Why sitting up straight is really important

A bad posture doesn't only make us look unsmart and slouchy, it can lead to some serious health problems. Some of the commonly reported negative effects of a poor posture are;

Sore Muscles:
Because of our slouch our muscles have to work harder to keep the spine and vertebrae in place and protected, we end up with sore muscles by the end of the day.

Spinal Curvature:
A poor posture overtime can cause us to develop a spinal curvature which may effect the weight bearing capability of our spine. Naturally our spines have an "S" shape which is exacerbated with a slouch.

Subluxations:
A subluxation of the spine is the displacement of vertebrae from their normal position. It is a vertebral misalignment which often results from the altered spinal curvature. This leads to a painful back and also may affect the integrity of the whole spine.

Blood vessels constriction:
The altered spinal curvature and resulting subluxation of spine may lead to constriction of blood vessels traveling through the spinal cord. Thus cause blood flow constriction which may cause poor blood supply to muscles and nerves and can even lead to clot formation. Clot formation can be life-threatening as it can lead to deep vein thrombosis.

Nerve constriction:
As nerves are connected to the spinal cord through the length of the spine, any change in its curvature or alignment of vertebrae can lead to their constriction and cause pain in any part of the body. Most often seen are pain in the back or neck.

Here is a great article on first of all improving posture but also with tips on how to fix a bad posture.

Post by Health, Wellness and Mindfulness.



References:

Negative Effects of Poor Posture  (LIVESTRONG.com)