Correct posture now to avoid pain and falls
Whether you’re slumped over a desk or standing tall and proud with your shoulders back, your posture can offer clues about your future.
Bad posture is a predictor of pain, as well as an increased danger of falling later in life, says physical therapist Caitlin Carroll, of Athletico in Chicago. And slumped posture can also make it harder to breathe. That’s why good posture is especially important for seniors.
“If the lungs can’t expand because the rib cage is slumped down, it decreases oxygen to the rest of the body,” Carroll says. “Muscles and the rest of the organs won’t function as well as they should.”
Be aware of your body
Bad posture can also be a sign that chronic pain or inactivity is affecting your body more than you think, Carroll says. Walking gets more difficult as you get older, ultimately changing your posture. And your back and neck end up taking the heat for it.
“When you have poor posture, it requires more energy for the body to resist that change in the center of gravity,” she says.
Research shows balance begins to deteriorate starting around age 40, and poor posture is linked to an increase in falls and injuries, such as wrist and hip fractures. So to help offset some of these balance problems, seniors need to understand their baseline posture and balance.
Do a simple balance trick. Stand on one leg with your eyes shut (remember to hold onto something) and stand as still as possible. If you’re wobbling around within 15 seconds, you should start working to improve your balance.
Carroll can predict an older person’s risk of falls based on a series of tests related to balance and posture, she says. The results often serve as a wake-up call.
“A lot of older people come in and say, ‘I’m fine. I’m good,’” she says. “It’s a good reality check for them to be more mindful, and do exercises for balance and posture.”
Avoid a downward spiral
About eight years ago, Bill Schultz was suffering serious back problems. He tried physical therapy and medicinal treatments without any luck, and was even considering surgery for his posture and back issues.
In an effort to fix his own posture and help others, Schultz, now 55, created posture-improving T-shirts through his company AlignMed, based in California. After straightening up with the shirts, he’s pain-free.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are teen, or a pro sports person, or over age 60. Poor posture means the muscles on one side of the body are not balanced,” Schultz says.
“The body has to adapt to that imbalance, and it adapts by losing its posture. Posture becomes weakened and subsequently our muscles—our entire body—gets tired faster.”
Schultz says it causes a compounding effect. When the muscles get tired, it leads to bad posture. The poor posture doesn’t encourage muscle strength, and the effect continues.
“It will continue until we start reducing our mobility, which happens in the elderly as poor posture and pain increase,” he says. “As they elevate, we become less mobile. We become more sedentary. That poor posture, if not corrected, is a cascade."