Who has bad posture? I think most of us do. But we don’t even realize it because over time our brain has adapted to feel balanced and straight even though we’re not.
When talking about body posture, we refer to a person’s body in space, the alignment of body parts in relationship to one another and to the environment. Our skeleton Is designed to hold up our body, but if we have bad posture, our muscles are forced to do the job of the skeleton. This is bad because it requires that they burn energy unnecessarily and stops us from using them for their principal purpose. With that being said, it’s safe to say that bad postural patterns are associated with musculoskeletal pain, and improving these maladaptive postures demands postural awareness. Postural awareness is the subjective conscious awareness of body posture and is associated with pain intensity, physical and mental impairments in patients who experience chronic pain. Understanding one’s posture patterns is crucial due to its many benefits to maintain an optimal state of health.
Research has shown that there is a relationship between spinal pain and posture and that improving postural patterns can lead to improvements in musculoskeletal conditions and pain intensity. Some major benefits that arise from good posture include increased energy flow through the body, improved oxygenation, and reduction of pressures on the intervertebral discs.
Correcting one’s bad posture is a process that takes time and effort, but here are some basic tips of what good posture means:
Let’s fix our posture and start taking care of our health!
• Chin parallel to the floor
• Shoulders even
• Neutral spine
• Arms at your sides
• Hips even
• Knees even and pointing straight ahead
• Body weight distributed evenly on both feet
Austin Spine & Wellness Center Text or Call (512) 501-1770
