Your parents were right when they nagged you about the importance of good posture. Poor posture can trigger back pain and may even affect the alignment of your entire body. Learning about the many negative effects of poor posture during National Correct Posture Month in May just might prompt you to make a few positive changes to your posture.

Chiropractic Partners can help!

How Poor Posture Affects Your Back

Slouching throws off the alignment of your spine, stressing your muscles and joints while also increasing your risk of back pain. Normally, all the parts of your spine function as a single unit to support your weight. If your back isn't properly aligned, one area may be required to support a greater percentage of your total body weight. Over time, this imbalance can lead to chronic pain in your back.

Poor posture may also play a role in:

• Back Injuries. You're more likely to hurt yourself if your spine, joints, muscles, and ligaments are tight or aren't properly aligned. These issues can also affect your balance and increase your risk of a fall.
• Arthritis and Joint Pain. Tight muscles can put unnecessary stress on your joints and cause excessive wear that causes or worsens these conditions.
• Increased Pain. Tight muscles are painful enough on their own, but muscle tension can also have other consequences. These muscles may press on nerves, increasing back pain, or even pull the vertebrae in your spine out of alignment. Vertebrae are the small bones that make up your spinal column.
• Decreased Flexibility. Your flexibility and range of motion can be affected if poor posture causes spinal misalignments and tightens muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
• Muscle Fatigue. It takes much more effort to move tight muscles and joints than loose ones. If you don't practice good posture, you may find that you get tired more easily when you exercise.
• The Way You Walk. Poor posture can change your gait, which can trigger imbalances throughout your entire body.
• Headaches. Misaligned vertebrae and tight muscles in the neck, shoulders, and upper back can be a factor in tension headaches and migraines.

Practicing the Perfect Posture

Improving your posture may be a simple way to decrease the aches and pains in your back.  Chiropractic Partners can help by guiding you with specific strengthening exercises, spinal adjustments, therapies and more!  Let us restore your proper posture and you will reap the benefits by achieving better health and a stronger back!