Poor Posture Is More Than a Bad Habit — It’s a Health Risk

You’ve heard it a thousand times: sit up straight, stop slouching, don’t hunch over your phone. Poor posture gets dismissed as a cosmetic issue or a minor annoyance that your parents nagged you about.

But the way you hold your body affects far more than how you look. Poor posture puts excessive strain on your muscles and joints, leading to chronic pain and accelerating wear and tear on your spine.

At Spine Care of Manassas Chiropractic Center in Manassas, Virginia, Lincoln German, DC, CPN, and Mikaela Foley, DC, address the underlying causes of poor posture to prevent long-term damage to your spine and overall health.

Understanding poor posture

 Good posture places the least possible strain on your muscles, joints, and spine. Your musculoskeletal structures remain properly aligned, allowing you to use your muscles correctly.

Poor posture does the opposite. Your body compensates for misalignment by overworking certain muscles while others weaken from underuse. Your spine curves in unnatural and uncomfortable ways. 

Common postural problems include:

• Forward head position, where your neck juts ahead of your shoulders

• Rounded shoulders that roll inward
• Excessive curve in your lower back
• Uneven hips or shoulders
• Slouched sitting position

These patterns might feel natural to you because you’ve held your body this way for years, but posture that seems fine now can damage your spine as you age.

The health risks of chronic poor posture

Poor posture affects your entire body. Your back muscles form a chain that works as a single unit, so dysfunction in one area affects how the rest of the chain functions. Poor posture problems include:

Chronic pain 

Increased muscle tension from poor alignment causes pain and dysfunction in your back, neck, and joints. The imbalance between muscle chains forces some muscles to work harder while others atrophy (deteriorate).

Joint damage 

Poor posture increases wear-and-tear on your joints, speeding up the development of osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis). Your joints grind against each other at unnatural angles, breaking down cartilage faster than your body can repair it.

Spinal problems 

Over time, strain on the ligaments and other structures supporting your spine leads to disc injuries, nerve compression, and structural changes that become increasingly difficult to correct.

Headaches 

Cervicogenic headaches originate from neck dysfunction caused by forward head posture. The muscles at the base of your skull stay contracted, creating tension that radiates into your head.

What you can do about poor posture

Improving your posture requires consistent attention to how you hold your body throughout the day. Small changes add up to meaningful improvements over time.

Set up your workspace correctly

Your computer screen should sit at eye level so you’re not looking down. Your chair (preferably an ergonomic design) should support your lower back, and your feet should rest flat on the floor.

Take movement breaks every 30 minutes

Stand up, walk around, and stretch your chest and shoulders. Movement prevents your muscles from locking into poor positions.

Strengthen your core muscles

Your abdominal and back muscles work together to support your spine. Planks, bridges, and bird dogs help build the strength needed for good posture.

Stretch tight muscles regularly

Your chest, hip flexors, and neck muscles tend to tighten with poor posture. Gentle stretching helps restore normal muscle length.

Pay attention to your phone use

Hold your phone at eye level instead of constantly looking down. Looking down at your phone for hours each day strains your neck.

How postural rehabilitation corrects structural problems

Standing straight and squaring your shoulders doesn’t always result in good posture. Fixing your posture requires your brain and nerves to work together, using electrical and chemical signals to control movement.

Postural rehabilitation focuses on softening and lengthening the muscular chains. The treatment addresses bone and muscle structures involved in postural imbalance to restore whole-body function.

Dr. German is a certified postural neurologist who evaluates all aspects of posture and balance. He analyzes various systems, including your musculoskeletal, vestibular, nervous, and endocrine systems, to improve their function together.

The treatment helps address:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Joint pain
• Cervicogenic headaches
• Developmental juvenile scoliosis
• Vertebral disc injuries

Dr. German has undergone specialty training with the American Posture Institute to analyze your posture and show you how to make changes that relieve discomfort.

If you experience chronic back, neck, or headache pain, call our office at 703-257-6221 or book your appointment online to learn how postural rehabilitation can restore proper alignment and prevent future problems.