When you slouch or sit in a not-so-great position, it messes up how your spine handles pressure. This can make the lower back muscles and tissues weaker. It pushes the stuff in your back—like muscles, discs, and joints—way too hard, which can hurt. It might mess with your nerves too.
Bad posture can mess up your balance, give you headaches, and make it hard to breathe. Keep reading to understand why it’s common for bad posture to cause back pain and issues.
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What is Poor Posture?
Having a bad or poor posture means your body isn’t in a neutral position, often being asymmetrical. Here are some examples:
- Slouching or sitting in a hunched way on your office chair or couch.
- Lying on your belly in bed while using a laptop or reading.
- Walking in a hunched manner without supporting your head or trunk.
- Sitting on a bed and using a laptop.
- Leaning forward while doing activities like gardening or washing dishes for a long time.
- Lifting heavy objects from the floor by bending your back.
- Using a vacuum cleaner with one hand and making long arm movements.
- Putting most of your body weight on one leg while standing.
Using these postures can lead to back pain. If you often do these positions and lead a sedentary lifestyle without much physical activity, it can cause even more stress and pain in your lower back.
How Poor Posture Causes Back Pain
When you don’t sit or stand properly, it can create stress in your muscles, spine, and discs. This stress can be relieved by fixing your posture, but if left unaddressed, it can weaken these structures over time. Here are some examples:
Hunching: If you hunch for extended periods while standing or sitting, it can strain your back, core, and abdominal muscles. This strain reduces blood supply, leading to stiffness and weakness in your trunk and lower back.
Unsupported sitting: Sitting without proper support puts a forward bend on your spine. Over time, this can load the lower spinal discs, potentially causing herniation.
- Poor laptop or reading posture: Working on a laptop or reading while lying on your belly can cause excessive bending backward in your lower back and hips, affecting the natural curve of your spine.
Incorrect lifting: Lifting things incorrectly can herniate your lumbar disc, resulting in lower back pain or radiating pain into your leg through a nearby spinal nerve.
Maintaining correct posture is usually less effort than maintaining an incorrect one. It may take time and constant awareness to switch from a habitually incorrect posture to a correct one.
How to Maintain Good Posture
Here are some tips for maintaining good posture:
1. Don’t Be a Slouch
Slouching is tough on your spine, stressing the bones, muscles, and joints that support it. Bad posture doesn’t just affect your back; it also squishes your internal organs, making it tougher for your lungs and intestines to function properly. Eventually, this can make it difficult to digest food or breathe well.
2. Stand Up Tall
To improve your posture, try standing up tall. Imagine yourself against a wall to check your height. Keep your head up, chin tucked in, ears aligned with your shoulders, shoulders back, knees straight, and tuck in your belly.
Avoid sticking out your hips or booty. Stand straight as if your head is reaching towards the sky. This helps you feel and look better, even slimmer!
3. Don’t Slump at Your Desk
When sitting at your desk, avoid slouching or leaning back too much, even though it might feel comfy. Instead, try sitting all the way back in your chair. Use a small rolled-up towel or lumbar cushion to support the natural curve of your spine.
Keep your knees bent at a right angle, ensuring they’re level with or slightly higher than your hips, and place your feet flat on the floor.
4. Don’t Be a Low-Rider
When you’re driving for a while, it might feel cool and comfy to lean back, but it’s not good for your posture. Instead, try sitting a bit more upright.
Avoid locking your legs; keep them slightly bent, ideally at hip level or a bit higher. Remember to place a pillow or a rolled-up towel behind your back for added support.
5. Move Often
Sitting in one position for too long isn’t good for your body, even if your setup is ergonomic. If you spend long hours at your desk, you’ll likely experience discomfort.
It’s helpful to check your posture every 15 minutes and take breaks to move around every half hour or so. This prevents prolonged strain on your body.
The Bottom Line
Back pain from bad posture can be mild or severe. Most times, it doesn’t need surgery. Your doctor might suggest physical therapy to fix your posture. Meanwhile, treatments like injections or exercises can help. They target the root cause, like nerve or muscle issues.
Sophia Anderson, PT, DPT is a physical therapist who offers online pain management consultations. She helps people with various types of pain, especially neck, back, and knee pain.
She graduated from the University of St. Augustine with a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. She has experience in orthopedic physical therapy, sports medicine, neurological rehabilitation, advanced assessment and treatment of running injuries, and advanced treatment of the pelvic complex, spine, and extremities.
If you’re experiencing any pain, let Sophia Anderson, PT, DPT help you out.