Common Causes of Poor Posture and What to do About Them

Posture isn’t something many of us concern ourselves with. Until it starts to affect our lives. Having prolonged poor posture can lead to a huge range of physical symptoms. These include backache, shoulder and neck pain, headaches, muscle fatigue, tiredness, weak abdominal muscles, rounded shoulders and a pot belly. Bad posture is becoming more and more common in the modern world as many of us carry heavy bags and sit slouched at a desk all day. Here are some of the most common causes of bad posture, and what you can do about them.

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Foot and Leg Pain

It makes sense that if your feet and legs ache, you’ll stand differently to ease your discomfort. Especially if you spend a lot of time on your feet. This is fine if it’s a short-term problem. But, if you are dealing with long-term issues, your posture can quickly be affected, and you may find it difficult to correct later on as your muscles will adapt to your new positioning. The best thing to do is look into foot pain care as soon as you notice an issue. This way any problems affecting your stance can be fixed before they cause a bigger concern.

Weak Core Muscles

Standing straight and tall uses your core muscles. If they are weak, they will naturally hold you in a more comfortable position. Try to walk tall, holding your stomach in, have a go at some core strengthening exercises and implement some lifestyle changes to help.

Lack of Knowledge

Over the years there has been a lot of conflicting advice on how to stand straight with correct posture. This means many people simply do not know what good posture is. You should stand so that your head, back, and bottom are in a straight line. Like you are being pulled up by a string.

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Sitting for Too Long

Many of us spend extended periods of time sitting at a desk or in front of the TV. This compacts your vertebrae and relaxes your muscles. To improve your posture, make sure you get up and go for a walk regularly.

Leaning

Many of us lean without realizing we are doing it. When we are standing still, we tend to put most of our weight on one foot. Then, when that foot starts to ache, we switch to the other side. To improve your posture and strengthen your muscles, try to put equal pressure on both legs.

Slouching

Slouching when sat down is perhaps the leading cause of poor posture. Going for walks and not sitting for too long will help, but, when you are sat, you need to do it straight. Push your bottom right back into the chair and make sure your back is straight. To start, this may feel very uncomfortable. But, you will soon get used to it. Try sitting in a hard-backed chair to help until you find it more natural.

The longer you have poor posture, the harder it is to correct, and while you may not notice symptoms now, as you start to age, they will affect you more. Try to get into the habit of constantly checking and correcting your posture and eventually your body will get used to the new position.

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