Signs Your Posture Is Effecting Your Health

1. Headaches are your norm

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If you have been told that you have a poor posture, or you suspect that you do, this can lead to a build-up of tension in your upper body, particularly in your neck, back, and shoulders, which can lead to a headache.

2. Your neck is always stiff or painful

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If you have poor posture, this can put unnecessary strain on the muscles and ligaments that support your neck.  This is because bad posture can place the head in front of the shoulders, which can result in stiffness and pain, and in some cases can even lead to injury over time.

3. Perhaps your spine has rounded

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There is a condition called Kyphosis

which is a curvature of the spine that causes the upper back to become and appear more rounded than is considered normal.  This condition is typically caused by poor posture but can be corrected by improving your posture.

4. And your shoulders appear more hunched

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Hunched shoulders generally appear more forward and rounded than is considered usual and can be often caused by a person's poor posture.  Experts recommend that to correct this issue and balance your posture, you can stretch and strengthen the upper back and chest areas.

5. Your upper back hurts

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Upper back pain can also be a significant indicator of bad posture.  This is because upper back pain is very often caused by a person having bad posture over a long period of time because what it does is it tends to irritate and strain the soft tissues in your upper back.

6. And you also experience pain in your lower back

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And bad posture isn't only detrimental to your upper back, but it can cause significant pain in your lower back too.  If you're sitting or standing in one position over a long period of time, this can cause unnecessary strain and overstretch your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, causing pain and discomfort.

7. Your pelvis might ache

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A study once found that as much as 85% of chronic pelvic pain cases were due to poor posture.  This is because poor posture tends to overwork some areas of your musculoskeletal system and cause pain, stiffness, and discomfort.  Poor posture can also put more pressure on the pelvic floor, causing issues with bowel and bladder control.

8. Your leg muscles are tight

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We have established that poor posture can put extra unnecessary strain on our muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and ultimately make them work way harder than they should be doing.  And this extra strain can really make your muscles feel super tight and sore over time.

9. Your feet turn out when you walk

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Having turned our feet, sometimes known as out-toeing

, or being duck-footed

, is pretty common in children before the age of 8.  And although most kids outgrow this condition, it is possible for adults to become duck-footed

, due to bad posture, not keeping active, or injury.

10. You might walk with a limp

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If you have a limp, the reason is generally due to an uneven gait, but can sometimes be due to pain or weakness in the legs, hips, feet, or ankles from minor injuries.  And sometimes, it can even be caused by your posture over time.  This can usually be prevented or corrected through exercise, strengthening, stretching, and being conscious of posture.

11. Your hands and feet are numb or tingly

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You may have experienced a pins and needles

sensation in your hands and feet if you sit or lie on them for too long.  But this is generally temporary.  However, sometimes, people can experience this more chronically, and this has been found to be due to bad posture putting pressure on a nerve, causing this sensation.

12. You're fatigued

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If you have bad posture, your body's muscles, tendons, and ligaments are constantly working much harder than they need to be.  And this inefficient use of your body can make you tire more quickly than usual, causing you to feel completely fatigued and low on energy.

13. Your digestion is slow

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Slow digestion can also be a sign of bad posture, especially if you're usually in a slouched position.  Food moves through the intestines at a much slower rate, and this can cause you to feel sluggish, bloated, and constipated, and it can even begin to slow down your metabolism.

14. You regularly experience indigestion

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You might also find yourself reaching for the Tums because a slouched-over posture can cause stomach acid to squirt back in the wrong direction.  This is going to cause you some uncomfortable indigestion, especially after each meal.

15. Breathing deeply is a challenge

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Slouching can also cause problems with your breathing too and if you have a poor posture, you might really struggle to take a deep breath.  This is because of the pressure that is placed on your abdomen, limiting the movement of the diaphragm and your ability to fully inflate and expand your lungs.

