How better posture can improve your overall health

There is more to optimizing health and improving longevity than exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables. Maintaining proper posture is vital for living a fuller life and avoiding negative health outcomes such as neck and back pain, respiratory issues, poor sports performance, digestive problems, muscle fatigue, and hormone imbalance—issues that can worsen in time if not corrected.

"Over the course of our lives, our joints and ligaments get less elastic and less adaptable to poor posture, which can eventually lead to nerve or spinal cord compression, poor tolerance of physical activity, and chronic pain," says Praveen Mummaneni, a spine surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Good posture not only helps you avoid such problems, but also provides benefits such as improved coordination, better balance, more energy, enhanced cognition, and increased confidence. 

"Proper posture also allows you to distribute your weight evenly, which is important because when your weight is evenly distributed, your musculoskeletal system is in proper alignment—allowing your body to function more effectively with less joint and bone stress and overall decreased wear and tear," says Laura Deon, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago. 

Here's how to ensure you stay properly aligned through proper posture—and the positive physical and mental health outcomes you may enjoy from doing so.

What is good posture?

Understanding good posture starts with the realization that your back doesn't have to be completely straight—no matter how many times you heard admonitions to "sit up straight" or "stand straight" in your youth. 

Instead, "know that the spine has a natural curve to it," says Brook Martin, a research associate professor of orthopedics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. 

This means that when the spine is viewed from the side, "you'll see that it curves backward at the low back, forward at the upper back, and then backward again in the neck," explains Mummaneni. "This allows the head to be centered over the neck and the torso to be centered over the hips,” he says, which is their ideal placement for maintaining good posture.

In a sitting position, this looks like keeping your feet flat on the floor with your knee/hip angles greater than 90 degrees. "Your forearms should also be supported by the desk or armrest, your shoulder blades should be slightly down and in, and your ears and head should be in line with your shoulders," says Drew Schwartz, a preventive medicine specialist and chiropractor at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. 

When in a standing position, he says your feet should be shoulder-width apart with your knees unlocked, hips and knees in line, shoulders slightly down and back, and your ears directly above your shoulders. "If you are standing, your weight should be evenly distributed on each foot," adds Deon. 

Proper posture also means plenty of movement. 

"When most people think of posture, they envision static positioning," explains Schwartz. "But the best posture guidelines encourage movement and fluidity whenever possible."

How posture impacts physical health

Maintaining proper posture provides a host of proven physical benefits including reduced likelihood of athletic injury, less muscle, bone, and joint tension, fewer stress injuries, improved balance, and increased energy.

"Having good posture minimizes the amount of stress on all your muscles by decreasing the amount of work they have to do," says Mummaneni. A healthy and aligned musculoskeletal system, he says, can also prevent your circulatory and nervous systems from running into issues such as pinched nerves, signaling disruptions, hormonal disorders, and repetitive-movement conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow.

An aligned musculoskeletal system also reduces your risk of disc herniation and experiencing back, arm, leg, and neck pain related to compressed nerves. 

"Biomechanical and cohort studies have demonstrated that people who have deviations from the body's natural position have increased and uneven pressure on intervertebral discs—the fibrous and gel-filled structure that cushions the vertebrae, contributing to back pain," says Martin. 

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The reverse is also true, with research showing that shoulder and back pain can be relieved through posture correction, along with the "muscle strength and power gained from good posture," says Kevin Weaver, an assistant clinical professor of physical therapy at New York University. "In short, good posture allows the body to move more effectively and efficiently," he says.

And you're also less likely to experience falls or to need surgery when you're older. "People with good posture often avoid having hip and knee replacements as they age," says Mummaneni. Deon adds that it can also decrease the likelihood of getting hemorrhoids or issues related to poor circulation such as tension headaches and sore or achy muscles. 

Correct posture can improve breathing as well. Schwartz notes that inefficient respiratory patterns are associated with a slouched posture, in part, because such a position forces the body to rely more on upper-chest breathing. By contrast, diaphragmatic breathing—sometimes called belly breathing—"is more efficient and stimulates relaxation pathways within the body," he explains.

Proper posture can also improve digestion, says Deon; helping you potentially avoid issues related to heartburn, constipation, and high blood sugar levels.

This is important because many of the worst health outcomes of poor posture can take years before they manifest. 

"Regrettably, for most people, the symptoms of poor posture only come when it has become a medical issue," says Vietta Wilson, a kinesiologist and health scientist at York University in Toronto, Canada. 

A healthy mental disposition 

Along with such physical advantages, proper posture can also improve your mental health and your work, school, and social life. 

"Research shows that good posture can actually help you remain more focused since we know the mind wanders more in people who are lying down versus those who are standing or sitting," says Deon.  

She adds that proper posture has also been shown to help improve one's mood and to decrease instances of depression. 

"Compressed nerves can diminish cognitive function and even feelings of motivation," she explains.

Richard Petty, a researcher and distinguished professor at The Ohio State University has co-authored a study showing that maintaining proper posture can also "enhance feelings of confidence" more than sitting in a slouched position. "Having good posture can make you feel more confident and even improve your overall life satisfaction," he says.  

Proper posture can improve human interactions and connections as well. "We've learned that a person with neutral head-level posture is perceived as more cooperative than someone who has their head in an up-or-down position," says Deon. Because of this and because posture plays such an important role in body language, "good posture can improve communication skills and make your everyday exchanges go more smoothly," she explains. 

How to improve posture

To experience benefits related to proper posture, Martin recommends being conscious of how you sit and stand and to practice doing so correctly often enough that it feels natural.  

He also suggests keeping your quads, hamstrings, thighs, abdominals, and back muscles strong. "Adding strength and flexibility to trunk and leg muscles helps to maintain the natural curve of the spine and increases vertebral joint stability," he says. 

And because movement is essential to good posture, Weaver recommends getting up and moving around often and engaging in any form of exercise you enjoy. "Exercising will improve your posture and thereby reduce the risk of chronic diseases and injury," he says. 

To increase movement, Mummaneni recommends using a sit/stand desk, "so that you do not spend all day slouched in front of your computer monitor." When seated at a desk, he suggests elevating your monitor to eye level to avoid looking down too often, "and when standing or walking, try looking directly forward as much as possible."

Deon stresses the importance of wearing proper footwear, emphasizing that supportive flat and low-heeled shoes can be especially beneficial. She also suggests investing in seating that offers plenty of back support and sturdy armrests. 

No matter which of these techniques you follow, Petty says, "good posture can be trained with practice."