I was experiencing some neck pain, and went online in search of some at-home remedies. Of the remedies, posture was one of them which got me thinking: “Does posture really matter that much?”.
So will fixing my posture help with my neck pain and grant me numerous other benefits i see on these blogs?
Adding to what others said: there is a saying “your next position is your best position”. You should switch posture frequently during the day. Sitting in front of a PC whole day does not make it easy unfortunately. You should just try to switch consciously, walk around a bit, stuff like that.
holy fuck yes
Ultimately, it depends on the source of the neck pain. But, also it is something free you can do that can only help.
Also too much stress can cause neck and/or shoulder pain. (Which posture can at least help a little)
So to correct one thing:
Poor posture is a symptom of poor core strength, particularly, your rhomboids and lower back. If your muscles are both stronger and more flexible, they will literally pull your bones into the correct alignment, without any conscious thought towards sitting straighter.
Start by taking a short walk once a day (free). A 100 day pushup challenge (free) or starting Yoga classes (can be free on YouTube, but in-person has several benefits, including having someone correcting your form, and some social structures to help provide extra motivation) would be a great next step. Longer term, maybe light weights and rows alongside using a treadmill or stationary bike.
If you choose to look into weight training, “Starting strength” is a decent program by Mark Rippetoe that I would recommend.
Hi. Your post is interesting in general but when you say 100 pushups a day… is it really a challenge for a normal or even a fit person or is it just some random thing you found while browsing?
Most people would have trouble doing 100 pushups at once. But this sounds more like doing push ups everyday for 100 days.
Very interesting. I’ll look into these. Thanks!
If you got any kind of pain for at least 1 week go to a doctor and see a specialist.
You never know if that could be a stiff muscle or something worse
This. It could be a pulled muscle. Or pancreatic cancer.
No, back pain is a woke hoax
Phew! Guess i was worried for nothing. Fuck the left!
I get neck pain due to stretched muscles, and will echo what everyone in this thread has already said. Doing the exercises that correct for muscle weakness helps a lot. I strongly recommend it, the difference is night and day.
I’ve had DOGSHIT posture my whole life. Don’t really care about it. Otherwise very fit, active, and healthy.
Now I have a bulging disk and a schmorl hernia in my spine. When that shit starts hurting, it’s genuinely paralyzing. Worse than breaking a bone, and the spine does not heal from that naturally.
I don’t think you have to build a lifestyle around stretching, yoga, proper posture, and mobility exercises, but dear god do some little things to keep your knees, spine, and neck in working order
Yes. Good posture promotes a healthy spine. If you’re putting pressure on your spine discs in weird ways 24/7 for years, you are more likely to have herniated discs and other muscularskeletal issues when you are older.
Yes. And also, you should be doing stretching exercises.
As a 42 year old with regular recurring back issues, YES. Correct it while you’re young. It’s often too late when the issues begin to manifest.
Bad posture is also a symptom of a greater muscle imbalance or weakness, not necessarily something you should focus on changing on it’s own.
I had very bad posture, but once I started going to the gym and strength training and built a more balanced base of strength, my posture improved greatly on it’s own. At least I have noticed significant difference.
Hunched shoulders can be corrected somewhat just by exercising the back with pulling exercises like lat pulldowns, pullups, and rows.
Lower back issues can be helped by training dead lifts, good form for that exercise is extremely important though.
Of course you should also include some yoga and stretching in your routine too, that has numerous benefits. I would recommend getting a personal trainer if you’ve never been to the gym before to teach you to do exercises correctly until you’re comfortable on your own.
It might not fix the neck pain depending on why you’re experiencing the pain. You should definitely give a shit about your posture though. Your spine is responsible for keeping your whole upper body upright (along with your abdominal muscles and some others). Neglecting and mistreating that is not a good idea long term.
I guess i can see the logic. I think at this point, bad posture just feels like a natural and normal thing since 90% of people also have it.
That’s why you see jokes about old people and their backs or memes that are like “Welcome to your 30s. Here’s some advil for your pain. Have a nice day.”
Good posture also helps you breathe better, which can help you feel more energized and concentrate better. Your diaphragm doesn’t work right when you sit hunched over, so your breath gets more shallow.
If you ever need to talk a lot for work or some other reason, good posture is essential so your voice sounds good and doesn’t get tired too easily.
And it helps strengthen your core, which is good for balance and other things.
Try some Yoga. It can be a decent workout and will definitely help with posture, soreness and flexibility if you stick with it. Check out some beginner yoga routines on YouTube to see if it’s something you would be into.
