As a practicing chiropractor for 35 years, I have seen how important good posture is to our health. We all know that poor posture can cause neck and lower back pain. But did you know that poor posture is linked to high blood pressure and even a shorter life? This article will discuss bad posture and its harmful effects on the body. The normal posture will be defined. How to achieve proper posture will be discussed.

In 2004, Deborah Kado MD and colleagues published a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society who discussed bad posture. He used the term called hyperkyphosis. Hyperkyphosis can simply be described as postural stooping; where the head and shoulders fall forward. He noted that older people with a hyperkyphotic posture were 44% more likely to die. She linked poor posture to a higher death rate due to atherosclerosis, which is simply hardening and blockage of the arteries.

In 2019 the Journal of the Asian Spine published a scientific research paper detailing an increase in hypertension (high blood pressure) in middle-aged and elderly people. The median average age of those who participated in the study was close to 80 years, but the authors noted that the poor postural changes began when people were in their 30s.

The normal posture can be imagined as if we were looking at a soldier coming to attention. His heads and shoulders are back. They definitely do not have a hunched upper body posture. Your stomach and hips are also pushed back and not pushed forward. If you are looking at them from the side, you can draw a straight line from the ankle, past the hip, continuing down the middle of the shoulder and through the ear opening. They look good! Their clothes fit better. They behave with respect for themselves.

In my chiropractic practice I work daily to improve the posture of my patients. If your spine and pelvis are out of alignment, I use various chiropractic techniques to bring them back into proper alignment. If they came into the office with neck and back pain, this almost always brings pain relief. I also show you very simple stretching and strengthening exercises to help you with your posture.

One visualization I like to convey is imagining yourself standing up as if a helium balloon is tied to the top of your head with string. Automatically, this brings one’s posture to a much better state. If you stand, walk, and sit with this image in mind, you can’t help but improve your posture and ultimately your health.