Hunched shoulders, sloped lower backs, and text necks - all these seem like they’re not a big deal, especially if you exercise regularly and move around a lot. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? A little back pain and that’s all, right?
Unfortunately, the reality is a bit more complicated than that. The human body is closely interconnected, and even such a seemingly minor thing as your posture can have a massive impact on your overall health. Here’s what could happen if you neglect your posture.
Ideally, your body should be aligned in a specific manner when it’s in a neutral position: the head should be above the shoulders, and the torso should be aligned with the hips. This encourages a so-called neutral spine, a position where all three curves of the spine (the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar) are maintained.
But life interferes, and we have to sit on uncomfortable chairs, wear ill-fitting shoes, and stare at our phones and computers for hours on end. These activities may change the shape and alignment of the body. And when this misalignment persists, health problems tend to appear.
So what can go wrong when you have poor posture? Here’s a brief list:
Poor posture has a direct negative impact on your musculoskeletal system, and we’ll list several specific orthopedic issues that stem from a misaligned body later on. But bad posture also affects many seemingly unrelated functions of the body - of which breathing is a great example.
So how does poor posture influence your breathing?
The negative effect can be observed across two measures: lung capacity and breathing force. And both of these measures are largely controlled by the diaphragm - a large flat muscle located right below the lungs that divides the abdomen from the chest. To inhale and exhale fully, the diaphragm requires enough space to contract and relax with each breath. When the spine isn’t properly aligned and is compressed, this can compromise your breathing efficiency.
In particular, a forward head posture can affect your breathing capacity by compressing the lungs, according to research published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science. When a person’s default position is with the head pushed forward, it’s more difficult for them to breathe. This condition is also known as “text neck,” as it often occurs in people who use smartphones a lot.
Have you ever heard of temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ? This increasingly common condition occurs when the temporomandibular joints, which are the two joints that connect your jawbone to the skull at the temples, are misaligned. TMJ often occurs as a result of poor spinal posture that changes the alignment of your bite pattern.
Over time, poor posture puts a lot of pressure on the temporomandibular joints, and they can spasm, cramp, or lock as a result. TMJ causes a lot of jaw pain and difficulty speaking and eating, (especially in foods that require a lot of chewing).
If you ever experience heartburn, even though you didn’t eat anything particularly acidic or fatty, check your posture. Sitting hunched over after a meal can definitely trigger heartburn and acid reflux. Slouching compresses the abdomen, and this can push stomach acids up into the esophagus. Therefore, we recommend taking a short walk immediately after a meal if you notice that your posture may affect your digestion. This will make you stand upright, and counteracts the negative effects of slouching.
Bad posture can also impact your bowel health. According to Harvard Health, “Poor posture on a toilet — hunched over with your knees lower than your hips — can promote constipation.” A hunched posture makes your abs work much harder when passing stools.
Do you ever feel tired and grumpy even though you’ve been sitting on the couch all day? Your posture may be the culprit. When your body is in a slouched, unnatural posture for a long time, your muscles have to actually work hard and your joints and ligaments sustain quite a lot of strain.
Luckily, improving your posture has the opposite effect, as shown by a study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. The research found that good posture can "increase positive affect, reduce fatigue and reduce self-focus in people with mild-to-moderate depression."
When you sit for extended periods of time or do so in poor posture, this can lead to stress incontinence, which refers to a type of incontinence where a person leaks a small quantity of urine during coughing, sneezing, or laughing. "Slouching increases abdominal pressure, which puts pressure on the bladder. The position also decreases the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to hold against that pressure," stated Meghan Markowski, a physical therapist, to Harvard Health.
In addition, sitting with your lower back tilted forward can also put continuous excessive pressure on the bladder, making you go to the bathroom more frequently.
When you shift your neck forward, the head ends up in front of the vertical midline of the spine. It is no longer aligned with the shoulders and midline, which ultimately strains the neck muscles and cervical joints. This can lead to pinched nerves, muscle spasms, and neck pain.
The so-called text neck posture can also make you feel dizzy or cause tension headaches. Since your neck muscles have to work extra hard to keep your head looking forward, they can get tight and contribute to tension and pain in the head. Over time, this type of posture may also increase inflammation in the neck, which is also known to contribute to headaches.
When you sit with your shoulders rounded and hunched forward for hours on end, chest wall muscles tighten. This can lead to pain in the ribs and sternum.
In a similar fashion, hunching or slouching to one side while sitting can compress spinal muscles and damage vertebral discs. Over time, this is bound to contribute to back pain, vertebral fractures, and pinched nerves. This way, poor posture often results in back and shoulder pain.
Did we convince you that improving your posture is worth the extra effort? If so, here’s a handy list of references that will show you how to improve your posture:
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