Bad Posture Undermines Your Health And Well-being
Most people realize that bad posture is unflattering
, making you look older and less attractive. However, did you know that poor posture also is bad for your health? Bad posture is frequently an underlying cause of back problems and back pain. Since bad posture alters the weight distribution of the body, it frequentlycreates strain in the muscles of the back or invertebral discs, over time leading to back pain and chronic back problems.
This is not the end of the story. A common posture imbalance, forward head posture, for example, may cause headaches and neck tension. With advancing age, it can lead to a more serious problem, the so-called dowager's hump, or hyperkyphosis. Research has shown that elderly who suffer from dowager's hump struggle with more health issues than their counterparts with normal posture.
In general, however, bad posture impacts the health of our body in numerous ways. According to researchers John Lennon, BM, MM. C. and Norman Shealy: "[. . . posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture. The most significant influences of posture are upon respiration, oxygenation, and sympathetic function. Ultimately, it appears that homeostasis and autonomic regulation are intimately connected with posture. The corollary of these observations is that many symptoms, including pain, may be moderated or eliminated by improved posture." (See citation below.)
To sum it up, virtually every function of our physiology is in some way impacted by poor posture. Breathing is especially affected by our posture; if your chest is compressed by a forward slumping posture, it's hard to breathe well. Since breathing controls the oxygen supply to each cell in the body, this has a global impact on our health and well-being. Poor posture also influences the function of the sympathetic nervous system, making it harder for the body to maintain homeostasis.
In addition, the health of the back is critical to the health of the nervous system, because every single nerve in the central nervous system is routed through the spinal cord. This is the central control that orchestrates the function of every organ in the body.
The spinal cord is important because it houses the nerves of the central nervous system, which transport information between the brain and the body. The central nervous system is in charge of keeping homeostasis, the physiology's internal equilibrium. It is through this exchange of signals back and forth between the body and the brain that we are able to monitor, interpret, and adjust to inner and outer change. It is through these pathways in the spinal cord that the brain sends electrochemical signals that cause us to adapt to our environment.
The importance of posture for health and well-being is summarized in a long held tenet put forward by osteopaths and chiropractors: Structure impacts function. If the structure of our spine, our posture, is misaligned, it can affect our overall health and well-being by hindering the natural flow of information along the nerves that join the brain to the rest of the body. When the integrity of the nerve flow is diminished, the resulting impact on bodily functions may lead to ill health over time.
Here is the bottom line: Chiropractors and osteopaths both hold that poor posture increases the chance of poor health, because problems in the structure of the body, such as poor posture, often result in problems with the body's function. Bad posture is the most common structural imbalance.
Fortunately there are several things that you can do to correct poor posture. With patience and consistency, there is much you can do to regain a youthful, attractive posture over time.
Corrective posture exercises, posture support braces, and core strengthening activities are a great place to start-as is simply paying attention to your posture and bearing throughout the day. Remember, bad posture is created moment by moment, mostly by poor habits and weakened posture support muscles. Good posture is created moment by moment as well-by reversing your moment-to-moment posture habits and strengthening core posture support muscles, you will be able to gradually reshape and improve your posture.
Quote Source: John Lennon, BM, MM, C. Norman Shealy, MD, Roger K. Cady, MD, William Matta, PhD., Richard Cox, PhD, and William F. Simpson, PhD, American Journal of Pain Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 1994
by: Jennie Hopkins
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