Most people I know who work at desk jobs have one thing in common: Slouching. In fact, most people tend to slouch at one time or another during their day. We usually slouch when we’re lost in thought, tired or bored.

Next time you go to work, the library, or any public place where many people tend to be sitting at the same time, have a look at how many people are slouched over while they sit. As a society, we spend an inordinate amount of time sitting. That, along with poorly situated desks and chairs, has resulted in chronic bad posture in our culture and, consequently, many people who suffer from chronic back and neck pain.

When our parents and caregivers told us to “sit up straight” they weren’t doing so just to keep us from looking like a bent noodle. The fact is, proper posture is an important part of our overall health. Although most people allow their head to jut forward when slouching over their mobile or computer, just an inch forward from the spine essentially doubles the amount of head weight the musculoskeletal system must absorb. When we slouch, we tend to decrease our circulation, lower our potential for concentration and increase the likelihood of neck and back pain. Add to that an overall decreased sense of well-being and you can see why making the effort to sit upright is a good idea.

One researcher has found a correlation between standing tall and clear thinking. According to Nobel laureate Dr. Roger Sperry, who won a Nobel Prize for his work studying the human brain, “The more mechanically distorted a person is, the less energy is available for thinking, metabolism and healing.”  He notes that good posture helps keep the airways open and expands the rib cage, which in turn allows us to breathe more fully. In fact, when we slouch, our lung capacity is lessened by as much as 30 percent.  Additionally, a brain that receives a full measure of oxygen is “smarter” in the sense that its ability to concentrate goes up. This also provides the individual with more energy.

Conversely, when you slouch, you’ll likely notice a tendency toward fatigue. Our skeletal system performs best when we are in the correct posture because that is how it was designed: When we are sitting incorrectly, we move more body weight to the parts of the skeleton that are not designed to bear weight. This in turn forces our muscles, tendons and ligaments to work harder to keep us upright. A lifetime of slouching can actually cause permanent damage to the spine, constricting nerves and blood vessels and resulting in chronic pain.

Other research has shown that improved posture can reduce the incidence of depression and increased positive thinking. For example, one study conducted at Ohio State University asked test subjects either to sit up straight or to slouch.  Of those who sat up straight, “Their confident, upright posture gave them more confidence in their own thoughts, whether they were positive or negative,” according to Richard Perry, a professor of psychology at the school and one of the authors of the study.

So what does correct posture look like? When you have good standing posture you will be able to draw a straight line down from the earlobe through the shoulder, hip, knee and mid-ankle. Your chin should be parallel with the floor.

Some of the things we discuss with our patients at Rice Family Chiropractic are different ways to manage your posture and spinal health by finding the right tools to work with, exercises to practice and tricks to help you remember to maintain posture.

To help maintain proper posture throughout the day, it’s important to make an effort to move between sitting and standing as much as possible. As always, exercise is a crucial part of your spinal health. Find ways to get regular exercise and, in particular, work on strengthening your core muscles.  Sign up for yoga or Pilates. Whatever you do, try to find something you like and try to keep it up as regularly as possible and soon you’ll be sitting up tall, just like mom and dad always told you.

To find out more about your posture and other aspects of your back health, call us to set up an appointment at Rice Family Chiropractic, located in Langley, BC, near the Langley Bypass.