You may have heard that good posture is essential for good health, but do you know why?
- Posture refers to positioning your body when sitting, standing, or lying down. Your posture is the result of habits formed over the years.
What is Good Posture?
- It is the proper alignment of your body when standing or sitting.
- Correct positioning involves training to hold your body against gravity with minor strain and tension on supportive structures, such as your muscles and ligaments.
- Proper posture keeps your bones and joints in optimal alignment and decreases wear and tear on supportive structures.
What Does Good Posture Improve?
- Improves muscles and other structures function correctly, helping you avoid abnormal wear and tear.
- Good posture improves your mood. Your brain and body have two-way communication, meaning that your mood can impact your posture, and your posture can affect your mood. When you are happy, you may notice that you sit upright, and when you are feeling down, you are more likely to slouch or sit in a slumped position.
- It improves spine health and blood flow.
- It improves core and scapular strength.
- It increases self-confidence.
What Sort of Activities or Tendencies Can Lead to Bad Posture?
- Hunching up your shoulders or leaning forward while working on the computer.
- Failing to take frequent breaks (about every 30 minutes) when using the computer.
- Spending too much time looking down at a device like a phone or a tablet.
- Not getting enough physical activity or a good variety of physical activities.
- Sitting too much.
- Wearing shoes that are too stiff or restrictive.
Why Coming to Comprehensive Physical Therapy Will Improve Your Posture?
We have licensed Physical Therapists who can evaluate you and give you specific exercises to help with your posture, improve your core strength, and give you clear guidelines to help you outside of the clinic to decrease the pain and improve posture.
