Posture refers to the position one maintains while standing, sitting, or lying down. Maintaining a “good” or appropriate posture means keeping a position that minimizes stress on supporting muscles and ligaments when in motion or engaged in weight-bearing activities. It may seem clichéd, but sustaining good posture actually offers notable health advantages.
Good Posture: Feeling Good and Looking Good
Although the benefits of good posture are primarily physical, individuals experience a significant emotional and psychological impact when transitioning from an ongoing poor or habitual posture to a correct one.
Standing and striding in a fully upright and properly balanced way not only provides a sense of well-being but also enhances one’s appearance.
The physical advantages are equally significant and easily observable and quantifiable. Below is a brief rundown of a few of them:
- Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly
- Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces
- Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together
- Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions
- Prevents fatigue since muscles are used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy
- Prevents backache and muscular pain
Furthermore, there are other advantages associated with maintaining proper posture that include:
- Fewer headaches
- Increased energy levels
- Less tension in your shoulders and neck
- Increased lung capacity
- Improved circulation and digestion
- Improved core and scapular strength
- Better form during workouts
Although these advantages are applicable to anyone who spends time walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, individuals who frequently engage in physical activity or exercise will particularly benefit from them.
According to an article published by Harvard Medical School,
Maintaining a good posture plays a crucial role in achieving balance as it aligns your weight over the feet. This, in turn, aids in avoiding injuries and improves performance during exercise. Moreover, working on balancing skills also enhances your capabilities in various physical pursuits like dancing, skiing, running, golf, tennis, and many more.
Even if you are not an athlete, having good balance is still beneficial as activities such as walking, rising from a chair, going up and down stairs, carrying packages, and even looking behind you all require good balance.
Put differently, a correct and evenly-distributed posture is advantageous for everyone.
The Power of Proper Posture
It’s important to note that posture doesn’t only refer to our standing or walking positioning. Given that many of us sit for extended periods throughout the day, our seated posture is crucial for our overall physical health.
When you sit, your hip flexors tend to shorten, and your back can also suffer, especially if you have a bad posture or you don’t sit on an ergonomic chair. Additionally, an incorrect sitting posture can put pressure on your spine’s discs and result in early degeneration, leading to long-term discomfort.
What are the key features of a “proper posture”? When standing, there are several aspects that should be taken into consideration, including:
- Your chin should be parallel to the floor
- Keep both shoulders even
- Your arms should be at your sides with elbows straight
- There should be no flexing or arching of your spine
- Your abdominal muscles should be slightly taut
- Keep your hips and knees even and pointing straight ahead
- Your body weight should be evenly distributed evenly to both feet
With practice and incorporating a few uncomplicated workouts that emphasize balance, you can improve your posture. These exercises are specifically created to address both posture and balance issues, strengthening important areas and loosening muscles that are too tense.
In just a few weeks, one can significantly enhance their posture by developing core strength and flexibility, as well as maintaining a constant awareness of their posture.
Although having good posture alone may not completely eliminate the risk of injury, it can help prevent the persistent neck and back pain that frequently results from poor posture. Seeking professional guidance and understanding your specific requirements is a crucial measure in averting or addressing any existing pain problems.
Posture Help from Pain and Performance Solutions
While a proper gait, a good posture, and a well-balanced regimen of physical activity can help prevent chronic pain, life still happens. If you are suffering from pain and especially debilitating chronic pain, we invite you to come in and see us.
During your initial visit to Pain and Performance Solutions, we will gather as much information as possible about your current pain and health status, as well as any past discomfort, and your current level of physical activity or inactivity.
In order to commence with pain relief, we must first grasp the location and cause of your discomfort.
Our ability to determine the most appropriate treatment for you, and ultimately guide you towards total recovery, greatly depends on a comprehensive examination. Your trust in us and candidness is crucial for this process. Thus, we urge you not to hold back, but rather reach out for assistance as needed. We are readily available to provide support and address any concerns you may have.
A comprehensive assessment will be carried out to ascertain the most appropriate course of treatment for your complete recovery. As our bodies adjust to pain, we may develop pain in different areas, causing a chain reaction of pain.
Our objective is to guide you in addressing the pain and dysfunction sequence to restore your body to full health and functionality. You can contact us without hesitation as we are dedicated to assisting you and clarifying any concerns you may have.
More Benefits of Proper Posture
Acknowledging that posture can greatly affect your health, well-being, and work performance is crucial. Enhancements in posture can yield the subsequent advantages:
1. Increased Confidence
By fixing your posture, you can influence your self-perception. According to research, students who maintained a confident, upright posture were more inclined to trust their thoughts and achieved superior results in mathematics exams. Enhanced self-assurance regarding your concepts at the workplace is bound to aid in your success.
