Posture Mistakes by NBC News
Improving your posture might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to ways you can improve your health and wellbeing. But it can bear a lot on whether or not you run into certain chronic problems (like osteoporosis, arthritis and bone spurs), as well as how your body feels and functions on a more day-to-day basis (muscle spasms, lower back pain, knee pain, anyone?).
“It’s not just a long-term issue,” explains Sheri Dewan, MD, a neurosurgeon and spine surgeon at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage and Delnor Hospitals. When your bones and muscles are being held in a way they’re not designed to be held, things get strained and bones are left un-cushioned. Poor spinal posture can even lead to nerve damage because the nerves get compressed, which can trigger leg or hand pain, she says.