5 Scary Side Effects of Bad Posture and How to Correct Them
If you constantly wake in the morning after a night of restless or no sleep and feel like a zombie, chiropractic care may help. If you walk like Frankenstein due to constant back pain, chiropractic care may help. If you feel more like a ghost of your former self due to anxiety, depression or other mental health issues, chiropractic care may help.
All of these scary symptoms are side effects of ineffective and poor posture, which is exactly what excellent chiropractic care can address. Everything in your body is connected and poor posture, slumping forward for hours over your computer, sitting all day or holding little kids while taking care of the endless to-do list at home can all contribute to poor posture and lead to bothersome symptoms throughout your body.
Read on and learn other side effects and what can possibly be done to remedy them.
Tip 1: Neck and shoulder pain
Slumping forward, looking at a computer screen at the wrong angle all day, and stress can contribute to significant neck tightness, headaches, and shoulder pain. This isn’t fun and can be detrimental to everyday life. After initial x-rays and screenings at Greenville Spine, we are able to pinpoint where the misalignments and inflammation, also known as subluxations, is in your vertebrae that need to be treated. With attentive, constant, and correct chiropractic care, more than 95 percent of patients at Greenville Spine see the results they want.
Tip 2: Back pain
This is a common complaint and while not all back pain is caused by poor posture, it can significantly contribute to this kind of pain. Whether through an injury, strain, or just years of poor posture, most of our patients deal with back discomfort. Almost all forms of back pain are treatable with chiropractic care from Greenville Spine. We want you to live your best life, pain-free.
Tip 3: Digestive issues
When your spine is not properly aligned, it can contribute to a host of digestive issues from cramping to constipation to other discomforts. When sitting incorrectly and slouching forward all day, your organs are going to compress and push on your stomach, adding to the discomfort.
Tip 4: Poor sleep
When your neck hurts, when your back is in pain, when your shoulders are tight, when your stomach is cramping, how can you possibly get a good night’s sleep? Poor posture especially affects sleep in such a big way.
Tip 5: Mental health
The brain talks to all parts of the body through the spinal cord and if that communication is disrupted through misalignments and inflammation, communication will be stifled. Why does this matter and what does it have to do with mental health? If the brain cannot properly talk to other parts of your body, the hormones associated with stress relief and happiness cannot be released. One study from the National Institutes of Health showed that chiropractic care increases neurotensin (induces stress relief), oxytocin (promotes social bonding), and cortisol (blocks pain from inflammation).
Tips for Proper Posture
When sitting:
- Push your shoulders back, straighten your back, and don’t slouch forward.
- Bend your knees at 90 degrees and put your feet flat on the floor.
- Try to have your computer at eye level so you’re not looking down.
- Distribute weight evenly in your hips.
- Get up every 30 minutes or so to walk around.
When standing:
- Stand straight, hands at sides, and draw your belly button into your spine.
- Breathe deeply, relaxing your neck, jaw, and shoulders.
- Pull your shoulders back, look straight ahead so your ears are directly over your shoulders.