Postures affect health
The United Chiropractic Association (UCA) in the UK states that when people are texting, emailing, browsing the internet, or playing games, they often adopt a posture with their head hanging down, shoulders hunched forward, and a stooped back. UCA member Estelle Zohner says: "We call this posture the 'iHunch'."
She explains that the forward-leaning posture restricts muscle movement and makes it difficult to breathe fully. At the same time, it compresses the ribs, thereby affecting the efficiency of the heart and lungs. Additionally, maintaining poor posture for a long time may trigger "hyperkyphosis" (excessive curvature of the spine).
Medical experts state that hyperkyphosis can cause breathing problems and make people more prone to cardiovascular diseases in their later years, thereby increasing the risk of premature death.
Previous studies have shown that elderly people with mild hyperkyphosis have a mortality rate 1.44 times higher than that of healthy elderly people, an impact comparable to that of obesity.
Young people should take note
Research indicates that young people are the group most affected by poor posture. However, since the use of mobile phones all day does not produce immediate effects, people tend to disregard it. But as they enter old age, the changes caused by poor posture can severely affect their quality of life and even shorten their lifespan by several years.
The UK's Daily Mail cited Zohner on the 26th, reporting that the health risks of poor posture are much greater than medical experts previously realized.
She said: "Poor posture changes the curve of the back, causing more and more people to develop neck and back problems. Because young people spend a large amount of time using mobile phones or sitting in front of computers, the arrival of neck and back issues is happening earlier and earlier."
The UCA recommends that people seek professional help to correct poor posture in a timely manner to avoid causing damage to their health.
