Have Good Sitting and Standing Posture
What is one thing you can do right now to look up to 10 years younger in a matter of seconds?
Look at the difference in these two pictures, taken seconds apart. Observe the way the tissue changes in the face and neck. In the first photo, you see a face ageing as gravity pulls down the soft tissue that has no support structure, resulting in jowls, while in the second photo the soft tissue is balanced on the facial bone structure, helping to redefine the loose jaw line.
Slouching when sitting also causes the abdominal organs to push forward, simply because when you slouch, your rib cage and pelvis are closer together and the intestines have to move out – in some cases onto our laps.
A hunched back and shoulders also cause us to look older because this kind of condition is often associated with elderly people who have heart or lung disease.
Sadly, we are now seeing younger and younger people coming to us with poor posture. Contributing factors include heavy school bags and sitting with the hips too low while doing homework on a laptop or other device. I recently saw a girl under the age of 8 who had both scoliosis and a rib hump due to her poor sitting posture while watching YouTube cartoons much of the day.
Poor posture causes many changes that occur from the inside, including :
- Compression of the spinal cord (the largest bundle of nerves in the body)
- Forward head posture, which decreases blood flow to the brain, contributing to brain fog
- Headaches
- Arthritic changes in the joints of the entire spine
- Shearing of the vertebrae, so that one vertebra starts to slide forward of the one below it (spondylosis)
- Compression of the roots of the nerves that run from the spinal cord to all areas of the body, resulting in loss of muscle strength, loss of sensation and impaired bodily functions
- Compression of the blood vessels and nerves in front of the shoulders and in the armpit areas. This can create thoracic inlet and outlet dysfunction (i.e. arm and hand weakness, or symptoms such as burning, tingling, numbness and pins and needles).
- Poor digestion and elimination
- Back and neck pain and loss of motion
For more information on what happens to your body when you slouch, and also how to find the correct chair and custom adjust it for your particular needs, please read the article on Sitting Posture.
Our therapists are available to assist you with:
- Spinal alignment assessment and treatment
- Advice on how to modify your work station or home environment
- A stretching and strengthening programme for all levels of fitness
- Treatments using Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Active Isolated Stretching (AIS), joint mobilisation, and various types of massage, from releasing muscle spasms to restructuring your alignment
Contact us at +852 2167 7305 or email info@thebodygroup.com.
