Body

Is Your Posture Wreaking Havoc on Your Body?

Signs your posture isn't ideal and what to do about it.

by Wendy Rose Gould | COMMENT

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Why Your Posture Matters Poor posture is one of those things that doesn't really seem to matter until, well, it really matters, and symptoms become abundantly clear.

"Your body is resilient and may be able to compensate for poor posture for many years before you start to see symptoms," notes Sean Joyce, a physical therapist with Hudson Medical + Wellness. "[With ongoing poor posture], you will first notice soft tissue and fascial tightness around a joint. Close to follow are abnormal movement patterns as a means of compensation for decreased range of motion."

These initial issues can typically be corrected without the need for invasive treatment. However, when poor posture persists for many years, your body starts undergoing real changes in order to adapt. These include "capsular and ligamentous shortening in addition to bony adaptations," notes Joyce. Such issues aren't so easily corrected without the assistance of aggressive treatment.

Over the long term, poor posture ultimately causes severe misalignments in the body that cause real pain — sometimes so bad that it can be disabling or life-impairing.

Image via Westend61/Getty

SEE NEXT PAGE: Key Signs Your Posture is Poor

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