3 Terrible Posture Habits

Below are 3 of the worst activities which create poor postural health.

1. Sitting! As a species, our bodies have never been designed to sit. Sitting has been described as the new smoking not only for our postural health but overall health as well. Major companies have now started to understand the health problems associated with excessive sitting and desk jobs. Providing routine breaks, sit to stand desk options, and access to health services are all helping this problem but it’s not enough. Everyone should be cognizant of how much time they spend sitting down, use the resources available to them, and stretch/exercise daily.

2. Technology use! Smartphone may be an amazing technological advancement and create a lot of convenience for society, but they are one of the worst things for your posture. Use the tracker on your device and check out how many hours a week you are using them. Most of the time we are looking downward into our laps or hands to use the devices and it is a primary cause of forward head carriage and the health problems it causes. These health issues include: neck pain, low back pain, headaches, shoulder pain, even vertigo and dizziness. Limit your screentime, and hold our devices up to eye level to help reduce all that postural stress.

3. Sleeping on your Stomach! Stomach sleep is posturally the worst position to sleep in. Stomach sleepers often wake up with headaches, stiff neck, and pain. It also puts unnecessary stress onto our lower back. Stomach sleep will cause excessive arching of the lower back which will strain the muscles and ligaments of the spine. The best way to combat this habit is to change it, find a better sleeping position like your side or back. If you just can’t sleep other than on your stomach place a pillow under your hips and belly which will stop the excessive arching of the lower back and reduce the consequences. Unfortunately, no pillow placement can help with the neck strains, but it would likely be best not to use a pillow at all.

So here they are, 3 of the worst things we do for our posture. Limit your sitting, your technology use, and make sure you stop sleeping on your stomach. If posture is something you’re worried about and want an assessment contact us at Westview Chiropractic Health Centre.