Most people attribute, at least to some degree, theirneck or back painto poor posture.

Good posture is a form of fitness in which the muscles of the body support the skeleton in an alignment that is stable and efficient. Good posture is present both in stillness and in movement.

Causes of Bad Posture

A combination of these factors is also quite common.

Consideration of the underlying factors that interfere with good posture may help guide you as you make lifestyle changes or seek medical or holistic treatment.

1Injury and Muscle GuardingStanton j Stephens / Getty ImagesAfter an injury, muscles canspasmas a way of protecting the vulnerable area. While muscle spasms can help keep your injuries stable and protect them from further injury, they also limit your movements and cause pain.Prolonged muscle spasms lead to weakened muscles over time. The resulting imbalance between muscles that guard an injury and those still working normally may also lead to aberrations in body posture.Sometimes treatment with massage and/or physical therapy can help bring muscles back to optimal functioning.How to Improve Your Posture Naturally2Muscle Tension and Muscle WeaknessMaskot / Getty ImagesWhen certain muscle groups are weak or tense, your posture can be affected. After a while, you can also develop pain.Muscle weakness or tension can develop when you hold a prolonged position day after day or when you do routine tasks and chores in a way that places tension on your muscles or uses them unequally.A 2018 study published in the March issue ofScoliosis Spinal Disorderspoints out that muscle tension, strength, and flexibility affect posture.Living an active lifestyle may help you avoid bad posture in the long run.3Daily Habits Can Lead to Bad PostureElizabeth Young / Getty ImagesAs you find ways to accommodate muscle spasm, weakness, tension, and/or imbalance between muscle groups, your body can abandon good posture.In these situations, your body may be forced to use alternate, but less efficient, patterns of muscle contraction and stretch. Called compensation, the body can still achieve its movement aim, but with compromisedalignment.4Your Use of Technology and Your PostureHero Images / Getty ImagesYour use of technology—whether you sit at a computer all day, use a tablet or cell phone, or work with several devices at once—can slowly take your body out of alignment. If you text incessantly, you may developtext neck, which is a condition in which your neck is held in too much flexion, or forward bending, for too long. This may lead to pain.The 6 Best Posture Correctors, Tested and Reviewed5Mental Attitude and Stress May Lead to Bad PostureMarc Romanelli / Getty ImagesDo you stress easily or have stressful relationships? If so, watch your posture!Stress may contribute to shallow breathing or overly-contracted muscles, which may compromise your body posture. Conversely, adjusting posture can also counteract stress,6Shoe Choice and The Way You Wear ThemChristian Vierig / Getty ImagesClothing, especially shoes, can affect posture. Heels throw your body weight forward, which can easily catapult you into misalignment.And if you wear down either the outside or inside of the shoes faster—because of things like weight-bearing habits—imbalanced kinetic forces will likely be translated up your ankle, knee, hip, and low back. This may lead to pain or bad posture in any of these joints, as well as your lumbar spine.7Heredity and Geneticsmonkeybusinessimages / Getty ImagesSometimes it’s just in the genes. For example,Scheuermann’s diseaseis a condition in which adolescent boys develop a pronouncedkyphosisin their thoracic spines.Of course, in cases such as these, it’s best to work with your healthcare provider for treatment and management.Lordosis: A Posture Problem That Sometimes Causes Pain

1Injury and Muscle GuardingStanton j Stephens / Getty ImagesAfter an injury, muscles canspasmas a way of protecting the vulnerable area. While muscle spasms can help keep your injuries stable and protect them from further injury, they also limit your movements and cause pain.Prolonged muscle spasms lead to weakened muscles over time. The resulting imbalance between muscles that guard an injury and those still working normally may also lead to aberrations in body posture.Sometimes treatment with massage and/or physical therapy can help bring muscles back to optimal functioning.How to Improve Your Posture Naturally

