Posture problems may arise both for children and adults. They may be both hereditary and develop during the lifetime. There are many causes for the problems, as well as different possibilities for their resolution. The most important thing is to notice them as soon as possible.

Posture problems may arise both for children and adults. They may be both hereditary and develop during the lifetime. There are many causes for the problems, as well as different possibilities for their resolution. The most important thing is to notice them as soon as possible.

Why is the correct posture important?

Sometimes an opinion is voiced that a correct, normal posture is only important for a visually enjoyable effect, for the person to look good. Yet, it is important to be aware that the wholesome functioning of many internal organs also depends on posture, and this is the basis for the general health condition of the person and healthy self-confidence. Therefore, already from early childhood, when a child is born in the world, it is important to notice if there are any deviations, because the correct shape of the musculoskeletal system provides the proper positioning of the internal organs and efficient functioning of the muscles, thus protecting the person from injuries and deformations.

Posture problems may cause different health disorders: dizziness, breathing problems, back-pain, even frequent signs of catching cold and others, and also may be the reason for physical and emotional discomfort and lower quality of life. 

What are the Causes of Poor Posture?

It is proven that around 40–50% of the world’s population have posture problems when they grow up. Some people already develop these problems from childhood, others develop them during the lifetime. Internal and external posture affecting factors are distinguished. 

Internal:

• heredity,
• birth injury,
• general health condition,
• disorders of the functioning of internal organs,
• weak physical development,
• condition of the musculoskeletal system,
• psychological factors. 

External:

• improperly organised work environment (that specifically refers to office workers, and people continuously performing monotonous, uniform motions),
• improperly positioned and insufficient lighting,
• different daily habits,
• insufficient physical activity, low physical activity,
• unsymmetrical physical movements (for athletes),
• insufficient food,
• inappropriate footwear,
• gravity and ageing. 

The spinal column suffers most 

Posture is influenced by the spinal curvatures. If it is properly formed, it has three curvatures: in the neck, chest, and lumbosacral area. Due to hereditary problems, injuries during delivery or wrong daily habits formed in childhood, problems with the spinal curvatures may already develop in childhood, yet, at the same time, due to various reasons they may also already develop when an adult, if the person is working at the computer for prolonged periods, continuously performing monotonous actions in one direction, there is an overload driving a car and similar.

This and other reasons lead to spinal muscle overload and muscle strain, which causes pain. If attention is not paid for a long time, changes occur in the spinal curvatures. It is sufficient, if for some reason changes occur in one of them – it affects the condition of the entire spinal column.

Lately, due to various reasons the situation in offices is rapidly changing – employees work from home either full-time or partially, yet the work environment is not always organised properly. For the physical body and vision not to suffer, it is important to choose a table and chair that meets all parameters, properly place the computer, and observe other requirements. The same refers to the furnishing of the work environment, as well as other cases.

Each factor influencing posture, influences the health of the person as a whole. 

Characteristics of posture disorders:

• pain and discomfort in the spine, which present both in completing work duties and everyday activities,
• restrictions of the volume of movement (difficulty turning the head, bending, lifting hands or similar),
• feebleness or rigidity of joints,
• discomfort or pain in the joints. 

Seek help as soon as possible

Already feeling the first signs, that could indicate problems with posture, it is important to consult a doctor or a physiotherapist, to understand the problems and remove them, before any serious health disorders arise, which would need complex treatment. 

Preventive measures for posture correction:

• general development and health gymnastics (initially definitely under the guidance of a physiotherapist),
• daily physical activities (also movement during pauses in work),
• swimming (under the guidance of a coach, to learn proper swimming technique),
• massage,
• improvement of the work and living environment (furniture, lighting etc.),
• comfortable clothes and footwear,
• posture correctors (depending on the location of the problem, there are correctors for the neck, chest or lumbar spine, the choice of which, assessing the stage of the problem, is made with the assistance of a doctor or physiotherapist. Posture correctors are used as preliminary measures for the correction of the possible problems, as well as in the cases of slight posture disorders, to correct the problems that have occurred, as well as in the cases of serious posture problems as an aid in the complex healing system, to reduce the worsening of the condition).

Photo by Elin Tabitha on Unsplash