3 Different Ways in Which Slouching is Bad for You

There’s a reason why your family made sure you sat up straight at the dinner table. While it’s no secret that slouching can be bad for you, the extent to which it affects your overall health is surprising. Many people reading this post right now will most likely be leaning their head towards the screen, shoulders rolled forward, adding an extra 20 pounds of stress to your spinal column. Slouching like this can cause some damage to your body and introduce chronic pain in the long run.

Slouching Can Hurt Your Career

Nobody looks good when they are slouching, and it has been researched that being rejected by others can hurt just as badly as physical pain. Being perceived negatively by co-workers and superiors from slouching can negatively impact your career, and that unnecessary stress will open more avenues for chronic pain, doing more to hurt you rather than help you. To help avoid slouching in the middle of the day, try having a physical indicator let you know when your posture is too low for your own good.

Slouching Can Ruin Your Spine’s Alignment

Remember the added 20 pounds of stress mentioned earlier? That extra weight will mis-align your spine in the far future, making your life more difficult as you get older. Since slouching can ruin your spine, that means that slouching is bad for your rib cage, heart, and lungs as well. Damage to these systems can either intensify your current chronic pain, or bring it into your life if you are not suffering from it.

If you want to stop yourself slouching, but have trouble remembering to do so, small changes in your workspace can do wonders. Consider alternative methods for talking on the phone, like using a wireless headset. Making sure your computer screen’s position is at the right height for your head will also help prevent you from slouching more often.

Slouching Can Make You Depressed

When you’re told to look at your best for your interview: No crossed legs, chest puffed out, and back straight, it’s not just to look nice. Those with better posture are more inclined to have a positive outlook, while those with worse posture and more inclined to slouching are more likely to face depressive episodes. Long episodes of depression have recorded overall negative impacts to health, so depression and slouching are a deadly double team of negative long term body problems. In time, you will start experience the effects of physical, chronic pain due to your mental health.

Slouching can also increase your risk of auto accidents, as it can reduce your reaction time and impair your ability to see the road properly. Maintaining good posture while driving can help you stay alert and focused on the road, reducing your chances of getting into a car accident.

If you are already suffering from chronic pain due to poor posture, seeking pain management treatment from a qualified healthcare professional can help alleviate your symptoms and prevent further damage to your body.

If you are experiencing chronic back pain in New Jersey and are looking for a pain doctor who can help, contact Garden State Pain Control today to make an appointment. Our doctors are some of the best in the state and have been helping patients overcome their chronic pain and regain their function for many years. Our mission is to ease your pain.