The title of this blog may shock you, and to be honest I found it quite shocking as well.

A study published in 2004 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society came to the conclusion that “Older men and women with hyperkyphotic posture have higher mortality rates.” So I am not overstating the fact that bad posture can kill you! 

Hyperkyphotic Posture Explained

Hyperkyphotic posture is the medical term used to describe an excessive rounding of the middle back which results in extreme forward head posture and rounding of the shoulders. This particular study found that having bad posture increased your risk of death by almost 1.5 times more than those that had good posture. This is a significant discovery and deserves more attention than it has received. When the researchers dove into why this association exists they found the increased death rate was due to atherosclerosis. See the image below:

To read the study for yourself, follow this link:  Link to Study

Tips For Correcting Posture

The good news in all of this is that bad posture can be prevented and corrected. Some steps you can take now would include:

1) Be conscious of your posture. Take notice of when your shoulders are rounding forward and when your head is out in front of your shoulders…and then correct it! Sit up straight!

2) Stretch the muscles that are tight and strengthen the muscles that are weak. Most commonly this means stretching your pecs, traps, biceps, hamstrings and hip flexors. Strengthening your rhomboids, core and glutes. If you need help with these specific exercises please let me know next time you are in the office.

3) Work with a chiropractor to keep your spine healthy and mobile. The people I see in my office almost always tell me they feel their posture has improved since getting adjusted, even though that’s not what initially brought them into our office.

Bottom Line

Chiropractors have been saying it for years. Posture is so much more than just how we look. It has everything to do with how we function and perform. This study illustrates the importance between posture and overall mortality rates. Bad posture can literally, kill you.