Bad Posture = Injury/Pain

Maybe the nuns were right…

Almost all of us at one time or another has been told to sit up straight. As kids we didn’t think much of this. What was the big deal? So what if we looked liked Shrek?

That was then, and we are not getting any younger…

Maybe our parents, teachers, even the nuns were right! Is it possible that the pain we are experiencing now is related to our posture?

In many cases the answer is YES! Many of us perform sedentary jobs, requiring increased driving, sitting and computer use. The positioning of the body during these tasks will directly depend upon how much stress and strain is placed on structures such as bones, joints and muscles. Over time, if abnormal stresses are placed for too long on one particular structure, injury and pain will occur.

The human body performs best when its components are working in balance with one another. This concept is easily understood using the comparison to a car’s alignment. If the alignment altered on your car, it will cause abnormal wear and tear on your tires and eventually affect its drivability. The more extensive the alignment issue, the faster these abnormal wear patterns will occur. Unfortunately, the human body cannot just change its tires. Instead, the result is often chronic pain and/or surgery.

At first, you may notice only an occasional mild discomfort or tension in one area. You don’t think anything of it because it does not impact your ability to perform your daily activities. If left uncorrected, eventually more constant discomfort/pain will be more apparent leading to a disruption in everyday activities and potentially long term changes to the underlying structures.

Our busy schedules and commitment to work, family, and/or school results in a mild discomfort not being in the forefront of our minds as a potential problem. Often, simple postural corrections and minor adjustments in how we perform our daily activities will prevent these minor aches and pains from progressing to more deleterious effects, and not slowing us down from our daily life!