Posture is The way you hold your body standing or sitting, lying, squatting & is the foundation of every movement your body makes.
Before talking about bad posture what is a good posture?
A neutral spine or good posture refers to "the three natural curves" that are present in a healthy spine, looking directly at the front or back of the body the 33 vertebrae in spine column should appear completely vertical: neck region of the spine( C1-C7) is bent inward, the thoracic region(T1-T12) bends outward and lumbar region(L1-L5) bends inward , the sacrum(S1-S5 fused) and Coccyx rest between the pelvic bones. (Wikipedia)
Poor posture : is the result from certain muscles tightening/shortening whilst the opposite muscles become inhibited/weak as a result of daily activities, if your posture isn't optimal your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright & balanced.
It inflicts extra wear & tear on your ligaments, difficulty breathing, back/neck ache, headaches, heavy legs, can influence your emotional state, sensitivity to pain and lack of confidence as well.
Poor posture either static or dynamic (in repeated movement) will induce changes in the component of the movement system.
Cause of poor Posture:
Many cases I see here in the city of London is caused by desk job, all day computer use (especially in the side where the mouse is used)/tablet, being on the phone most of the day. Not just that, bus drivers, train drivers are at risk, as well as
Cyclist sustaining position of lumbar flexion for a while.
Why?
If you do have a desk job for example you work at the computer all day long your upper back will be rounded forward, arms will be internally rotated as you type on the keyboard, thus will shorten your biceps muscles, anterior Delts as well as your pecs,prolonged amount of this posture will affect the alignment of your thoracic spine & shoulder girdle. Your mid/lower traps will be inhibited, neck flexors will be long and weak..... And the list is endless
Same affect on your hip joint, as you'll be sat for a while your hips will be right behind your back which will put you into lumbar hyper lordosis( pelvis anterior tilt) lower back would be on constant stress, potential weakening of the gluteal and abdominal muscles in addition the hamstrings are lengthened but are often tight as they fight against the forward pull of the pelvis. Actually as I'm writing this blog sat down feeling really uncomfortable, tight Lowe back & neck which needing some stretches, can't understand how people could sustain this position for 8-10hrs a day( maybe having 1-2hrs break)???
After a while bad posture becomes normal and put your spine/joints out of alignment..
And believe me when poor posture becomes normal it becomes so hard to correct, just try to stand against a wall feet 1inch away from it, lower back flattened( posterior tilt) shoulders pulled back, back of your hands against the wall, chin tucked in and see how hard it feels to hold 1min