Had I not embarked on the BackShield project, I might not have noticed these issues with my posture until I had real pain that may lead to irreparable damage.
As a designer on the BackShield project, I have learned so much more than I even thought I could about the importance of my own back health. I have been fairly good to my body over my fifty years of life. I eat well, exercise, and would consider myself overall, very healthy. In working on the BackShield project, I have learned that I am not quite as good as I thought, and that certain things that I am doing, if left unchecked, could lead to more serious health issues.

For one, my posture is not the best. I sit for hours at my computer hunched over looking at the screen. That behavior over the last thirty years has caused my shoulders to round forward, lengthening the muscles of the back and shoulders and shortening the chest muscles. That rounded posture has caused my neck to push forward, which I now know is called Nerd Neck. Yuck, I don’t want that.

Over time this posture has become ingrained and has limited the mobility of my shoulders. If left uncorrected, this will lead to actual skeletal degradation, which will be very difficult to fix or may result in permanent damage.

Becoming more aware of my back has led me to notice other issues with my body posture and musculature. I have had issues with my right knee for quite awhile. After long walks or exercise, my right knee gets very painful. Due to my being more observant, I noticed that my hips are rotated slightly and my right foot splays outward. Trying to bring the right leg back straight is very painful and not possible for me to do for more than a minute or so.

From research associated with the BackShield program, I am now aware of the connection between the hips and back, and under closer observation I am now aware that I sit twisted at my computer. I am now more motivated than ever to work on correcting my posture.

I am very shocked at how invisibly my poor posture crept up on me and the magnitude to which it is affecting my body physiology. Had I not embarked on the BackShield project, I might not have noticed these issues with my posture until I had real pain that may lead to irreparable damage.

How has your poor posture affected your physicality? With physical pain comes emotional stress. We must endeavor in our modern society to make a commitment to take care of ourselves. The old adage still stands true: If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything!

Our wish is for you to have good posture and a happy back, which will lead to a happier life!

-Victor