Understanding the Connection Between Poor Posture and Spinal Degeneration

Someone's likely told you to sit up straight or stop hunching over at some point. While these phrases may seem annoying at times, your posture is vital to your body and your spine health.

Dr. Steven J. Svabek and his team are experts in spine health. Dr. Svabek is an orthopedic specialist who understands the correlation between your posture and your spine's well-being. Poor posture leads to various issues, including chronic pain and spinal deformities.

Understanding poor posture

Posture isn't just something you need to practice some of the time; it's a crucial aspect of your overall health and wellness. Good posture is more than not slouching and standing up straight.

Your entire body suffers when you don't have good posture. Poor posture has several adverse effects on your body, including:

• Causing neck and back pain
• Misaligning your skeletal system
• Making your spine more prone to injury
• Decreasing your flexibility
• Increasing your risk of falls
• Affecting your digestion
• Causing difficulty breathing

Poor posture also affects the joints in your body and can lead to chronic pain and discomfort throughout your body. And it impacts your spine — the core aspect of your entire musculoskeletal system.

Unfortunately, your genetics, injuries, and habits can lead to bad posture. If you're not careful, your posture may degenerate your spine.

What is spinal degeneration?

Spinal degeneration happens when the tissues and bones in your spine deteriorate over time. One of the significant forms of spinal degeneration is degenerative disc disease. This condition affects the spongy discs in your spinal canal that act as shock absorbers.

Degenerative disc disease is an issue that comes on slowly over time. Typically, the discs in your lower spine are affected because of the amount of pressure they withstand daily.

If you have degenerative disc disease, you can experience various symptoms that worsen as the disease progresses. Some of these symptoms include:

• Pain that gets worse with sitting or bending
• Pain in your low back or neck
• Intermittent discomfort that comes and goes
• Pain that radiates down your legs
• Numbness or tingling in your legs and arms

Some disc degeneration is normal with aging; however, if you have significant pain that affects your everyday activities, you should seek treatment from Dr. Svabek and our team.

The link between poor posture and degeneration

Poor posture is directly linked to degeneration in your spine. When you're hunched over day after day, your spine suffers significant damage over time.

Sitting in front of a computer all day slouched over is one of the worst things for your spine. While it may be necessary in your line of work, proper posture is essential in preventing issues in your spine.

When you sit for prolonged periods, you're putting significant strain on the muscles in your back. If your spinal muscles become strained, it also stresses your intervertebral discs, resulting in degeneration over time.

Poor posture while sitting also causes problems with your hip flexor muscles and the muscles in your buttocks. These muscles help to support your spine, leaving it compromised when you have bad posture frequently.

The truth is, sitting with poor posture daily has significant effects on your discs and your spine health. Over time, the outer portion of your discs becomes strained, which can lead to bulging or herniation of the inner disc.

Poor posture also leads to chronic pain in your neck and back, along with spinal degeneration. Dr. Svabek helps you improve your posture to prevent your pain from worsening and keep your spine healthy.

If you're tired of dealing with back pain alone, call our office at 954-466-9140 today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Svabek or request an online appointment.