1

Injury and Muscle GuardingStanton j Stephens / Getty ImagesAfter an injury, muscles canspasmas a way of protecting the vulnerable area. While muscle spasms can help keep your injuries stable and protect them from further injury, they also limit your movements and cause pain.Prolonged muscle spasms lead to weakened muscles over time. The resulting imbalance between muscles that guard an injury and those still working normally may also lead to aberrations in body posture.Sometimes treatment with massage and/or physical therapy can help bring muscles back to optimal functioning.How to Improve Your Posture Naturally

Injury and Muscle Guarding

Stanton j Stephens / Getty Images

Rear view of young man stretching in the morning

After an injury, muscles canspasmas a way of protecting the vulnerable area. While muscle spasms can help keep your injuries stable and protect them from further injury, they also limit your movements and cause pain.

Prolonged muscle spasms lead to weakened muscles over time. The resulting imbalance between muscles that guard an injury and those still working normally may also lead to aberrations in body posture.

Sometimes treatment with massage and/or physical therapy can help bring muscles back to optimal functioning.

How to Improve Your Posture Naturally

2Muscle Tension and Muscle WeaknessMaskot / Getty ImagesWhen certain muscle groups are weak or tense, your posture can be affected. After a while, you can also develop pain.Muscle weakness or tension can develop when you hold a prolonged position day after day or when you do routine tasks and chores in a way that places tension on your muscles or uses them unequally.A 2018 study published in the March issue ofScoliosis Spinal Disorderspoints out that muscle tension, strength, and flexibility affect posture.Living an active lifestyle may help you avoid bad posture in the long run.

2

Muscle Tension and Muscle WeaknessMaskot / Getty ImagesWhen certain muscle groups are weak or tense, your posture can be affected. After a while, you can also develop pain.Muscle weakness or tension can develop when you hold a prolonged position day after day or when you do routine tasks and chores in a way that places tension on your muscles or uses them unequally.A 2018 study published in the March issue ofScoliosis Spinal Disorderspoints out that muscle tension, strength, and flexibility affect posture.Living an active lifestyle may help you avoid bad posture in the long run.

Muscle Tension and Muscle Weakness

Maskot / Getty Images

Man holding his shoulder in pain

When certain muscle groups are weak or tense, your posture can be affected. After a while, you can also develop pain.

Muscle weakness or tension can develop when you hold a prolonged position day after day or when you do routine tasks and chores in a way that places tension on your muscles or uses them unequally.

A 2018 study published in the March issue ofScoliosis Spinal Disorderspoints out that muscle tension, strength, and flexibility affect posture.Living an active lifestyle may help you avoid bad posture in the long run.

3Daily Habits Can Lead to Bad PostureElizabeth Young / Getty ImagesAs you find ways to accommodate muscle spasm, weakness, tension, and/or imbalance between muscle groups, your body can abandon good posture.In these situations, your body may be forced to use alternate, but less efficient, patterns of muscle contraction and stretch. Called compensation, the body can still achieve its movement aim, but with compromisedalignment.

3

Daily Habits Can Lead to Bad PostureElizabeth Young / Getty ImagesAs you find ways to accommodate muscle spasm, weakness, tension, and/or imbalance between muscle groups, your body can abandon good posture.In these situations, your body may be forced to use alternate, but less efficient, patterns of muscle contraction and stretch. Called compensation, the body can still achieve its movement aim, but with compromisedalignment.

Daily Habits Can Lead to Bad Posture

Elizabeth Young / Getty Images

Woman Cradling the phone between head and shoulders

As you find ways to accommodate muscle spasm, weakness, tension, and/or imbalance between muscle groups, your body can abandon good posture.

In these situations, your body may be forced to use alternate, but less efficient, patterns of muscle contraction and stretch. Called compensation, the body can still achieve its movement aim, but with compromisedalignment.

