“STAND UP STRAIGHT,” SHOUTED MY MOTHER to a seven-year-old me. As a child, did you hear that you should fix your posture?
Good balance is central to optimizing your balance. Standing with good posture forces us to center our weight over our feet. But optimizing your posture has many more benefits.
A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind. — Morihei Ueshiba
Today we explore eight key benefits associated with sitting and standing nicely. Is your posture good? But first, a young me:
Let’s move on to some of the reasons my mom’s suggestion that I sit up straight had merit.
1. Reduce low back pain
You may develop low back pain if you hunch over while standing or sitting for a prolonged period. Your core and abdominal muscles can become strained, with associated discomfort.
Bad posture can reduce the blood supply to your core muscles, resulting in stiffness and weakness in the back and trunk. We place a small forward bend on the spine if our sitting position is not supported.
I try to avoid sitting or standing in a slouched position for prolonged periods can stress your lower back. Poor posture leads to pressure on the posterior spine structures (including the muscles, ligaments, and discs between the backbones).
Bad posture leads to a small forward bend in the spine. Over time, this bend can chronically load the lower spinal discs. The result can be herniation, an injury to the cushioning, and connective tissue between vertebrae.
Posture matters when we lift objects, as poor technique can cause your lower back’s discs to herniate. This protrusion of one of the rubbery cushions (disks) that sit between the bones (vertebrae) that stack to make your spine can cause low back pain. The pain may radiate into your leg via a nearby nerve.
I am thinking about my posture as I write this piece. I am sitting (nicely) in a chair. I want to avoid lying on my belly, as this practice can cause my lower back and hip to bend backward too much, negatively affecting the curve of my lower spine.
Other risk factors, besides poor posture, that increase your risk of suffering from a herniated disk include:
- Excessive body weight.
- Inherited genetics
- Smoking (you lessen the oxygen supply to the disks, resulting in a quicker breakdown of these cushions).
- Sitting for prolonged periods (such as while driving)
- Being sedentary
- Your job. Those with jobs requiring pushing, pulling, bending sideways or twisting increase their risk of a disk herniation.
Action item: Consider doing bridges to strengthen your lower back. This exercise can engage your butt (gluteus) and belly muscles, so your body can rely on them rather than stressing your lower back.
2. Drop tension in your neck
Some individuals have a forward head posture. If you count yourself among them, please know that this posture puts strain on your upper back, neck, and shoulders. Align better, and you may experience less stress.
Let’s look at some exercises from WebMD you may wish to try. If you already have pain in your neck or elsewhere, talk to your healthcare provider before you start. You will feel some tension (but not pain) in your neck muscles as you stretch. If you experience pain, stop immediately.
Neck exercises
- Forward and backward tilt. Try this exercise while you are seated or standing. Move slowly and smoothly. Begin with your head squarely over your shoulders and your back straight. Lower your chin and hold 15 to 30 seconds. Relax and lift your head back up. Tilt your head toward the ceiling, holding for ten seconds. Return to the starting position. Repeat the set several times, and try to do the practice each day.
- Side tilt. Stand with your feet hip-width and your arms down by your sides. Gently tilt your head to your right shoulder and try to touch your ear with it. Stop when you experience a stretching sensation. Don’t raise your shoulder. Hold the stretch for five to ten seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat with the left shoulder. Do several sets, working your way up to ten repetitions.
- Side rotation. Put your head squarely over your shoulders with your back straight. Slowly turn your head to the right until you feel a stretch in the side of your neck and shoulder. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, then slowly return your head forward. Repeat on the left side, doing up to ten sets.
- Shoulder roll. Ideally performed while standing. Raise your shoulders straight up. Move them in a circle going forward. Repeat for a total of six repetitions. Return to the starting position and make another six circles, this time going backward.
3. Improve your breathing
Slouching? You are compressing your lungs. By sitting or standing taller, your lungs have more space to expand.
As a doctor, many of my patients have poor posture, spending oodles of time sitting as computer programmers, social workers, or administrative assistants.
Let’s look briefly at how we breathe. There are two primary breathing ways: 1) Using your diaphragm to do “belly breathing” or 2) using your neck muscles to breathe from your chest.
The first breathing form, abdominal breathing, involves pulling down your diaphragm (the horizontal muscle between your chest and abdomen) to suck air into your lungs. On the other hand, belly breathing fully inflates your lungs, allowing maximal air intake.
Chest breathers rely on weaker muscles in the neck and collarbone region, while abdominal breathers take advantage of their strong diaphragms. If you have bad posture and do chest breathing, your lungs won’t fully inflate to maximize your oxygen intake.
Sit too long, and your lungs will not fully inflate; gravity pulls your neck and shoulders downwards. It becomes more difficult to fight gravity over time, and your chest’s accessory muscles tighten, your shoulders become rounded, and your head comes forward. Now your back weakens as the muscles that keep you upright are inhibited.
Suboptimal inflation of your lungs also harms the ability to inhale air and limits the exhalation of carbon dioxide. Bad posture facilitates the buildup of toxins in your system.
Moreover, poor posture can raise blood pressure, perhaps by creating pressure in your neck muscles.
If you are like me and frequently sit at a desk, rock your pelvis back and forth. This practice demonstrates how much motion you have in your spine. Ideally, your posture will be in the middle of the range.
You may also want to get most of the pressure onto your “sit bones” and not the back of your thighs or the tailbone. One more thing: Several times during the day, take three deep breaths to open your lungs.
Thank you for joining me today in this look at the 3 top reasons you should fix your posture.
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
