Back to The Human Body Posture Specifically for the Elderly

- Poor posture is easy to attain whereas adapting habits of good posture often require conscious effort. Most people do not think about their posture until someone brings it to their attention. Poor posture can extract a high price as you age. The benefits of good posture far outweigh the ease of slouchy poor posture.
- When certain muscles or groups of muscles are used more frequently (at work, or during sports), they get stronger, larger and tighter, while the underutilized opposing muscles will be, by comparison, weaker and smaller. The eventual consequence could be that the joint/s will be in an abnormal position and slightly out of alignment. This will happen over a period of years and will vary according to the profession, trade and / or sport in which you participated.
- You could also say that poor postural habits have followed trends in society. Children carry huge over loaded backpacks, adults lug briefcases to work and thousands of people spend hours hunched over a computer whether at work or play.
- Place limits on your range of motion - muscles can be permanently shortened or stretched when a slumped over position becomes your normal position. Muscles and ligaments that have been shortened or stretched no longer function as required.
- Pain and discomfort. Can cause headaches and pain in the shoulders, arms, hands and around the eyes resulting from a forward-head position.
- A slumped forward head position can also lead to jaw pain.
- Decreased lung capacity - reducing the amount of oxygen in your body can decrease the space in your chest cavity, restricting efficient functioning of your lungs. It is very difficult to inhale sufficient air through the nostrils and respiratory system if the head is slouched forward. Try it for yourself.
- Low back pain is one of the most common consequences of bad posture. For people over 35 – 40, low back pain is often interpreted as a sure sign of ageing, although it may have been developing since childhood.
- Cause nerve interference - your spine is the basis of posture. If your posture is bad, your spine can be misaligned. Spinal misalignments may cause interference in the function of your nerves.
- Bowel function may be affected by a rounded shoulder, head-forward posture. Similarly your intestines may sag and cause constipation.
- Your appearance will make you look older. For women, the more rounded the shoulders, the more the breasts will sag. Check yourself in the mirror and think tall.
- Change takes willpower! However … the rewards of good posture are well worth the effort. You will feel great and your physical appearance will look tall and confident!

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