoid slouching and forward head carriage. Suppose you already developed a habit of this bad posture. In that case, it could lead to degenerative changes in your neck, disc bulges, and possible nerve impingement unless you made a conscious effort of correcting your bad posture. If you don’t know how to fix your bad posture, visit a trusted and experienced chiropractor to help you out. Chiropractors are not just for back cracking, but they can also provide holistic treatment to help you get rid of bad posture.
- A hunched back or kyphosis is another result of having a bad posture. As you lounge your head forward, your neck, shoulders, and back are suffering from muscle strains that could result in degenerative changes on your neck and spine bulges. The said changes can lead to mild discomfort and pain on your back, shoulders, and neck. It is a good thing, however, that hunted back can be corrected.
A conscious effort to keep a straight back, relaxed neck, and shoulders are ways to avoid bad posture and its effects. If you have difficulty maintaining an upright position, a neck supporter and a back brace ensure that you are not getting into the bad habit of poor posture. Spending eight up to 16 hours in front of the computer is not a reason not to give yourself short intervals for stretching.
- Headaches that could recur or happen often is a symptom that you might probably have a bad posture. A forward head carriage can put so much pressure on the joints of your shoulders and neck. The pressure can lead to muscle straining as your neck struggles to support the weight of your head.
If you want to go for a mobility assessment, physiotherapy would be needed to know your neck’s mobility and strength. You can also visit a licensed chiropractor for a good massage and joint mobilization to relieve pain and symptoms because of bad posture. A good stretching at least every 2 hours would help ease muscle pain. Your chiropractor can also advise you on the proper stretching exercise.
- Back and neck pain are symptoms of poor posture that could lead to muscle imbalances. The pain stems from the bad posture that causes forward head carriage, making your neck and upper back work more to hold and support your head’s weight. The bad posture can cause stiffness in your joints and strain the muscles in your neck, shoulder, and back that could result in muscle strain and pain.
You can avoid straining your neck muscles by taking short breaks at regular intervals. If you need to work for eight hours, take five minutes to break every hour and do basic stretching and exercises. Walking around your house, stretching your back, and rotating head and shoulders will ease muscle strain.
- The tilted pelvis is another effect of bad posture after sitting for a long time. A tilted pelvis can cause tightness in your hip area or in your flexors, which run from your lower back to your hip. Excessive sitting can lead to your pelvis rotating forward.
Like the other symptoms of a bad posture, stretching, and exercises can help you avoid muscle strain and pain. Be mindful of your posture is an excellent way to catch developing a bad habit of poor posture. Learning yoga poses will also help you ease muscle pain.
Tips to Avoid Bad Posture
- Listen to your body by being mindful of your posture. If you are sitting for too long, you would probably slouch or launch forward. Frequently doing it would lead you to develop a bad habit of poor posture.
- Take small breaks every hour. Use the short breaks to walk a few steps, stretch, bend over, and forward. It will help you lessen strained muscles from excessive sitting.
- Use a back brace to help you straighten up. It will also help you become mindful of your posture, which could let you avoid discomfort and pain.
- Do abdominal crunches by laying on your back and curling your pelvis and ribcage close together. A repetition of at least ten times regularly will help you strengthen your abdominal muscles.
- Avoid crossing your legs when sitting. If you do, cross your legs at the ankle area.
- Use back support and use an ergonomic chair for good back support despite the long hours of sitting.
- Choose a pillow and mattress that can give you good neck and back support even when you are sleeping.
If you want to break your bad posture, visit your therapist, or book an appointment at Yentz Family Chiropractic. Your chiropractors will not only help you ease neck pain and back muscle strain, but they can also advise you chiropractic treatment options and other holistic modalities to reduce and even avoid pain.
The family chiropractic clinic offers five essential plans that cater to your chiropractic needs, especially in your core or spine. The clinic provides spine abnormalities correction to ensure that your nerves are enhanced to allow fast healing and recovery. As mentioned several times, you can avoid and correct bad posture that can cause neck pain, especially that Yentz offers unique and holistic approaches and modalities like proper mindset, good nutrition and lifestyle, appropriate exercises, and stretching. Health and body care at Yentz also allow your body to cleanse itself of toxins naturally. More so, the family chiropractic clinic understands that no conditions are similar. The chiropractic assessment of one client may not be the right modality for another. With this, they ensure that you are getting a customized plan to align your body and health as naturally as possible.
Now that you know how bad posture affects your body and health, you can avoid complications like back pain, neck pain, joint degeneration, spinal dysfunction, rounded shoulders, and a potbelly. With this, improve your posture and visit your chiropractor regularly. Yentz does not crack backs, but it also offers holistic approaches for your health and wellness.