4Your Use of Technology and Your PostureHero Images / Getty ImagesYour use of technology—whether you sit at a computer all day, use a tablet or cell phone, or work with several devices at once—can slowly take your body out of alignment. If you text incessantly, you may developtext neck, which is a condition in which your neck is held in too much flexion, or forward bending, for too long. This may lead to pain.The 6 Best Posture Correctors, Tested and Reviewed

4

Your Use of Technology and Your PostureHero Images / Getty ImagesYour use of technology—whether you sit at a computer all day, use a tablet or cell phone, or work with several devices at once—can slowly take your body out of alignment. If you text incessantly, you may developtext neck, which is a condition in which your neck is held in too much flexion, or forward bending, for too long. This may lead to pain.The 6 Best Posture Correctors, Tested and Reviewed

Your Use of Technology and Your Posture

Hero Images / Getty Images

Woman sitting at her desk texting

Your use of technology—whether you sit at a computer all day, use a tablet or cell phone, or work with several devices at once—can slowly take your body out of alignment. If you text incessantly, you may developtext neck, which is a condition in which your neck is held in too much flexion, or forward bending, for too long. This may lead to pain.

The 6 Best Posture Correctors, Tested and Reviewed

5Mental Attitude and Stress May Lead to Bad PostureMarc Romanelli / Getty ImagesDo you stress easily or have stressful relationships? If so, watch your posture!Stress may contribute to shallow breathing or overly-contracted muscles, which may compromise your body posture. Conversely, adjusting posture can also counteract stress,

5

Mental Attitude and Stress May Lead to Bad PostureMarc Romanelli / Getty ImagesDo you stress easily or have stressful relationships? If so, watch your posture!Stress may contribute to shallow breathing or overly-contracted muscles, which may compromise your body posture. Conversely, adjusting posture can also counteract stress,

Mental Attitude and Stress May Lead to Bad Posture

Marc Romanelli / Getty Images

Woman looks stressed while reading a book.

Do you stress easily or have stressful relationships? If so, watch your posture!

Stress may contribute to shallow breathing or overly-contracted muscles, which may compromise your body posture. Conversely, adjusting posture can also counteract stress,

6Shoe Choice and The Way You Wear ThemChristian Vierig / Getty ImagesClothing, especially shoes, can affect posture. Heels throw your body weight forward, which can easily catapult you into misalignment.And if you wear down either the outside or inside of the shoes faster—because of things like weight-bearing habits—imbalanced kinetic forces will likely be translated up your ankle, knee, hip, and low back. This may lead to pain or bad posture in any of these joints, as well as your lumbar spine.

6

Shoe Choice and The Way You Wear ThemChristian Vierig / Getty ImagesClothing, especially shoes, can affect posture. Heels throw your body weight forward, which can easily catapult you into misalignment.And if you wear down either the outside or inside of the shoes faster—because of things like weight-bearing habits—imbalanced kinetic forces will likely be translated up your ankle, knee, hip, and low back. This may lead to pain or bad posture in any of these joints, as well as your lumbar spine.

Shoe Choice and The Way You Wear Them

Christian Vierig / Getty Images

Colorful high heels and jeans street style fashion

Clothing, especially shoes, can affect posture. Heels throw your body weight forward, which can easily catapult you into misalignment.

And if you wear down either the outside or inside of the shoes faster—because of things like weight-bearing habits—imbalanced kinetic forces will likely be translated up your ankle, knee, hip, and low back. This may lead to pain or bad posture in any of these joints, as well as your lumbar spine.

7Heredity and Geneticsmonkeybusinessimages / Getty ImagesSometimes it’s just in the genes. For example,Scheuermann’s diseaseis a condition in which adolescent boys develop a pronouncedkyphosisin their thoracic spines.Of course, in cases such as these, it’s best to work with your healthcare provider for treatment and management.Lordosis: A Posture Problem That Sometimes Causes Pain

7

Heredity and Geneticsmonkeybusinessimages / Getty ImagesSometimes it’s just in the genes. For example,Scheuermann’s diseaseis a condition in which adolescent boys develop a pronouncedkyphosisin their thoracic spines.Of course, in cases such as these, it’s best to work with your healthcare provider for treatment and management.Lordosis: A Posture Problem That Sometimes Causes Pain

Heredity and Genetics

monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images

Teenage girl at the doctor with back pain

Sometimes it’s just in the genes. For example,Scheuermann’s diseaseis a condition in which adolescent boys develop a pronouncedkyphosisin their thoracic spines.Of course, in cases such as these, it’s best to work with your healthcare provider for treatment and management.

