Poor Posture - Risks

Risks

There are numerous risks associated with poor posture. Poor posture can impede the ability of the lungs to expand. Posture, when correct, helps to increases one's ability to breathe, and allows muscles to work at optimum capacity. When slumped over, the lungs have less room to contract and inflate, therefore, decreasing its capacity to obtain the maximum amount of oxygen needed.

Poor posture is also a main risk factor in many injuries. Many athletic injuries are the result of poor posture. For example, the Journal of Athletic Training; May 2009 Supplement, states that "many overhead athletes suffer from shoulder pain due to poor posture." According to Segen's Medical Dictionary the term overhead athletes refers to amateur or professional athletes who participate in overhead sports and are thus at risk of traumatic or degenerative injuries to the shoulder girdle. Overhead athletes are not the only ones at risk. Poor posture injuries can be found everywhere.

Weight lifting, if not done correctly, can be detrimental to posture, and causes a lot of the neck and shoulder problems in countless athletes. Vern Gambetta, in her article Perfect Posture, states; "Overemphasis on the bench press can, as it causes a round-shouldered posture." The rounding of the shoulders can cause pain as stated in the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter; November 2000, "Increase in neck and shoulder pain may be due to the postural problems in the upper body including rounded shoulders and jutting the head forward. Although the thoracic and lumbar spines are crucial factors in postural problem, they tend to overshadow the head or the cervical spine. An article in the February 2006 Consumer Reports on Health remarked that "Research has found, for example that letting your head jut forward is associated with neck, back and even jaw pain." Some headaches are the result of poor head posture. The decrease and even loss of shoulder movement along with chronic pain, neck-related headaches and the decline in the ability to exercise as well as many other problems stem from poor posture. Injuries and pain caused by poor posture span a wide variety of people. All areas of the spine are equally important when it comes to posture. Poor posture is a physical as well as an emotion problem. It affects mood, confidence and how one is viewed by others. In the January 1999 issue of Vegetarian Times, Karin Sullivan in her article "Perfect Posture" states, "Someone with collapsed or withdrawn body posture doesn't invite the same kind of interaction " Most communication is associated with body language. Posture is a key aspect of body language. Slumping over closes one off to others. Someone who is already depressed can fall farther into depression because no one will come up to them because their posture indicates they don't want to be disturbed.

After a time, poor posture feels normal and continues to regress further from correct posture. Sullivan says this is "a cycle where slouching and slumping pull the spine's vertebrae out of alignment, which in turn leads to muscle tension that can cause even more slumping and slouching". When poor posture feels normal it becomes harder to correct because the muscle memory now stores the information needed for poor posture, and disposed of the memory for correct posture. Some ways of correcting poor posture do more damage than good. The old standard of soldiers with their shoulders thrust back, heads up while standing at attention causes the back to tense up and is extremely hard to sustain for long periods of time. Posture is somewhat of a precision based practice. If one is not in correct alignment, poor posture is the consequence. If not amended correctly, one's posture can be further harmed and can lead to increasingly painful experiences. Any distress in the spine, as well as other parts of the body can be increased due to prolonged periods of poor posture. Poor posture will continue to digress the longer it is left uncorrected.