Many posture problems exist that people pick up over the
years and may not even realize they have. These could lead
to pain, especially back pain, and as far as height is
concerned, can make us not only physically shorter, but
appear shorter as well. Some of the most common posture
problems are looked at below.
1. Walking posture - This is one of the most common posture
problems encountered, and can be difficult to break,
depending on the age of the subject. Those with bad walking
posture tend to walk slightly slumped forward, which works
to compress the discs and cartilage in your spine over time,
making you shorter.
Getting to a point where you're consistently walking with
better posture can be difficult and could take weeks of
conscious work. Keeping the back stiff and upright, the
shoulders forced back, and the head held high are methods
that need to be used to break such habits. Eventually, the
new habits should take root and become second nature.
2. Sitting Posture - As more and more people pull up seats
in front of a computer, both for work and pleasure, the
problem of poor sitting posture has grown. The chair,
keyboard, and monitor and should all be set to positions
that will force the user to sit up straight. LCD monitors
are useful for enforcing this, as they must be viewed at a
consistent angle to be fully viewed. If set properly, any
bad sitting habits should immediately make it more difficult
to view all of the screen, forcing the user to get back into
a better position.
3. Sleeping Posture - The one people would generally be the
least aware of, and also the one that would seemingly be the
most difficult to break, though this isn't the case. By
properly utilizing pillows, by removing them when sleeping
on one's back and by sticking them between the legs when
sleeping on the side, bad sleeping posture can be limited
with little effort.
4. Bow Legs and Knock Knees - These conditions are much more
difficult to cure, and may require a visit to a doctor, and
the use of special insoles in the shoes to force the body's
weight to one edge of the foot or the other, helping to
offset the condition and straighten the legs.
5. Scoliosis - The most serious of the conditions mentioned,
and one which will almost certainly require help in one way
or another from a medical professional. Scoliosis causes
severe curvature of the spine, resulting in major height
loss and other ailments. Surgery may be required in advanced
cases of this ailment.
By improving posture, one can see a gradual improvement in
one's height, as well as giving the appearance to others of
being more professional. Breaking old habits can be
difficult, but once accomplished, will make it that much
harder to go back to the old habits.
