Bad posture is an often-overlooked cause of physical illness. Without good posture, our muscles struggle to support the weight of our skeletons. That leads to head, shoulder, back and knee pain… and more!
Not only does the strain of overworked muscles trying to support a misaligned skeleton cause pain throughout the body, side effects can include several symptoms, such as migraines, heartburn and even incontinence!
So, what are the main causes of bad posture and how can we improve it?
- Stress
There is a saying… “Posture dictates emotion and emotion dictates posture”.
Our minds and bodies are connected and so influence each other. When we are feeling upset or stressed, our bodies naturally respond by falling into bad posture. We slouch, our shoulders slump forwards and our muscles tense up from the stress.
Unfortunately, the more time we spend stressed (as more and more of us seem to be in this hectic modern age), the more time we spend in bad posture and the more likely our bodies are to default to it.
Luckily, it also works the other way around. Spending time stood up and actively engaged in good posture can make you feel more positive!
- Technology
It’s no coincidence that posture problems have become more common as we’ve become more reliant on technology. The posture we are in the most affects us the most… and when that posture is bent over a phone, it leads to serious problems.
Remember, for every inch you tilt your head, the weight your neck has to support doubles. Try and hold it for too long and the muscles will become stressed, causing the painful condition known as ‘Text Neck’.
Try to keep this in mind next time you are scrolling through social media. Take some time to stand straight and give those muscles a break!
- As a result of injury
If you have ever had an injury, then you know it can be painful to try and move that part of your body. That’s because your surrounding muscles have gone into spasm.
While it may hurt, this serves an important purpose to limit movement and make sure you don’t aggravate the injury further.
However, as muscles stay in spasm, they begin to weaken. This may lead to them being no longer able to fully support the formerly injured area, throwing it out of posture.
There is also a psychological component that you need to be aware of. For example, if you injure your foot, then it is a natural response to begin favouring your other, healthy foot when walking. If the injury takes a while to heal, the behaviour could become ingrained and you may find yourself still subconsciously favouring one foot even after the other has recovered.
Thankfully, our Posture Corrector Pack can help alleviate issues, strengthen your muscles and give you the exercises necessary to get your body back to full fitness.