What is posture?
Your posture is the way you naturally hold your body. It's the position your body assumes whilst you are both stationary (static posture) and in motion (dynamic posture). Your body’s musculoskeletal system is responsible for maintaining your posture.
Your musculoskeletal system is made up from your muscles, ligaments, cartilage, tendons that are attached to and surround your bones and joints and together enable movement. It serves 5 major functions including:
· Structure and Support
· Movement
· Circulation of blood
· Protection of important organs
· Heat
All the elements of the system work together and adjust to keep you stable, maintain your posture, control your body positioning and enable different movements.
What can affect your posture?
It’s worth noting here that everyone’s posture may differ slightly for a variety of reasons including:
· Injuries
· Muscular imbalance – a difference in size, strength or flexibility between muscles of opposite functions (or either side of a joint)
· Muscle weakness / tightness /strains, especially in the upper back, neck, shoulder or chest
· Prolonged sitting or desk working
· Repetitive movements
· Carrying heavy backpacks or shoulder bags
· Looking down for long periods (mobile usage)
· Spinal conditions including scoliosis, disc or vertebrae issues, Ankylosing spondylitis
· Genetic factors
· Obesity
· Stress/psychological factors
Effects of not maintaining good posture
Improper posture can lead to symptoms including:
Your balance - leading to an increased risk of falling
Curvature of the spine
Back and/or neck pain
Headaches
Your flexibility
A reduced range of motion - affecting your ability to perform daily living tasks
Disrupted sleep
Disrupted Digestion
Incontinence – slouching can increase pressure on the bladder and a decreased pelvic floor muscle ability
Muscular imbalance – can cause pain, diminished performance and reduced motion
How you can improve your posture
Everyone has a unique natural posture, but there are a few general rules you can follow to improve your posture and prevent common issues. It’s important to think about maintaining the natural curves of the spine when considering good posture.
The spinal column
Your spine has three curving sections that form a natural S shape:
1. Cervical
2. Thoracic
3. Lumbar
(The lower sections of the vertebral column are the sacrum and coccyx).
Your posture should not add any additional curve to any of these sections.
Practising good posture
Static / standing
· Keep your pelvis in a neutral position - pubic and pelvic bones vertically aligned when standing
· Engage your abdominal muscles – think about “zipping up” the muscles from from pubic bone to rib cage
· Keep your spine lengthened and upright with space between lower ribs and top of pelvis
· Shoulders should be relaxed and pulled down away from ears
· Shoulders rolled back and shoulder blades rolled sliding down towards buttocks
· Head up, neck lengthened and chin parallel to floor, eyes looking forward, ears level with top of your head pointing upwards
· Knees unlocked; weight spread equally through the feet when standing.
What else can you do?
Regular exercise has many benefits that can aid in improving your posture:
· Strengthening exercises that focus on your core, shoulders, upper back, hips, and legs will increase the muscular support to your bones and joints and help address muscular imbalance
· Stretching exercises - lengthening tight or short muscles can help to reduce tension and address muscular imbalance
· Weight management – regular exercise can aid with weight loss
· Activate your core muscles – think about “zipping up” your abdominal muscles to support the spine
· Move around - taking breaks to move around and switch between sitting and standing if possible
This article is intended as general advice only and should not be considered as diagnosis or treatment. For medical advice and individual concerns always speak with a medical professional.
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