Many seniors in our society grew up with constant reminders to sit up straight and not slouch to ensure good posture. The current generation rarely receives these reminders and because of that, they’re experiencing the repercussions of poor posture. Adults and children alike are sitting for hours at work and at school on computers, in front of video gaming systems and on tablets with little, if any, instruction on proper posture. The trend of worsening posture continues with every generation.
Therapists are constantly working with patients to improve their posture, such as the teenager who slouches all the time, the office worker who sits all day at their computer or in meetings, or the baseball pitcher who is developing a rotator cuff injury because of slouching in post-secondary classes. The problem with poor posture, like any bad habit, is the younger we start and continue with the habit, the harder it is to correct. By possessing poor posture, we are training our bodies and muscles to adapt to this new position as being our normal. Then muscle length and strength changes set in and issues such as muscle imbalances start to occur long before pain is experienced. As we age, our spine starts to stiffen naturally and if our normal posture is slouched or hunched, then our spine will stiffen in a rounded position.
There are obvious postural problems such as scoliosis (where the back curves side to side) and kyphosis (where there is excessive rounding of the spine), but there other implications of poor posture that aren’t as apparent. Muscle imbalances that occur from poor posture create higher amounts of stress at certain areas of the spine, which in turn can irritate nerves, damage soft tissues such as tendons, and result in degeneration at the joints. This degeneration can make individuals more vulnerable to tendonitis, nerve compression and pain. Elbow or calf pain could be the result of your posture even if you don’t experience pain in your neck or back.
The good news is that posture can often be improved by addressing where the problem originates from, such as improper workstation set up or overuse of certain muscles which is leading to muscle imbalance. Once this is determined, then a therapist can provide customized stretching and core-strengthening programs to help the individual get back to an active, pain-free lifestyle. The sooner we start the process of improving our posture, the easier it will be to fix and maintain.
Contact our office at 403.556.9911 with any questions about improving your posture, or to book an appointment with one of our experienced therapists.
