3 SURPRISING RISKS OF POOR POSTURE

Your posture is critical to your health. Poor posture from sitting at a desk all day, looking down at a smartphone, or lounging on a couch can lead to back and neck conditions, poor balance, headaches and breathing difficulties.

Many of us unconsciously sit, stand or move with a lazy or drooping posture. That’s called slouching – a bad posture that can lead to incontinence, constipation and heartburn. The following extracts from Harvard Health, explains the connection.

1.   Incontinence. Poor posture promotes stress incontinence – when you leak a little urine if you laugh or cough. “Slouching increases abdominal pressure, which puts pressure on the bladder. The position also decreases the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to hold against that pressure,” says Meghan Markowski, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

2.  Constipation. Poor posture on a toilet – hunched over with your knees lower than your hips – can promote constipation. “That position closes the anus somewhat and makes it harder for the abdominal muscles to help move faeces out,” Markowski says. Constipation is characterised by fewer than three bowel movements per week; hard, dry stools; straining to move the bowels; and a sense of an incomplete evacuation.

3.  Heartburn and slowed digestion. Slouched posture after a meal can trigger heartburn caused by acid reflux (when stomach acid squirts back up into the esophagus). “Slouching puts pressure on the abdomen, which can force stomach acid in the wrong direction,” explains Dr Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “And some evidence suggests that transit in the intestines slows down when you slouch.”

Make it a habit to stand and sit up straight. Your body will thank you for it.