Is slouching a problem? Health wise? Or just appearance?

[rickyrickygrimes]

My Dh has terrible posture. He’s not tall, but he’s making himself even shorter with his slouch. His head pokes forward, his tummy sticks out, his shoulders are slumped backwards, his backs all curved. Partly it’s genetics (his sister and mum are exactly the same shape).

DS 1 is a completely different shape - tall, broad, slim - and he too has terrible posture. Shoulders hunched, neck poking forwards.

it looks awful and I can’t help thinking it will leads to back / shoulder / neck issues in later life.

but maybe I am wrong? My mother absolutely nagged and nagged me to death about slouching, and tbh it worked: I stand up straight, I’m conscious of my posture (also thanks to yoga) and as I have lower back issues, it’s something I pay attention to.

but I don’t want to endlessly nag DH / DS - it really pisses them off. So should I stop and leave them to their slouchy ways 🤷‍♀️?

Well, I wouldn’t nag them as I don’t like being nagged myself, but you’re correct that it is bad for them.

My DD is a doctor of physical therapy and she’s always pointing out to me how if one thing isn’t in alignment, what it does to something else etc etc.

She recommends “cluck and tuck” for posture!

https://agilushealth.com/cluck-and-tuck/

It's not genetic. It's poor core muscles and not consciously working on not slouching.

I have the same issue. It's not good for your back or internal organs (everything in a more confined space). Can lead to a harder to correct hunch.

@Lizzieregina so what’s the alternative to nagging? ‘Gentle reminders’ seem to be taken as nagging, as is any mine of it tbh. My mum used to poke me between the shoulder blades on a regular basis 😱 as well as telling me that I looked ‘awful’ and ‘humphy-backit’ (Scottish for hunch backed).

Let them see the cost of regular in physio treatment. If head is poking forward it put lots of strain on neck. I don't think you can nag though unfortunately.

@rickyrickygrimes I have never responded to nagging. I don’t know what the alternative is? Maybe natural consequences? I’d maybe use some educational information once to make my case.

I’ve learned in my long life that people make changes when they’re ready to.

if nagging worked, I’d be perfect 😬 god knows my mother did enough of it.

Could it be this?

Google ankylosing spondylitis or spondyloarthritis.

My Dad was in the army, so it was always 'Shoulders back, chest out, head up'. (Not in a shouty way)
It must have worked, as one of my classmates at Yoga complimented me on my 'wonderful posture'.
Dad would have been so proud!

Belly in, bum in, chest out!

As others said, not genetic but habit.

Take photos to show them what it looks like?

Some kind of physical activity that encourages more, and better movement and posture that they might enjoy?

An adult in the house not taking care of themselves is going to make it a struggle, that will be where your child gets it from and it'll go down badly if you nag them while their Dad carries on as he is

It's looks so aging when people slouch! It can also cause huge issues long term.

One great thing they can do is go for a full check up at a chiropractor. Can you give this as a Christmas present? He or she will assess everything and provide guidance. If it comes from a professional, they might finally listen.

Im currently suffering the consequences of years of terrible posture since a teenager,I’ve got rounded shoulders, forward neck, pelvic tilt it can cause all sorts of nerve pain and all sorts of other pain down the tracks, I’m in a lot of pain at the moment and only in early 30s. Wouldn’t recommend a chiro, but a good physio and a good fitness program to help build up those core muscles.

Do those posture correctors work?

I tell my DD (aged 11) to pull her shoulders back and stand up tall whenever I see her slouching ... hopefully it will feel natural to her before she reaches the age when she can tell me to f'off 😬

I can imagine it's more difficult to tell an adult without it sounding nagging so you have my sympathy 😕

I would say it affects the diaphragms ability to move correctly therefore shallow breathing which pulls on the accessory muscles which causes back, neck and shoulder issues as well as a myriad of other issues by not breathing properly

I was told no by my physio as it’s just pulling shoulders back and not correcting anything else she said it isn’t developing your muscles to hold them back so the minute you take them off you’re back to how you were.

I injured my spine years ago and now find it near impossible to stand up straight. I feel like a bag of old bones the butcher chucked out. Look at yoga, pilates, etc and do one regularly, plenty on utube. Wish I'd taken my own advice years ago.

I have rubbish posture and developed chronic pain. Your teen needs to get into better habits.

Martial arts and yoga are good for posture.

If your DS1 is young enough to send to clubs, sign him up to dance or martial arts. Will help his core strength and correct his posture.

DS1 already does boxing, so there's that.

Thank you for the recommendations. I'm going to gently push DH towards getting back to physio (we are in France so it's very easy to access and fully reimbursed) and maybe treat him to a chiro session. He's feeling very down about his body atm - used to be sporty, but had a chronic injury, recently operated on, and he's still in recovery from this. Maybe that's why I am so aware of it just now - he seems to be shrinking / curving in on himself, and gaining weight due to inactivity. It's so hard to watch from the outside, and he's very sensitive to it. I find myself standing up straighter in his presence, almost unconsciously, and he even takes offence at that. I think I need to try and get him focused on the future, when he is more recovered and in a better place. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy though, like weight gain: the worse it gets, the worse he feels and the less able he is to make the changes.