If you're reading this blog on your computer, we want you to stop for a second and observe your posture. Are you sitting with your head bent, back curved, and shoulders slouched? If yes, we're sorry to break it to you; you're at a huge risk of developing posture-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Most people spend a major part of their day sitting in front of their computer screens. This means that they're seated in an incorrect posture for several hours at a stretch every day. People don't usually pay much attention to their sitting posture. In fact, most of the complaints today, like backache and neck and shoulder pain, is due to poor sitting posture.
Body pain is just one of the many consequences of a bad posture. Bad posture can affect you in more ways than you know (in worse ways than you can ever imagine!).
This blog post lists how a bad posture can affect you and also talks about how you can protect yourself from the consequences of bad posture. The more knowledge you have about the importance of posture correction, the more actively and consciously you'll strive to improve it (which is exactly what we want you to do!)
How Bad Posture Affects You?
Most people sit in an incorrect posture. In fact, bad posture is so common that someone who may be sitting in the correct posture may look odd-one-out. If you go home from work with back pain every day, it's a clear sign that your posture has started to affect you. We've listed the most prominent ways a bad posture affects you, your health, and your overall well-being.
Alters Spine Curvature
Your spine is curved at various parts to form an S-shape. Sitting in an incorrect posture for long hours regularly can alter the natural S-shape of the spine, which puts excessive pressure on the wrong parts of the spine, which eventually leads to pain. What's worst is that your spine absorbs shock and prevents injuries. However, when the spine curvature is altered, its shock-absorbing capacity is greatly reduced, and you're at a much higher risk of spine injuries.
Back and Shoulder Pain
As we said above, poor posture results in back pain because the wrong posture puts excessive pressure and strain on the spine. When you sit in a slouched posture, there's pressure on your shoulders. Your back muscles are flattened, and you experience pain in the back, specifically the lower back and shoulders.
Increases Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders
The most dangerous consequence of bad posture is an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Bad posture puts strain on the muscles and joints and puts you at risk of posture-related musculoskeletal disorders. Pain in the back, neck, and shoulders are usually the first signs that your body gives you that you need to correct your posture. If you don't address these problems on time, you may end up with long-term health complications.
Poor Digestion
Poor posture also disrupts digestion. Sitting for long hours in the wrong posture compresses organs, and you may experience stomach and digestion problems.
Poor Sleep
Sitting in a bad posture for long hours strains your body, especially the muscles of your back, shoulders, and neck. Not only does it result in body pain, but it also affects your sleep. Stiff muscles result in extreme discomfort that just won't let you sleep well. And poor-quality sleep means you won't wake up fresh the next morning, and your mood and productivity the following day will get affected as well.
Poor Focus and Productivity
Bad posture results in discomfort. When you aren't comfortable at work, youll be constantly distracted, and as a result, your focus on work will get affected, and your productivity will go downhill.
How Can You Protect Yourself from the Consequences of Bad Posture?
Since you've been sitting in the wrong posture for a very long time, your body has gotten used to it. When you start to actively work on posture correction, sitting in the correct posture will initially feel very uncomfortable because your body isn't accustomed to it. You'll need to stay consistent and keep putting in active, conscious effort till your body adopts the new posture as the normal one so that even when you aren't trying, your body doesn't slide back into the bad posture.
The question is – how to correct your posture and protect yourself from the harmful and serious consequences of bad posture?
Here's how:
Invest in Ergonomic Furniture
Your best bet at protecting yourself from the harmful consequences of bad posture is replacing traditional furniture with ergonomic options. Ergonomic furniture helps correct posture significantly. Let's see how.
An ergonomic desk is equipped with an adjustable height feature that allows the users to adjust the height of their work desk. Now, if the user is tall, they can raise the height of their work desk to make sure they don't have to bend over their desk. If the user is short-heighted, they can lower the height of their work desk so that they don't have to extend their back to reach the desk's surface. The user can adjust the height of the desk to suit their comfort needs.
An ergonomic chair is literally the best investment that you can make. Ergonomic chairs are loaded with features like adjustable height, seat depth, backrest, armrest, and swivel. The users can adjust the height of their chairs so that their feet aren't dangling in the air. Ideally, the feet should be flat on the floor. The seat depth should also be according to the user's physique. If the seat is too big, the user will sit at the edge with no support, which can strain their back. If the seat is too small, the user will always be uncomfortable. Ergonomic chairs offer superior back support with flexible and breathable backrests. The armrests ensure that the user's elbows are supported while they use the keyboard. Some ergonomic chairs also have a swiveling feature that saves the user from bending or turning at the waists too frequently. All in all, ergonomic chairs encourage the user to sit in the correct posture and provide the body with adequate support, thereby minimizing the risk of posture-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Use an Adjustable Monitor Mount
If your computer monitor isn't at the right height, angle, or distance from you, not only will you sit in an awkward posture, but your eyes will also get strained. Experts say that your computer screen should be at eye level, right in front of you at an arm's distance. If the computer screen isn't at the right height, you'll have to bend or raise your head to view it. If it's not in front of you, you'll have to tilt or head. And if it's too close or too far from you, your eyes will get strained. You can solve this problem by installing an adjustable monitor mount. The computer monitor is mounted on it, and the user can adjust the height, angle, and distance as per their preferences to ensure they aren't putting themselves at risk of eye or neck strain.
Replace Your Keyboard and Mouse
One of the most neglected risks of bad posture is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which is caused due to straining of the nerves passing through the wrists. When the user is typing in an incorrect posture, their wrists rub against the keyboard. Pressing the keys on the keyboard and the mouse buttons can also strain the fingers, all of which can lead to Repetitive Strain Injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Replacing the keyboard and mouse improves the ergonomics of your workstation and protects you from harmful consequences.
An ergonomic keyboard has a unique design that allows the user to place their hands on the keyboard in a neutral posture that minimizes strain. The keys of an ergonomic keyboard are also much softer and lighter on the fingers. The buttons on an ergonomic mouse are also very sensitive and soft, and the shape of the mouse is also such that it fits comfortably in the user's hands.
Closing Word
Bad posture can affect you in more ways than you know, and this is reason why you should start working on improving the ergonomics of your workstation today. The sooner you improve the ergonomics, the lower is the risk of posture-related health risks. The consequences of bad posture are scary, but the best thing is that they are all preventable!
