SIT UP STRAIGHT!
It’s the one line I’m sure you heard as a child.
While you didn’t really take notice of the way you sat back then, it was the starting point that programmed what your posture looks like today.
Unfortunately we live in a society that’s ruled by jobs which require long periods of sitting or standing. You tend to forget about your posture as you focus more on the tasks and deadlines you need to meet at work.
The problem with this is you only control your posture when you’re thinking about it…but how long can you think about it before your mind strays to ‘more important matters’?
1. Does Your Head Poke Forward?
Don’t move your head backwards just yet…(I know you were thinking about it!) Picture where it’s positioned right now.
Forward head posture is one of the most common warning signs of bad posture.
With good posture the hole in your ear should sit over the middle of your shoulder…when you’re not thinking about it! Does yours?
This prevents a number of problems including: Neck and shoulder pain, Mid back pain, Lower back pain and muscle tension.
Now back to where your head is positioned. That’s where it stays for hour after hour when you’re sitting at the computer, watching TV and even when you’re sleeping.
It puts a huge amount of tension on your joints and causes the muscles to work a lot harder than they should.
2. How Round Are Your Shoulders?
If you’re getting pain at the bottom of your neck, across your shoulders or in between your shoulder blades chances are you have rounded shoulders.
Your shoulders should be rolled back so that you stick your chest out when sitting or standing.
Rounded shoulders occur when you hunch over at your desk causing some muscles to become over-active while some become under-active.
3. How Big Is The Curve In Your Lower Back?
Considering you’re sitting for large parts of the day it’s no surprise how many people have lower back pain symptoms.
The increased curve in your back comes from what’s known as anterior pelvic tilt.
This occurs due to bad posture where the pelvis tips forward. It’s the lower back version of forward neck posture and rolled shoulders.
This again leads to changes in the joints which cause lower back pain and muscle imbalances that may lead to sciatica.
4. Do You Hike Your Shoulder?
If you’re getting shoulder pain, neck pain or mid back pain and you look in the mirror and notice your shoulder might be higher on one side, chances are it’s because of bad posture.
Most activities we perform are dominated to one side of our body. If you think about your routine today…
Which ear did you hold your phone to? What shoulder did you carry your bag on? Which way were you leaning when sitting at your desk?
You’ve taught your body the posture that it’s in because of the repetitive tasks you do every day. This causes one side to be overactive leading to pain because your body is trying to compensate.
Do You Have Bad Posture?
How many of the warning signs do you have? How about when you look at the posture of your family and friends?
Posture is usually judged from a front and side on view but how often can we look at ourselves from the side and see how good…or bad our posture is.
If you feel as though you have bad posture our Sydney CBD Chiropractors may be able to help with your posture correction. Call us today or book online to see if poor posture treatment can improve your posture