Lordosis: A Posture Problem That Sometimes Causes Pain

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Czaprowski, D., Stoliński, Ł., Tyrakowski, M.et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis13, 6 (2018) doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5Czaprowski D, Stoliński, Ł, Tyrakowski M. et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis, 6 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5Nejati P, Lotfian S, Moezy A, Nejati M.The study of correlation between forward head posture and neck pain in Iranian office workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2015;28(2):295-303. doi:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00352Nair S, Sagar M, Sollers J, Consedine N, Broadbent E.Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychol. 2015;34(6):632-41.doi:10.1037/hea0000146Silva AM, De siqueira GR, Da silva GA.Implications of high-heeled shoes on body posture of adolescents.Rev Paul Pediatr. 2013;31(2):265-71. doi:10.1590/s0103-05822013000200020Nemours. KidsHealth.Scheuermann’s kyphosis. Reviewed January 2019.Additional ReadingCzaprowski, D., et. al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis Spinal Disorders. March 2018.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Czaprowski, D., Stoliński, Ł., Tyrakowski, M.et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis13, 6 (2018) doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5Czaprowski D, Stoliński, Ł, Tyrakowski M. et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis, 6 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5Nejati P, Lotfian S, Moezy A, Nejati M.The study of correlation between forward head posture and neck pain in Iranian office workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2015;28(2):295-303. doi:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00352Nair S, Sagar M, Sollers J, Consedine N, Broadbent E.Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychol. 2015;34(6):632-41.doi:10.1037/hea0000146Silva AM, De siqueira GR, Da silva GA.Implications of high-heeled shoes on body posture of adolescents.Rev Paul Pediatr. 2013;31(2):265-71. doi:10.1590/s0103-05822013000200020Nemours. KidsHealth.Scheuermann’s kyphosis. Reviewed January 2019.Additional ReadingCzaprowski, D., et. al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis Spinal Disorders. March 2018.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Czaprowski, D., Stoliński, Ł., Tyrakowski, M.et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis13, 6 (2018) doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5Czaprowski D, Stoliński, Ł, Tyrakowski M. et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis, 6 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5Nejati P, Lotfian S, Moezy A, Nejati M.The study of correlation between forward head posture and neck pain in Iranian office workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2015;28(2):295-303. doi:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00352Nair S, Sagar M, Sollers J, Consedine N, Broadbent E.Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychol. 2015;34(6):632-41.doi:10.1037/hea0000146Silva AM, De siqueira GR, Da silva GA.Implications of high-heeled shoes on body posture of adolescents.Rev Paul Pediatr. 2013;31(2):265-71. doi:10.1590/s0103-05822013000200020Nemours. KidsHealth.Scheuermann’s kyphosis. Reviewed January 2019.

Czaprowski, D., Stoliński, Ł., Tyrakowski, M.et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis13, 6 (2018) doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5

Czaprowski D, Stoliński, Ł, Tyrakowski M. et al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis, 6 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13013-018-0151-5

Nejati P, Lotfian S, Moezy A, Nejati M.The study of correlation between forward head posture and neck pain in Iranian office workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2015;28(2):295-303. doi:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00352

Nair S, Sagar M, Sollers J, Consedine N, Broadbent E.Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychol. 2015;34(6):632-41.doi:10.1037/hea0000146

Silva AM, De siqueira GR, Da silva GA.Implications of high-heeled shoes on body posture of adolescents.Rev Paul Pediatr. 2013;31(2):265-71. doi:10.1590/s0103-05822013000200020

Nemours. KidsHealth.Scheuermann’s kyphosis. Reviewed January 2019.

Czaprowski, D., et. al.Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis Spinal Disorders. March 2018.

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