2. More Energy
When you have poor posture, it can lead to feeling tired due to a decrease in energy levels. However, if you maintain good body posture, you can stay alert and energetic throughout your workday. Irrespective of whether your job involves delivering packages or taking care of patients, having proper posture can make your workday less strenuous.
3. Greater Self-Esteem and Better Mood
Besides providing you with an increase in vitality, improved body alignment can diminish feelings of depression and enhance your self-image as well as your emotional state. Your positive outlook on your career is frequently dependent on your self-assurance and favorable perception of yourself.
4. Easier Breathing
Altering your posture can breathe more life into both your lungs and career by improving your ability to breathe. Proper alignment of the body facilitates easier breathing while slouching can cause a decrease in lung capacity which may result in shortness of breath, ultimately affecting your productivity.
5. Less Frequent Headaches
Having poor posture can cause strain in the upper back, neck, and shoulders, resulting in headaches characterized by pulsating pain in the base of the skull and occasionally in the forehead. As headaches can be unpleasant, adopting a correct posture serves as motivation to avoid them.
6. Reduced Risk of Injury
To prevent injury, particularly to your back, shoulders, arms, and wrists, it is important to maintain proper posture. Back pain is a common reason for missed work or doctor visits, hence good standing posture is crucial. Standing for extended periods is linked to temporary health problems like back pain, leg cramps, and fatigue.
7. Boosted Productivity
According to studies, productivity is affected by posture. If you experience pain, exhaustion, injury, or lack confidence, staying focused and productive at work may become challenging. Improving your posture can enhance your mental and physical well-being, resulting in increased productivity as a team member.
Exercises to Improve Posture at Work
Your posture can be enhanced by engaging in physical activity, controlling your weight, paying attention to your body alignment, and incorporating exercises that build strength into your regimen.
We provide examples of how to improve your posture in different work settings, in order to promote a stronger mind-body relationship that enhances efficiency.
If You Sit at a Desk All Day
It is crucial to establish an ergonomically sound workspace if you spend prolonged periods of time sitting at a desk, particularly if your work entails typing on a keyboard. To maintain your back, shoulders, arms, and wrists’ health, your workstation should be configured appropriately. It’s recommended that your desk height should be slightly lower than your elbows to keep your forearms and wrists straight and level when typing. It’s essential to keep your shoulders relaxed instead of slouching. Ignoring your posture and ergonomics while typing can result in various types of repetitive strain injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. These injuries may affect your entire upper body and can be excruciating and challenging to manage, so it’s crucial to address them immediately.
Individuals employed in desk jobs may face a greater potential for health issues due to a lack of physical activity, thus it is important to maintain a balance between sitting for extended periods of time and engaging in consistent exercise.
Exercises to Help Correct Sitting Posture
Attempt the following exercises that you can perform while seated at your desk to enhance your sitting position.
Perform chin tucks while sitting at your desk to alleviate neck discomfort and enhance the neck’s strength, flexibility, and function.
- Sit upright and look straight ahead.
- Pull the chin down toward the chest.
- Hold for 5 seconds, then release.
- Repeat 10 times, or as tolerated.
You can perform the single leg extension exercise either at home or at your desk to enhance your core muscles’ ability to stabilize your pelvis.
- Sit upright in a chair with your feet planted on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Lift one leg to a horizontal position.
- Return to the starting position.
- Do sets of 10 reps, or as tolerated.
- Repeat with the other leg.
If You’re Behind the Wheel All Day
Your driving position not only affects your back pain and headaches but also raises the likelihood of severe injury while driving. Therefore, improving your driving posture can play a vital role in saving your life.
Correct Driving Posture
Exercises to Correct Driving Posture
In order to maintain a pain-free experience when making deliveries, transporting others, or traveling throughout the day, give these exercises a try to improve your driving posture.
The shoulder blade squeeze is an activity that aids in lessening tension on the neck and shoulders.
- With your hands on the steering wheel, bring your shoulder blades back and up.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together as if you’re trying to squeeze a pencil in the middle of your back.
- Hold for 3 seconds, then release.
- Repeat 10 times, or as tolerated.
The seated pelvic tilt is an exercise that engages the abdominal and external oblique muscles and has the potential to enhance one’s posture.
- Press your lower back into the car seat.
- Inhale and tilt your pelvis forward to create an arch in your lower back.
- Hold for 3 seconds, then release.
- Repeat 10 times, or as tolerated.
