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I wish I had a dime for every time my dad said to sit up straight at the table, or my mom told me to keep my shoulders back. They wanted me to have good table manners and look confident, but perhaps they also knew what science has now taught us: good posture has many health benefits, and poor posture can severely limit your mobility — particularly as you age.

Good posture keeps your bones and joints in proper alignment, reducing wear and tear on joint surfaces. It also decreases the stress on ligaments. According to Livestrong.com, good posture improves the efficiency of oxygen flow to your nervous system, organs, and other tissues. It can help prevent future health issues like spinal disk problems and constricted blood vessels and nerves. Muscle & Fitness points out that good posture improves digestion and reduces acid reflux because it enables organs to sit in their natural position without compression.

How is your posture?

Most people think little about their posture until they begin having chronic back or neck pain. A posture analysis identifies your risk for problems like kyphosis (commonly known as roundback) that affect mobility. According to the University Spine Center, sufferers of kyphosis often slouch and struggle with breathing problems, back pain and tenderness, and stiffness. The effects of which can be reduced with physical therapy and exercise.

You may be unwittingly standing, walking, or sitting in ways that will have a significant impact on your mobility.

Let’s begin with your hips. The Fit3D Posture Analysis will identify if you have, for example, an anterior pelvic tilt. This is most common in people with rotated femurs and flat feet or who walk knock-kneed. Anterior pelvic tilt causes hip, knee, and lower back pain. It will also cause a greater curvature of the spine (kyphosis), putting you at risk for shoulder and neck pain, and headaches.

Your knees are also vulnerable to the effects of poor posture. A posture analysis identifies health problems like over-pronation of the feet, causing your knees to fall inwards. According to Ask the Trainer, this is a common sports injury caused by poor posture. The Foot Posture Center warns that the “majority of knee pain cases are directly related to poor foot posture, and it is vital that this is corrected naturally before opting for medication or surgery.”

Finally, and perhaps most common, poor posture causes shoulder problems. The shoulder is made up of three bones, the clavicle (collarbone), scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (arm bone) held together by the rotator cuff. As any of you who have had shoulder injuries know, the shoulder is a complex and delicate joint. Poor posture frequently causes shoulder impingement. It not only causes pain, but it can also make it difficult for you to raise your arms above your head. If unidentified and untreated, it will wear down the bursa (shoulder tendons).

A Fit3D Posture Analysis can get you ahead of all these risks.