Poor Posture: Its Effects on Joint Health

Our sedentary lifestyle, bad habits, overwork and aging are all factors that can affect our posture in the long term. Poor posture can lead to pain and even damage in your back and to your entire musculoskeletal system. Thus, the effects of poor posture are not without consequences on joint health…

Why are joints affected by your posture?

When you stand upright and adopt a good posture daily, your body weight is perfectly distributed over the joints that are found all over your body: neck, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, etc. When we adopt a poor posture, certain joints are put under greater pressure. This forces the muscles, ligaments and tendons within the joints to work harder to maintain the body’s position.

Combined with aging, which already affects the quality and efficiency of the different components of the joints, poor posture represents a real danger to the joints. Over time, it can cause problems such as osteoarthritis, or exacerbate other conditions such as osteoporosis.

Some tips for good posture

Our sedentary lifestyle requires us to remain seated for extended periods of time. In fact, a study conducted by Statistics Canada with 3,000 participants showed that the average Canadian spends 10 hours a day in a sitting position. Unfortunately, this sedentary lifestyle is associated with several posture-related side effects: tense neck, advanced shoulders, hunched back, compression of vertebral discs… With desk jobs increasingly replacing more “active” jobs, the effects of sedentary life affect a growing number of people.

Here are a few tips, very easy to put into practice, that will allow you to remain vigilant about your posture when you have to remain in a sitting position for an extended period of time:

• Avoid throwing your head forward, which puts a lot of pressure on the neck and shoulder muscles. Keep your head in line with your spine. To do this, it is best to look at a screen placed at eye level.
• To avoid bending your shoulders and arching your upper back, remember to keep your shoulders open, as if you wanted them to be as wide as possible.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles and lower abdomen to avoid overturning your pelvis. This also helps support the muscles of the lumbar region (lower back).
• Make sure you get up regularly, at least for a few minutes every hour. It may be a good idea to set an alarm so that you remember to give your joints a little rest.

To give your joints a boost

We strongly encourage you to pay special attention to your posture, especially if you work in a sitting position. This will benefit many aspects of your health, including the health of your joints.

However, if you wish to help your joints stay strong and support your whole body, consider integrating Genacol products into your daily routine. Thanks to the AminoLock Collagen contained in most Genacol products, tissues within the joints are better regenerated. They are therefore less subject to the effects of aging and other factors, like your posture!