As a child, you may recall how your parents always nagged you to sit up straight. Not that I am purposely trying to give them the pleasure of being able to say they told you so, but they had the right idea.
As a chiropractor, I see first hand how poor posture in students and adults can affect the neck and back. When you sit with your shoulders rolled forward, upper back leaning forward and neck bent down, the stress on the joints and muscles leads to problems.
On average, the adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds. When you sit up straight, this weight is distributed evenly to your neck and shoulders and the associated muscles are not being used or worked significantly.
When your head is leaning forward, the muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders must work hard to hold the head from falling forward.
These muscles are not designed to remain contracted for long periods of time and they will inevitably become stiff and sore.
The soreness will be located primarily above and/or between the shoulder blades at the back of the neck.
Classically, you may also experience dull, achy headaches at the back, front, top, or sides of the head.
To make matters worse, any muscle that is overworked and not stretched regularly will become shortened. This will limit the ability of the neck to do even routine movements.
When sitting in a slouched position, the shoulders automatically roll forward. The nerves and blood vessels that control and supply your arms pass under the chest muscles, through the armpit, and down the arm. In this slouched position, these nerves and blood vessels can become compressed. This can cause numbness or tingling in your arms or hands.
I had a teenage boy in my office recently who has terrible posture and his arms always go to sleep when he sits and plays video games. As soon as he sits up straight, the symptoms disappear.
Now imagine your son or daughter sitting in school (or even yourself at work) experiencing symptoms like I have described. Their ability to concentrate is lessened and they will not be able to sit still without becoming stiff.
Remember also that one of the most common reasons for students being absent from school or making visits to a health-care practitioner is because of headaches.
The less a student is able to concentrate and the more school days they miss, the less likely they will be able to excel in their classes.
Good posture is something that has to be learned over time. If it is not encouraged at an early age by parents and teachers, students can form this bad habit rapidly. Once the bad habit is instilled in them, it is very hard to break. As for any physical problem, preventing it from happening in the first place is much easier than trying to correct it later.
