Poor posture may result from health conditions or from habitual actions, such as looking at a computer, sitting in an office chair and even sleeping a certain way. Consistent poor posture can lead to pain in certain areas of the body, such as the neck and lower back. To fix your poor posture, you must go beyond understanding the causes and resultant health conditions; you must understand what poor posture is. Poor posture is best defined in terms of its characteristics. Understanding these characteristics can help you catch the warning signs and change how you hold yourself.
Rounded Shoulders
Rounded shoulders are highly characteristic of poor posture. Rounded shoulders are characterized by the tendency to lurch your shoulders forward or downward, lending a rounded look to your back. This often causes the mid-back to jut outward. When in this position, you're compressing your mid-back. To fix, sit up straight and align the ears, shoulders and hips so that your body has a straight appearance if viewed from the side.
Non-Neutral Spine
A non-neutral spine concerns the curves in your back. To understand a non-neutral spine, you need to understand a neutral spine. According to SpineUniverse.com, a neutral spine features three natural curves: a small hollow at the base of your neck, small roundness at your middle back and a small hollow in your lower back. Any deviation from this structure constitutes a non-neutral spine. When your spine is non-neutral, you will exhibit other poor-posture traits, such as rounded shoulders and poor head placement. To fix, keep your feet shoulder-width distance apart, lift the breastbone so that your shoulders move down the back and make your chin parallel to the ground. Avoid the tendency to arch too far backward.
Poor Head Placement
Poor head placement means your head juts forward and is not aligned with your back to make one vertical line. Such placement is a natural reaction to the tendency to round your mid-back and roll your shoulders forward. Catch your poor head placement by noticing your ears; if your ears are more forward than your shoulders when you're viewed from the side, you have poor head placement. Remedy this by keeping your chin parallel to the ground and adjusting office equipment, such as your monitor, to allow for easy viewing while maintain your level chin.
Flared Feet
When you're on an unstable surface, you have a natural tendency to flare your feet. This means your stance is such that your toes point outward instead of straight forward. This provides you more stability to support yourself on the surface. Stand neutrally. Your heel and your second toe -- the one beside your big toe -- should point straight in front of you. To fix flaring feet, adjust them to meet this stance in any sitting, standing or mobile position.
Considerations
Other symptoms of poor posture include back, neck or spinal pain as a result of consistent poor posture and a hunched back. In addition, poor posture can lead to less noticeable conditions, such as scoliosis, disc injury, decreased efficacy of the muscular system, premature degenerative stages of muscles, and decreased circulation that has not yet caused pain and fatigue from increased muscle activity. Consult your doctor to identify and correct problematic characteristics that may need aid, such as a disk injury.
References
- Spine Health; Ten Tips for Improving Posture and Ergonomics; Kelly Andrews, DC; June 2004
- Synergy Health; The Seven Signs of Poor Posture; March 2011
- Spine Universe; Maintaining a Healthy Spine -- Posture; Jeanne Markusic, PT
- Chan Chiropractic and Acupuncture; The Pain of Poor Posture; Casey Chan, DC, QME; Dec. 2009
- Physiothérapie Maheu Killens: What Is Good Posture?
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