Set Yourself Straight: 5 Benefits of Good Posture

Don’t slouch. Sit up straight. You probably heard your parents tell you over and over again to maintain proper posture while you were growing up. Perhaps you rolled your eyes and felt that you didn’t need to change how you sit or stand. However, now that you’re an adult, you may struggle with back or neck pain, headaches, and other unpleasant symptoms. But is good posture really that beneficial? Should you finally follow your parents’ advice? Read on to learn more!

What Good Posture Looks Like

When you sit down, especially for long periods of time, your feet need to rest flat on the ground, and your weight should be evenly distributed between your hips. Your shoulders should be held back but feel relaxed, and you should avoid positioning your head in a forward position. In the standing position, your knees should not be locked or hyperextended but rather slightly bent. Keep in mind that your body has some natural curvature, so being perfectly straight isn’t healthy or feasible; however, your back should be mostly straight.

Benefits of Good Posture

Although maintaining proper posture can take some practice and conscious effort, the benefits are worth the time and energy. Below are just some of the ways keeping your body in the right alignment can help you.

Less Back Pain

Whether you’re sitting or standing improperly, one of the most common symptoms of bad posture is back pain. It’s important for the spine to remain appropriately aligned to avoid triggering a response from the sensitive nerves in the back.

Fewer Headaches and Neck Pain

Often, tension in your neck muscles leads to headaches, which makes sense because the neck stabilizes your head. When you hold your head in a healthy position, you give those muscles relief and remove the source of some of your discomfort.

Less Jaw Pain

Did you know that your posture can impact your ability to open and close your mouth? A forward head position puts tremendous strain on the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, giving you jaw pain. Correcting the issue can allow you to eat, talk, and yawn with less difficulty.

More Energy

When you keep the right posture, your muscles don’t have to work nearly as hard to stabilize your body. They function the way they’re designed to and use less energy than they do when your posture is off.

Better Circulation and Digestion

Improper posture can not only put stress on your muscles in ways they weren’t designed to handle; it can also compress your internal organs. When they lack sufficient space, blood flow and normal functioning become more difficult or uncomfortable, potentially causing a host of other issues in the body.

You may not be able to go back in time and change your posture as a child, but you can make the necessary adjustments to your posture now. By addressing how you sit and stand, you can help your body function and feel better.

About the Author

Dr. Chad Wills has more than 20 years of clinical experience in chiropractic care. Since graduating from chiropractic school, he has become certified in Chiropractic Biophysics and is one of only two chiropractors in the area with this advanced training. In addition to treatment and therapy, he can teach patients techniques and exercises to promote good posture. If you have questions about proper posture, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Wills by contacting Wills Chiropractic through his website or by calling 239-331-6060.