6 Bad Postures That Can Ruin Your Health

If you remember your mom saying “stand straight, don’t bend or slouch as it will damage your back” when you were small, she was right because bad posture results in complications as we get older. Correcting our posture and maintaining the right posture is a simple way to stay fit. Here are few common bad postures you can see in people around you. These bad postures not only make people look unaesthetic, but also take a toll on their joints and muscles and increase pressure and pain in various parts of the body. Though we know the truth and often tend to correct another person’s posture, we fail to recognize our own. So, stand in front of a mirror to catch a glimpse of yourself to correct the posture problems and improve your health and look.

Here Are The Bad Postures That Ruin Your Health

1. Rounded Shoulders

This is a common posture problem most people have, especially when a person is tall. It is the walking habit that makes them bend, particularly to maintain balance. When a person continues to walk with shoulders forward, the muscles get fixed in the same rounded posture and result in bending of the spine, which will cause problems in old age.

2. Pelvic Tilt

The pelvic or the hip bone is supported by the transverse abs and this is the reason why the body gets its shape. So, when a person walks with the hips pushed backward, the muscles and transverse abs will give the hips a tilt and fix the same posture causing damage to the posture of the body. This will cause back pain as well.

3. Forward Neck

Neck and head pushed in the forward direction while you stand or walk is generally a result of stiffness in the neck muscle. It would seem to be a relaxing posture initially, but if continued with time, the posture will result in stress and damages the vertebra causing severe headache and neck pain.

4. Pigeon Toes

Pigeon toes, toes bend in inward direction, can occur due to several reasons such as bone deformity, weak joints, birth defects, arthritis, weak muscles, walking habit since childhood, etc. This will increase pressure on the feet, stiffen lower extremity muscles and rotate the knees inward. The condition will increase back pain, hip pain and knee pain.

5. Over-Pronated Feet

This is again a common posture problem that goes unnoticed. The arch of the feet gets flat and ankles bend slightly in or out depending on your posture. Overweight, inappropriate footwear, pregnancy are a few reasons for this change in posture. People with this postural defect may not experience pain right away and some may never suffer from it at all. However, when the symptoms aggravate and becomes painful, it causes strain on the calves and feet and even walking becomes awkward. This posture change will also increase hip pain, back pain, knee pain and muscle stiffness and chances of bunion and heel spurs are high.

6. Elevated Shoulder

High or elevated shoulder posture could be caused due to various factors like strain or injury from prolonged bad posture or due to misalignment of your spine. However, one of the significant cause of this posture is when people carry over loaded bags. Carrying a bag with straps that are long or a bag with a single strap or carrying too heavy load all contribute to this poor posture. The posture can lead to problems like postural imbalance, arm pain, back pain, muscle strain, headaches and nerve damage.