5 Posture Problems That Stunt Growth

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 an easy one to get into bad habits with, probably the one which is the hardest to break, and also the one which is discussed the least of the three major ones, the other two of which are looked at next. It's often assumed that proper sitting posture and to a lesser extent, sleeping posture, can be taught, while walking is just something we naturally do, and cannot be changed or critiqued. Poor walking posture is quite common for this reason.

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 - Also very common, and since you're naturally not aware of what you're doing or how you're sleeping, many people assume there's no issue. As a rule, sleeping on one's back is the best for maintaining a good sleeping position, and doing so with a limited amount of head support in the form of pillows is also advisable. Those who sleep on their sides should use a pillow between their legs, which can prevent curling up and twisting the back into awkward positions.

4. Bow Legs and Knock Knees - Fairly common conditions that can be bad for posture, and may also cause self esteem issues, especially in young kids. These conditions can be broken with special insoles or footwear that offset the imbalanced weight distribution that is causing the issue.

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 their 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.