16. Swallowing is difficult too

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Studies have shown that swallowing is significantly easier for adults when they are in an upright position, and bad posture tends to restrict your ability to swallow effectively.  In some extreme cases, these obstructions can significantly cause difficulty swallowing and even lead to choking.

17. Your clench and grind your teeth

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A really unexpected cause of teeth grinding is, in fact, poor posture.  This is because your oral health is linked to the rest of your entire body.  You might find yourself clenching or grinding your teeth when you sit at your desk at work, so it is important to be mindful of your posture.

18. Your jaw aches

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Now, poor posture really does have a knock-on effect on the rest of your body.  And bad posture causes the head and the neck to round forward and can cause significant jaw pain, especially if another of your symptoms is clenching or grinding your teeth.

19. And so do your ears

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And the domino effect doesn't end there.  Your ears can also be negatively impacted by your poor posture and you might experience aches, pains, and even itchiness in the ears.  There is a strong link between the neck and the ears and they can both affect one another.

20. You might have difficulty balancing

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Poor posture, or slumping forward, can be a result of weaker core muscles, and, interestingly, this can also cause weakness too.  But the best way to regain your balance, experts suggest, is to make sure you get more active and strengthen your core and spinal muscles to help to improve your posture.

21. You're frequently dizzy

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Another surprising sign that your posture might be affecting your health is if you feel dizzy or lightheaded frequently.  There is a condition called cervical vertigo

that can be caused by the poor posture that can compress the cervical spine over time.

22. Lifting heavy objects is almost impossible

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If you have poor posture when you are lifting something heavy, you can cause injuries and pain to your back that can be difficult to recover from.  But experts suggest that even if you have slightly poor posture, you shouldn't avoid lifting weights in the gym because this alone could help to improve your posture and alleviate painful symptoms.

23. Your range of motion in your neck, shoulders, and back is limited

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Poor posture can significantly reduce the range of motion in your whole body, but in particular, your shoulders, neck, and upper back.  This is due to the extra strain your upper body structure is placed under, causing tightness and stiffness, and ultimately, limited motion.

24. Your muscles frequently spasm or cramp

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And because of the increased stress your muscles are placed under, you are more than likely to suffer frequently uncomfortable muscle spasms and painful cramps.  Unfortunately, these can both be so uncomfortable that your day-to-day life is impacted and you might find that you can't do as much as you used to.

25. There is a difference in your posture when you sit versus when you stand

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As you're probably already aware, standing requires a lot more effort and energy than sitting.  But you might find that some sitting positions you find your self in can be really affecting your overall health, including your heart health and musculoskeletal health.  And this is because you tend to sit in those poor positions for much longer.

26. Your clothes fit differently

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If your posture is affecting your health, or changing your body shape and structure in unhealthy ways, you'll probably notice it when your clothes start to fit differently than they did before, or not fit at all.  So if you're not experiencing pain, you might be able to visually see the effects of your posture on your health.

27. You might've been diagnosed with a condition

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You might have an existing condition that affects your posture.  These are spinal conditions and they include scoliosis, lordosis, and kyphosis.  These can really affect your posture or be worsened by your posture so it is always important to be conscious of these positions and take on advice to attempt to improve or correct these conditions.

28. You experience stress or anxiety

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There was a groundbreaking study on posture conducted by Harvard University and it found that if you sit up straight, certain symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.  So poor posture doesn't just affect your physical health, but it also affects your mental health too.

29. Many aspects of your life are impacted

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Understandably, if you are experiencing the bad effects of poor postures, such as pain, discomfort, stiffness, weakness, mental health issues, and more, it is going to start to affect your day-to-day life and stop you from doing normal tasks and things you enjoy.

30. It is important to address your posture

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This list has outlined some of the common effects of having bad posture but it is by no means exhaustive.  But it is clear that proper posture improves many of these symptoms, as well as improving blood flow, keeping your nerves and blood vessels healthy, supporting your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and improving your mental health.  There has never been a better time to pay attention to your posture!