Artists with Bad Posture are at Risk of Developing Osteoporosis
Artists getting engrossed in their work but not paying attention to how they hunch and slouch in their chair or stool for long hours, are increasing risks of developing osteoporosis over time. Maintaining bad posture is unhealthy even for younger people, because sooner or later they will feel lingering pain; starting at the neck, spreading down the shoulders and eventually reaching down the lower spine.
If that happens to you, do not wait for the pain to worsen. Start by being conscious of your posture. If you normally maintain a good posture, look over elements in your work environment that is causing you to hunch or slouch while drawing or painting,. Some think that seating on an ergonomically designed chair is the ultimate answer, yet for some reason, you tend to forego the back and neck support without being conscious of it.
Is the lighting in your work area the same as it was several years ago? Know that as a person grows older, the lighting requirement for better visualization changes as well. Try putting on a brighter bulb and see if it prevents you from hunching closer just to have a clearer vision of the smaller details you need to work on. If brighter lights are not enough, have your eyes checked. it could be that you no longer have 20-20 visual acuity, since you have to take a closer look at something that people with normal eyesight see clearly at 20 feet.
The point is, if you intend to be a happy, hard-working artist for the rest of your youthful life, make it a point to keep your body fit and strong enough to weather the health problems that come with aging. Otherwise, the aging process will take away the enjoyment you feel from drawing or painting.
Understanding the Importance of Having a Good Posture
Having a good posture means our joints, starting from the neck, down to the shoulder and spine are properly aligned. Vertical joint alignment works on the principle of vertical load, which allows distribution of gravitational force evenly throughout the entire body. Gravity applies a constant force in our every movement, even while in a sitting position.
Now if the gravitational force is not distributed evenly, it can cause additional pressure in some areas, usually to the spinal column. The affected area weakens over time, whilst unable to achieve density and gets worse when a person grows older.
As we age, some bone cells begin to dissolve bone matrix, or the intercellular substance of bone tissue. Although new bone cells may be generated, a weak posture can prevent or retard the generation of new bone cells to the point of being outpaced by bone loss. Such condition is what is clinically called “osteoporosis,” which literally translates as porous bones. When the bones become porous and brittle, they make a person susceptible to osteoporotic fracture.
The good news is that osteoporosis is a treatable condition through proper posture, nutrition, lifestyle changes and conservative medical treatment. You can find more information about osteoporosis and its treatment from the CTSI website, where doctors specialize in the treatment of neck and back pain caused by spinal disorders, including osteoporotic fractures.
